Publications - Depression

Social isolation linked to an increased risk of dementia, new study finds, by Kaitlyn Radde, NPR, Jan 17 2023.

“Socially isolated older adults have a 27% higher chance of developing dementia than older adults who aren't, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers found.  "Social connections matter for our cognitive health, and it is potentially easily modifiable for older adults without the use of medication," Dr. Thomas Cudjoe, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins and a senior author of the study, said in a news release. ”

988 Lifeline sees boost in use and funding in first months, by Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, Jan 16 2023.

“The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline received over 1.7 million calls, texts and chats in its first five months. That's nearly half a million more than the old 10-digit Suicide Prevention Lifeline fielded during the same period the year before.  Launched in mid-July last year, the 988 number is modeled on the 911 system and is designed to be a memorable and quick number that connects people who are suicidal or in any other mental health crisis to a trained mental health professional.  "We see the uptick in volume as an indicator that more people are aware of the service and are able to access it," says Kimberly Williams, the president and CEO of Vibrant Emotional Health, the non-profit that oversees the national 988 network of nearly 200 crisis centers spread across the nation. ”

Mental health-related emergency department visits and revisits are on the rise among children, study finds, by Jacqueline Howard, CNN, Dec 27 2022.

“Emergency department visits and revisits in children’s hospitals that are related to mental health are “increasing rapidly,” a new study suggests.  Between 2015 and 2020, mental health visits in pediatric emergency departments increased by 8% annually, with about 13% of those patients revisiting within six months, according to the study published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. Whereas, all other emergency department visits increased by 1.5% annually.  Mental health revisits increased by 6.3% annually, but in general, the percentage of mental health visits that had a subsequent revisit remained stable, “which may reflect that the factors associated with revisit did not change substantially during the study period, even as the pediatric mental health crisis worsened,” wrote the researchers, from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the University of Southern California and Boston Children’s Hospital.  The ongoing surge in pediatric mental health emergency department visits may be associated with “a combination of factors, including a worsening crisis of pediatric mental illness and shortage of mental health clinicians,” the researchers wrote.  The most common diagnoses among the mental health emergency department visits were suicidal ideation or self-harm, representing 28.7% of patients; mood disorders at 23.5%; anxiety disorders at 10.4%; and disruptive or impulse control disorders at 9.7%. ”

Teen brains aged faster than normal from pandemic stress, study says, by Katherine Lewis Reynolds, The Washington Post, Dec 1 2022.

“The stress of pandemic lockdowns prematurely aged the brains of teenagers by at least three years and in ways similar to changes observed in children who have faced chronic stress and adversity, a study has found.  The study, published Thursday in Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science, was the first to compare scans of the physical structures of teenagers’ brains from before and after the pandemic started, and to document significant differences, said Ian Gotlib, lead author on the paper and a psychology professor at Stanford University.  Researchers knew teens had higher “levels of depression, anxiety and fearfulness” than “before the pandemic. But we knew nothing about the effects on their brains,” said Gotlib, who is director of the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology Laboratory. “We thought there might be effects similar to what you would find with early adversity; we just didn’t realize how strong they’d be.”  Premature aging of children’s brains isn’t a positive development. Before the pandemic, it was observed in cases of chronic childhood stress, trauma, abuse and neglect. These adverse childhood experiences not only make people more vulnerable to depression, anxiety, addiction and other mental illnesses, they can raise the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other long-term negative outcomes. ”

Magic mushroom compound shows promise as depression treatment in key study, by Natalie Grover, Reuters, Nov 4 2022.

“The main psychoactive ingredient found in magic mushrooms can significantly reduce symptoms of difficult-to-treat depression, data from the largest clinical trial ever to test the keenly-watched compound has found.  The mid-stage study, conducted by the London-based and Nasdaq-listed COMPASS Pathways , involved 233 patients with so-called treatment-resistant depression who have failed to benefit from at least two antidepressants.  Data published in a medical journal showed that patients who were given the 25 mg dose of psilocybin had statistically significant lower levels of depressive symptoms three weeks after the treatment than people treated with lower doses.  Additionally, about 29% of patients in that group achieved remission on a standardised depression scale.  Given these patients have limited treatment options and face stigma around depression, these findings are a step in the right direction, said Rucker. ”

10 ways to get mental health help during a therapist shortage, by Lindsey Bever, The Washington Post, Oct 29 2022.

