Mental Health Weekly最新文献

Nearly four weeks into the strike, about 2,400 of Kaiser Permanente's mental health staff in southern California continue to seek negotiations with the state's largest HMO to address inequities and calling for more patient care time — duties that can't be performed during therapy, they said — fair pay, improved staffing levels and equity in mental health care.

Given a pediatric mental health crisis that continues to worsen, children increasingly have prolonged emergency department (ED) visits while awaiting mental health care; however, those long waits have been partially attributed to inadequate availability of pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds, according to a study published last month in JAMA Pediatrics.

Brief cognitive behavioral therapy (BCBT) delivered remotely to patients — historically, considered high-risk and inappropriate candidates for virtual therapy — reveals that therapists can see these patients safely and effectively via video telehealth, say researchers of the first-ever randomized clinical trial using telehealth for suicide prevention.

An airport in Oregon is trying to ease nervous flyers' concerns by providing them with access to an unusual animal therapy program, Business Insider reported Nov. 4. Portland International Airport says it has partnered with Mountain Peaks Therapy to bring llamas and alpacas into its terminals every few weeks, hoping to alleviate some of the stress associated with air travel, according to NPR. The farm, based in Ridgefield, Washington, has five llamas and six alpacas, which it says are certified to interact with passengers in a calming manner. Its website says it costs about $650 an hour per animal. Studies have shown that animal therapy has minor to moderately positive effects on those struggling with an array of mental illnesses, though academics say more research needs to be done on its efficacy. According to UCLA Health, animal therapy can promote the release of mood-boosting hormones, lower anxiety, and provide a “happy distraction.” Most existing studies are focused on therapy dogs, which are increasingly being used in airports, such as London Stansted and Istanbul Airport.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) last week released a new report citing such legislative concerns for the new year as the health workforce and youth mental health, Medicaid, artificial intelligence and prescription drugs. All are key topics NCSL's policy experts anticipate will occupy state lawmakers' time in 2025 legislative sessions.

The National Association for Children's Behavioral Health is holding its NACBH 2024 Emerging Best Practices Conference: Cultivating Tomorrow's Excellence Dec. 4–6 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. For more information, visit https://nacbh.memberclicks.net/emerging-best-practices-conference.

The newly appointed executive director of the Vermont Association for Mental Health & Addiction Recovery (VAMHAR) intends to embark on a mission reflecting the organization's name. Daniel Franklin believes that one of Vermont's oldest advocacy organizations can serve as a catalyst for integrating mental health and addiction service systems that remain largely siloed.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of New York published an inaccurate provider directory for people searching for mental health providers, otherwise referred to as “ghost networks,” alleges a new class-action complaint filed last month in U.S. District Court. The lawsuit states that these directories are not only an inconvenience for people searching for mental health providers; but that it is far more “insidious and costly.”

Adapting evidence-based practices to create tools that empower Latino children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and supporting and empowering their families to advocate on behalf of their children are important goals of a Durham, North Carolina-based provider of bilingual and culturally responsive mental health services.

The rising suicide rates in the U.S. emphasize the need for effective prevention, researchers stated emphasizing the importance of their new study to determine the impact of telehealth — which they said has transformed access to mental health care — on suicide outcomes which is unknown.