Editor's Note Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass Gen) in Boston this summer saw an “unprecedented” surge in demand for mental healthcare services, culminating in a “staggering 880 people on its waitlist for psychiatric services,” The Washington Post October 29 reports. According to the article, Mass Gen had to issue a letter…
Editor's Note On Thursday, September 29, the House of Representatives voted 220-205 to pass legislation to impose new fines on insures that do not follow federal mental health pay parity requirements, in order to "hold employer-based health plans more accountable for improper denials of mental health and substance use benefits,"…
Editor's Note Eisai, the Japanese drug maker, said on Tuesday September 27, that its experimental drug for Alzheimer’s disease helped slow cognitive decline to those experiencing early stages of the illness. In the phase 3 clinical trials, the drug, called lecanemab, slowed cognitive decline by 27% after 18 months, the…
Editor's Note This 3-year survey study led by researchers at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, finds that emotional exhaustion trajectories varied by role but increased overall among most healthcare workers (HCWs) since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of 107, 122 HCWs surveyed, respondents reported increased emotional…
Editor's Note New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that more adults in the US are seeking treatment for mental health issues. Among the findings: The percentage of adults of all ages receiving mental health treatment increased from 19.2% in 2019 to 21.6% in 2021,…
Editor's Note In this survey of surgical, internal medicine, emergency medicine, and psychiatry residents by researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine, Boca Rotan, residents reported having effective coping strategies during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 59 residents completed the survey. Results showed…
Editor's Note This study from Binghampton University, State University of New York, finds that physical exercise frequency affected the mental health of women and men differently at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers analyzed survey data from 2,370 men (31.54%) and women (68.46%). Among their findings: During the…
Editor's Note A new Harvard study published Wednesday, September 7, in JAMA Psychiatry finds that people who felt stressed, anxious, lonely, depressed or worried about getting infected with COVID-19 were at higher risk of developing long-term symptoms, NBC September 8 reports. The study looked at survey responses from nearly 55,000…
Editor's Note September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, with National Suicide Prevention Week taking place from September 4 to 10. The American Hospital Association (AHA) highlights resources available to individuals in an effort to reduce the occurrence of suicide and destigmatize the conversations around it. Throughout the month, AHA will…
Editor's Note In an effort to address the National Mental Health Crisis, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), granted the American Academy of Pediatrics $2 million in funding to establish a National Center of Excellence on Social…