“Anxiety and depression have been on the rise in the United States since the start of the pandemic. This has led to a crisis in mental health that has been worsened by the shortage of mental health counselors.  A significant number of mental health professionals are not accepting new clients. Others have long waiting lists.  The Washington Post asked mental health professionals what advice they would give people who are struggling to find a therapist. About 300 experts from across the country responded with advice on getting an appointment — and tips on what people can do in the meantime to try to help themselves. Here are their recommendations. ”

Long waiting lists, long drives and costly care hinder many kids’ access to mental health care, by Brenda Goodman, CNN, Oct 6 2022.

“Norris is one of more than 2,000 adults surveyed this summer by CNN and the Kaiser Family Foundation about mental health issues in America. The nationally representative sample included more than 500 parents.  Nearly half of those parents, 47%, say the pandemic has negatively affected their kids’ mental health, with 17% saying it had a major negative impact.  More than 8 out of 10 parents said they’re at least somewhat worried about depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug use negatively affecting the life of US teens, while roughly three-quarters said they were worried about self-harm or pandemic-related loneliness and isolation.  More than 4 in 10 said they were very worried about alcohol and drug use, anxiety and depression affecting teens. Lower-income parents – those making less than $40,000 a year – were more likely than those in higher-income households to say they’re very worried about self-harm, eating disorders, depression and alcohol and drug use.  According to the survey, more than half of Americans (55%) think most children and teenagers in the US aren’t able to get the mental health services they need. ”

4 emotional workouts to help you feel empowered and promote resilience, by Juli Fraga, The Washington Post, Sep 28 2022.

“As the pandemic continues, so does the mental health crisis. Many of us are struggling with the grief and trauma the coronavirus unleashed, as well as stressors such as mass shootings and climate change. With so much suffering, there is a greater need for therapy, but many psychotherapists — myself included — can’t meet the rising demand.  One possible solution, says clinical psychologist Emily Anhalt, is to add an “emotional workout” to your self-care regimen. “Just like working out prevents high blood pressure and heart disease, emotional fitness can be a proactive stance toward stress management,” says Anhalt, the co-founder of Coa, a gym for mental health.  Self-care tools can be helpful, especially when barriers such as high-deductible insurance plans, high co-pays and living in remote areas can make mental health care difficult to afford or access. And while the pandemic isn’t solely to blame for the lack of therapists, it’s certainly made things worse, says Vaile Wright, the senior director of health-care innovation at the American Psychological Association.  With too few mental health resources, we need innovative ways to make psychological care more accessible, she says. If you’re waiting to see a therapist, can’t afford mental health care or have recently finished therapy, emotional exercises are one way to strengthen your psychological muscles. While these workouts aren’t meant to replace individual or group therapy, Anhalt says they can promote resilience and help you feel empowered. ”

Youth Mental Health Was Declining in the U.S. Long Before COVID-19, by Brian Mastroianni, Healthline, Sep 26 2022.

“There have been several studies that have zeroed in on the state of mental health for young people today, both in the United States and around the world.  Now, a recent report is shedding light on mental health trends for children and adolescents, giving clarity to the fact that a lot of these problems (while exacerbated by the global pandemic) have been present before the emergence of the coronavirus outbreak and likely will continue to be a major issue as it subsides.  Experts say research like this is important in providing a pathway for educators, policymakers, and parents and guardians alike to provide better systems of support and interventions for young people as they encounter the realities impacting their mental health today. ”

Nothing seemed to treat their depression. Then they tried ketamine., by Meryl Kornfield, The Washington Post, Sep 12 2022.

