Week of October 10–14, 2022

Key topics covered during this period focus on general mental health delivery and financing issues, youth mental health, the opioid crisis, climate and mental health issues, telehealth and workforce issues, veteran’s issues, health insurance reports, and policy issues.

General Articles

• It’s no secret that the United States has chronically underinvested in mental health and addiction treatment, but recently the combined scourges of COVID, the opioid epidemic and economic woes have pushed the system to the breaking point. This has turned into a national crisis as isolation, grief, job loss, stress and addiction take their toll on our well-being, and our treatment system can’t keep up. Read more here.
• The midlife crisis is real, new research tells us. People in their 40s and 50s, in rich countries, are prone to a rise in suicidal thoughts, job stress, depression and alcohol dependence, according to a new paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. In fact, age 45 is when people reach their "maximum level of work stress," per the study. Read more here.

Youth Mental Health

• Roughly three out of four high school students reported at least one potentially traumatic experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey showed. While 73.1% of high school students under 18 said they had experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), 53.2% reported two or more such "preventable, potentially traumatic events," ranging from food insecurity, neglect, violence, a parent losing a job, or having a family member attempt or die by suicide. Read more here.
• Poor mental health among teens in the United States was a concern before the Covid-19 pandemic, and major disruptions to school and social life since early 2020 have only exacerbated the situation. A new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that most adolescents experienced negative events during the Covid-19 pandemic – and those experiences were linked to higher prevalence of poor mental health and suicide attempts. Read more here.
•  An influential national panel of preventive health experts on Tuesday recommended for the first time that children and adolescents between 8 and 18 should be screened for anxiety, but said there was insufficient evidence to say that children 7 and under should be screened. The new recommendations, issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and published in JAMA, are for the screening of children and teens who are seen in primary care settings and have no symptoms. Read more here. 
• Suicides jumped 29% among adolescents ages 15 to 19 over the previous decade, according to a recent report. Adolescent suicides rose from 8.4 per 100,000 during the 2012-2014 timeframe to 10.8 deaths per 100,000 in 2018-2020, according to the new edition of America's Health Rankings Health of Women and Children Report from the United Health Foundation. Adolescent suicides also rose significantly in 10 states. Read more here. 
• Last year at this time, Communities United, a survivor-led, grassroots, intergenerational, racial justice organization in Chicago set their sights on changing the mental health landscape for youth with the help of Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The goal was to develop a wholistic plan for youth that moves the mental health conversation from one focused on individual treatment to one that supports community healing. Read more here.  (A free account is required to read this article.)

Telehealth Issues

• Telemedicine exploded in popularity after COVID-19 hit, but limits are returning for care delivered across state lines. That complicates follow-up treatments for some cancer patients. It also can affect other types of care, including mental health therapy and routine doctor check-ins. Over the past year, nearly 40 states and Washington, D.C., have ended emergency declarations that made it easier for doctors to use video visits to see patients in another state. Read more here. 

Workforce Issues

• Hospitals typically employ all sorts of providers who specialize in the heart, lungs, and kidneys. But for patients with an addiction or a condition related to drug or alcohol use, few hospitals have a clinician — whether that be a physician, nurse, therapist, or social worker — who specializes in addiction medicine. That absence is striking at a time when overdose deaths in the U.S. have reached record highs, and research shows patients face an increased risk of fatal overdose in the days or weeks after being discharged from a hospital. Read more here.

Military and Veterans

• After finishing a tour in Afghanistan in 2013, Dionne Williamson felt emotionally numb. More warning signs appeared during several years of subsequent overseas postings. “It’s like I lost me somewhere,” said Williamson, a Navy lieutenant commander who experienced disorientation, depression, memory loss, and chronic exhaustion. As the Pentagon seeks to confront spiraling suicide rates in the military ranks, Williamson’s experiences shine a light on the realities for service members seeking mental health help. Read more here.

Health Insurance

• The number of Americans with health insurance has climbed to historic highs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but within that silver lining is a darker hue. Many Americans have policies that only provide limited financial protection, to the point that many patients report forgoing needed medical care or prescriptions to avoid being hit with punishing out-of-pocket costs. Read more here.
• Nearly 1 million additional Americans will have access to ObamaCare subsidies next year under a final rule issued Tuesday by the Biden administration. The rule fixes the so-called family glitch, a loophole in the health law that prevents family members from receiving ObamaCare subsidies if a household member has access to an affordable employer-sponsored health plan. Read more here.
• Employers want alternative ways to provide medical benefits to their retirees over the next three years, with some looking to replace their traditional group plans for pre-Medicare and Medicare-eligible retirees with individual insurance coverage through private marketplaces, according to a survey by Willis Towers Watson. Employers are motivated by cost, as they expect to pay more in the next three years to provide benefits to this group, the survey found. Read more here.

Federal and State Policy

• A Pennsylvania judge has temporarily blocked plans by Crozer Health to close its Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Drexel Hill and convert it into a behavioral healthcare facility. Court of Common Pleas Judge Robert Shenkin ruled Tuesday that all present operations at Delaware County Memorial should continue and that the parties should meet to discuss changes to the hospital. Read more here. (A free account is required to read this article.)
• Some Georgia psychiatric hospitals that display the Joint Commission’s seal have troubled histories with government regulators and law enforcement agencies. Their investigations have determined the hospitals failed to meet even basic patient protection standards, with some of the lapses contributing to patients’ deaths, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found. Regulators appear to impose few sanctions, though, even when government inspectors discovered cases of abuse, negligence or shocking systemic problems. Read more here.