General Mental Health Articles
- Childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD), the development of PTSD after childbirth, is a recognized phenomenon affecting 4.6%-to-6.3% of women postpartum. It is associated with multiple negative maternal and child health outcomes, including decreased maternal attachment. Read more here.
- Clinical notes for patients with substance use disorder (SUD) contained stigmatizing language -- such as "junkie," "dirty user," and "this drunk" -- on a regular basis, according to a study of electronic health records (EHR). A preliminary analysis of clinical notes from a random sample of 2,700 patients with SUD or opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnoses showed that 84.4% (n=2,279) of patients had notes that contained stigmatizing language, according to Jyoti Pathak, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Read more here.
- In recent years, the pandemic has pushed community pharmacists into the spotlight, with those working at retail pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS administering vaccines and long-acting injectables like antipsychotic medications and naltrexone for substance use disorders. Read more here.
- Across the Bay Area, communities are looking for ways to deal with mental health crises without involving police. Antioch created its own private crisis response team, and after 12 months, the city's mayor says results have been positive. While it may be difficult to measure success on such a thing, the numbers are looking good. One number stands out from the rest. Zero. Read more here.
- People overcoming physical workplace injuries may have accompanying behavioral health challenges that could keep them off the job almost three times as long, according to an analysis from business insurer Sentry. Early detection of mental health concerns among injured workers can improve employee well-being and save companies money. Cases showing evidence of behavioral health issues made up less than 3% of nearly 540,000 workers' compensation claims submitted to Sentry between 2012 and 2019, but accounted for 35% of all costs, the report said. Read more here.
Youth Mental Health
- Deaths from drug overdoses and firearm-related injuries have reached record levels in the United States in recent years, and it’s created a “double burden” for children who face an increased risk of losing their parents and of dying themselves, according to the authors of a new study published in the medical journal JAMA. Overall, more than one million children have lost a parent to a fatal drug overdose or gun violence over the past two decades – and the burden has increased significantly over time. Read more here.
- Between 2000 and 2015 in an affluent, predominately white community in the US, 19 young people died by suicide through what’s known as suicide clusters. These clusters refer to an unusually high rate of suicide for a community over a short period of time, often at least two deaths and one suicide attempt, or three deaths. Suicide clusters are an extreme example of youth mental health struggles — an issue that’s been getting more attention since the pandemic and is at the center of an increasingly charged national conversation around social media and phones. Read more here.
- On the last day of the legislative session, state lawmakers approved one of the biggest investments in child welfare in years. The legislation comes as hundreds of kids with severe behavioral health needs are forced to seek care out of state because Colorado doesn't have enough residential treatment. The lack of treatment is primarily due to a lack of providers. Read more here.
Medicaid Redetermination
- A year into the process of Medicaid unwinding, the number of Iowans who have been disenrolled has far exceeded the state's initial projection. According to state data, at least 283,000 Iowans have been disenrolled as of March, including 87,000 children. Last March, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services initially projected that around 17.6% of Medicaid members, or around 150,000 Iowans, would be disenrolled under the year-long process of Medicaid unwinding. Read more here.
- Nearly 600,000 children in Florida lost government health insurance last year when states began reviewing Medicaid eligibility again, according to a report published this month. In the report, policy experts at the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University write that Florida is among states that prioritized "hasty" removal of kids from the program. Read more here.
Gender-Affirming Care and LGBTQ Issues
- When Kansas state Rep. Susan Concannon learned that the state’s proposed gender-affirming care ban would gut mental health services for kids across the state, she knew she would have to break from her party. Two hospitals — Stormont Vail in Topeka and Children’s Mercy in Kansas City — told Concannon and her Republican colleague Rep. Jesse Borjon that if the state banned gender-affirming care for trans youth, they would be forced to halt behavioral and mental health services for at-risk kids. Read more here.
Federal and State Policy
- President Biden’s administration is working overtime to ensure his health care priorities are protected from a potential second Trump White House. In recent weeks, regulatory agencies have been racing against the clock to finalize some of their most consequential policies, such as abortion data privacy, antidiscrimination protections for transgender patients, and nursing home minimum staffing. Read more here.
- President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign announced $14 million in new spending across battleground states while launching an ad hitting former President Donald Trump on health care. The spending includes seven figures that will target minority groups through TV, digital, and radio ads this month. The campaign is looking to capitalize on its early fundraising advantage over Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president. The move also comes on the heels of a $30 million ad onslaught in competitive states that began after Biden's State of the Union address in March. Read more here.
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