“Researchers said the study could offer a greater understanding of the drug’s long-term potential for treating people with depression, and more hope amid a mental health crisis that has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. Ketamine is just one of a variety of psychedelics, including “magic” mushrooms and ecstasy, that people are turning to for relief amid a greater public acceptance and growing field of research.  Patrick Oliver, the study’s lead researcher and the medical director of MindPeace Clinics, said ketamine therapy could become a mainstream solution to depression and potentially other mental disorders that have long been undertreated. Nearly 46,000 Americans died from suicides in the United States in 2020, according to the National Center on Health Statistics.  Experts say that ketamine shouldn’t be considered the first option for people with depression or suicidal ideations, given the other medicines and therapies that have been proved effective. The study, conducted by the ketamine clinic on a self-selecting group of patients, has its limitations. Suicidal ideations decreased at least 85 percent after 15 infusions, researchers found. But the study’s authors acknowledged that there is no system to track adverse events and side effects among ketamine patients. Nurses followed up with patients by phone after their treatments and recorded two suicide attempts. Those in the field say more information is needed about the drug’s effects over a longer period with more patients — but, they add, the research is a step in the right direction for a better understanding of ketamine. ”

As school starts, teachers add a mental-health check-in to their lesson plans, by Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, Sep 2 2022.

“As the new school year begins, teachers at many schools across the country are adding a new component to their routines: a mental health check-in with their students. The idea is to open up conversations around how kids are feeling emotionally, and to connect them to help before issues escalate to a crisis. [...] The new approach comes after two and a half rocky years of pandemic, with kids' lives disrupted by bouts of remote schooling and many families in economic stress, which worsened the already shaky state of children's mental health in the U.S. In 2020, the CDC reported a greater proportion of kids showing up at emergency rooms in a mental health crises: serious suicide attempts, eating disorders, aggressive behaviors. "The thing that's most concerned us was really the number of significant self-harm and suicidal ideation that we've seen in an emergency room," says Dr. Smriti Khare, pediatrician and the chief mental and behavioral health office at Children's Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, which saw a 40% rise in visits to the ER after the start of the pandemic in 2020 compared to the year before. ”

Confronting Health Worker Burnout and Well-Being, by Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A., New England Journal of Medicine, Aug 18 2022.

“Expressions of gratitude have too often been replaced by hostility, anger, and even death threats toward health workers, as health misinformation has exploded, eroding trust in science and public health experts. Yet doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, respiratory therapists, hospital security officers, and staff members of health care and public health organizations continue showing up to battle the pandemic and its sequelae — long Covid, mental health strain, widening health disparities, and 2 years’ worth of deferred care for myriad conditions.  The toll on our health workers is alarming. Thousands of them have died from Covid. More than half of health workers report symptoms of burnout,1 and many are contending with insomnia, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other mental health challenges.2  ”

How the U.S. Can Solve a Shortage of Mental-Health Professionals, by Lisa Ward, The Wall Street Journal, Aug 14 2022.

“Many sufferers of mental-health issues can’t find the help they need. Often there just aren’t enough providers.  More than a third of the U.S. population, about 130 million people, live in areas that have a dearth of mental-health workers. Residents of underserved areas have roughly a quarter of the providers they need, in aggregate, the Kaiser Family Foundation says. The shortage is even more acute in rural areas. About 80% of rural counties lack access to a single psychiatrist, according to a report by the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, citing data from the Health Resources and Services Administration.  The pandemic brought the shortage of mental-health services into sharp focus as more adults sought help to deal with the stress and disruption of their daily lives. Children suffered immensely, too, as prolonged school closures weren’t only psychologically damaging, but also caused many children’s mental-health conditions to go unnoticed because teachers and school psychologists are a primary source of referrals. ”

Make space, listen, offer hope: How to help a child at risk of suicide, by Rhitu Chatterjee and Michelle Aslam, NPR, Jul 18 2022.

“As the coronavirus pandemic has worsened the mental health of kids, more families are dealing with their children feeling anxious, depressed and thinking about and even attempting suicide. But mental health professionals say that suicide is preventable and that parents and family members can play an important role.  It's hard work that requires parents to listen to their children, acknowledge their struggles and help them find a way out of their darkness. And in the long run, it calls for creating a home environment where kids feel safe sharing their emotional lives and where families solve problems together. ”

The new 988 mental health hotline is live. Here's what to know, by Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, Jul 16 2022.

“People experiencing a mental health crisis have a new way to reach out for help in the U.S. Starting Saturday, they can simply call or text the numbers 9-8-8.  Modeled after 911, the new three-digit 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is designed to be a memorable and quick number that connects people who are suicidal or in any other mental health crisis to a trained mental health professional.  "If you are willing to turn to someone in your moment of crisis, 988 will be there," said Xavier Becerra, the secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, at a recent press briefing. "988 won't be a busy signal, and 988 won't put you on hold. You will get help." ”