Mental Health Weekly最新文献

The International Association for Suicide Prevention is hosting the inaugural Pan-American Conference Nov. 19-22 in Minneapolis, Minn. For more information, visit https://www.iasp.info/minneapolis2024.

More than 50% of individuals in an eating disorder program entered treatment at or above a normal weight, dispelling myths that people who are underweight will require intervention, according to a new eating disorder treatment outcomes study released by one of the country's leading eating disorder treatment providers.

Committing to its vision that mental well-being — including recovery from substance use — is a reality for everyone, everywhere, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing (National Council) last week released its strategic plan for that vision along with a mission to create meaningful change over the next five years.

In late October, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled more than 7,000 bottles of the popular antidepressant duloxetine, sold under the brand name Cymbalta, Consumer Affairs reported on Oct. 24. The agency found that the affected bottles of the drug, which is used to treat depression, anxiety and mood disorders, contained toxic levels of the chemical nitrosamine. While the FDA says that the chemical isn't likely to cause harm in low levels and that consumers can handle low levels of the chemical for 70 years without health risks, it can increase the risk of cancer and become toxic to humans when ingested at higher-than-acceptable levels over an extended period of time. “FDA, in collaboration with regulatory counterparts around the world, has set internationally recognized acceptable daily intake limits for nitrosamines,” the agency said. “If drugs contain levels of nitrosamines above the acceptable daily intake limits, FDA recommends these drugs be recalled by the manufacturer as appropriate.” Currently, this recall is classified as a Class II recall, which the FDA defines as “a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.” Towa Pharmaceutical Europe manufactured the contaminated pills, which were distributed across the United States. In total, there are 7,107 bottles of duloxetine that have higher-than-normal levels of nitrosamines. The affected medications are 20 mg pills that come in bottles of 500 pills and have an expiration date of December 2024 with a lot number of 220128.

Since it launched in 2020, Denver's Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) mental distress response unit has expanded exponentially. After starting with a skeleton crew and just one van, it now has a fleet of eight vans and responds to nonviolent crises citywide, Denverite reported Oct. 22. The police alternative is set to expand again in 2025, thanks to a grant from an external group and a bump in city funding, although Mayor Mike Johnston has denied a request for additional money beyond that. STAR started four years ago as advocates across the city called for police reform. Through STAR, paramedics and mental health professionals are sent to respond to nonviolent crises, especially people who are in distress or experiencing a mental health issue. Staff are trained in medical assessment, crisis intervention and de-escalation. The new $1.5 million grant will help STAR continue its partnerships for one year with the nonprofits Servicios de la Raza and WellPower, which help to operate the program. The one-year grant will allow WellPower to hire a behavioral health clinical supervisor and “create a more organized, responsive and effective operational structure for STAR,” among other things. The grants have averaged roughly $650,000 a year, so this year's grant represents a significant expansion. The Denver City Council approved the grant last week. STAR officials said they could increase their response rates through more funding, which would allow the service to hire more staff, purchase more vehicles for its fleet and become a 24/7 service.

Responding to the growing demand for mental health care services by strengthening the pipeline of behavioral health professionals and creating job opportunities for people in recovery from a mental health or substance use disorder, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has recently announced two programs to serve both needs.

More than 2,000 unionized mental health workers in Southern California went on strike against Kaiser Permanente last week after the two sides failed to reach a new labor agreement, CNN reported Oct. 21. The National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) — which represents 19,000 health care workers in California and Hawaii, including 4,700 mental health workers — picketed outside Kaiser facilities in Los Angeles, San Diego, Anaheim and Fontana, seeking an increase in salaries, restoration of pensions and increased staffing. When announcing the impending strike earlier this month, the union cited its 10-week strike in Northern California in 2022, which resulted in higher wages, better working conditions to improve patient care and prevented rapid staff turnover (see “Kaiser agrees to historic settlement to overhaul its BH care system,” MHW, Oct. 25, 2023; https://doi.org/10.1002/mhw.33828). Union members on strike in Southern California have said their demands are in line in with what Kaiser has provided to the majority of its workforce. “Unless we strike, our coworkers are going to keep leaving and our patients are going to keep struggling in an underfunded, understaffed system that doesn't meet their needs,” Josh Garcia, a psychologist for Kaiser in San Diego, said in a press statement from the NUHW. The strike comes as employment in the mental health field — for psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, counselors, psychiatric aides and social workers — is expected to grow three times faster than the average US job position, according to CNN's analysis of data released in September by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey in 2022 from CNN in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that nine out of 10 US adults believe the country has a mental health crisis.

Keeping your brain sharp as you age has a lot to do with your heart — and the younger you start taking better care of it, the better — according to a new scientific statement published by the American Heart Association (AHA), CNN Health reported Oct. 10. “Dementia is commonly seen as an incurable and relentless disease that cannot be prevented,” said Fernando Testai, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of neurology and rehabilitation at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, in a statement. “Evidence shows, however, that adopting a healthy lifestyle and identifying and treating vascular risk factors early may help preserve normal brain function and reduce the burden of Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias,” said Testai, who chaired the statement writing group. Nearly 130 million adults in the United States have some form of heart disease, according to the AHA. The disease also takes a toll on the brain. The narrowing of arteries that occurs with coronary heart disease and high blood pressure can reduce blood flow and cause damage to the small blood vessels in the brain, resulting in cognitive impairment, the AHA said. High blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes can also reduce blood flow to the brain and increase inflammation, leading to cognitive decline and dementia. Having coronary heart disease raises the risk of future dementia by 27% compared with people without heart disease, the AHA statement said.

Staff members at North Carolina's largest provider of mental health services for the Latino community, El Futuro, realize the care they deliver can't be cookie-cutter. What the rest of the field might label as “evidence-based” will likely fall short for a population that has had little role in designing or testing what have become the conventional treatment strategies.

A navigation platform, launched Oct. 22, aims to help individuals find the right support for mental health, substance use and relationship challenges, whether it be therapists, psychiatrists, support groups or self-help resources. The platform supports behavioral health providers and other care platforms in expanding their reach by helping individuals with new clients and patients, officials stated.