Mental Health Weekly最新文献

The rapidly advancing field of metabolic psychiatry — exploring the links between metabolism and mental health — just received a major boost. Six early-career scientists and clinicians have been selected for the inaugural Metabolic Psychiatry Scholar Award, a program designed to deepen understanding of how metabolic processes influence psychiatric conditions.

Despite decades of advocacy, mental illness in the United States is still often regarded as a public safety issue rather than a health concern — a reality that funnels thousands of individuals with serious mental illness into jails and prisons each year, according to a new JAMA Health Forum article challenging policies that criminalize individuals with mental health disorders.

With the federal government reopening Nov. 13, behavioral health advocates and organizations continue to press for clarity on how provisions in H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), will be implemented. A key area of concern centers on the Medicaid community engagement requirements, which call for certain beneficiaries to meet work or other participation standards to maintain coverage. Stakeholders argue that these requirements could create barriers for vulnerable populations unless they are clearly defined and applied consistently.

Mind the Movement, a new nonprofit initiative, last week announced its launch to provide those who work on the front lines of a political campaign or in a government job with mental health support. The organization will offer subsidies for mental health care for fired federal workers, out-of-work campaign staff and underemployed/uninsured community organizers, starting with a pilot program in three states and the Washington, D.C., metro area. “Working on a campaign is an amazing experience. But it's also exhausting and stressful. Seventy-four percent of campaign staff in 2024 said they experienced depression and 91 percent said they experienced anxiety. Twelve percent considered or engaged in self-harm,” said Ashley Williams, founder and executive director of Mind the Movement. “Federal workers, organizers, and campaign staff aren't getting mental health support because they can't afford it. Most therapists don't accept health insurance and with economic uncertainty right now, therapy sessions that start at $100 tend to be financially out of reach.” The first phase of the pilot program will offer subsidies of up to $1,400 to 100 workers in Virginia. The money is intended to cover between 10 and 12 sessions with a mental health provider, and the organization will pay the provider directly. The pilot program will expand to Arizona and Michigan early next year. Federal workers in the D.C. metro area who were let go this year and are still unemployed will be able to apply for an emergency mental health subsidy.

A growing body of research supports the notion that music and sounds can impact our mental and emotional well-being. That's the premise of a new campaign by Cigna Healthcare in partnership with basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, a news release stated. The initiative centers on a digital album of therapeutic tracks, created by Cigna Healthcare, ranging from rainforest ambience and ocean waves to basketball sounds designed to trigger an autonomous sensory meridian response. To ensure each track in the Magic Sounds album delivers meaningful mental health benefits, Cigna Healthcare collaborated with clinical experts and music therapists to establish precise musical requirements for every composition. Drawing on peer-reviewed research, the team selected elements such as tempo, frequency and instrumentation to target specific mental and emotional needs. For example, tracks designed to ease anxiety and sharpen focus feature slow, non-lyrical instrumentals and gentle birdsongs, while those intended for stress relief and sleep incorporate ambient soundscapes, binaural beats and soothing nature sounds. All tracks are now streaming across platforms, and a single from the project, “Bounce,” is available now.

Ohio officials this month announced that immediate in-person help for young people experiencing a mental health crisis is now available statewide. Gov. Mike DeWine on Nov. 7 officially announced the statewide implementation of the Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) program, designed to offer in-person crisis response within an hour of initial contact.

HaloMD, a leading authority in Independent Dispute Resolution under the federal No Surprises Act and state balance billing laws, announced Nov. 12 its partnership with Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation, adding its support to the foundation's ALL IN for Mental Health program, a news release stated. The new partnership will help the Foundation address stigma and improve access to mental health care for those on the front lines of medicine by capturing and sharing stories from health care workers across the country. The ALL IN for Mental Health initiative is a national campaign that brings together health care organizations, leaders and advocates to ensure every health worker can access mental health care safely and confidentially. The program works to normalize seeking help, to remove barriers in licensing and credentialing processes and to strengthen support systems for professionals experiencing burnout or mental distress. The new partnership will directly support the Foundation's goal to reach 40,000 health care workers with resources, stories and advocacy that foster systemic change and combat the stigma surrounding mental health care in medicine. The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation is the leading nonprofit focused exclusively on improving the well-being and mental health of health care workers. Founded in memory of Dr. Lorna Breen, an emergency physician who died by suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization drives change through evidence-based programs, policy advocacy and coalition building. Its work has led to federal legislation such as the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which creates access to nationwide initiatives supporting clinician well-being and is currently awaiting congressional reauthorization.

Evolution of Psychotherapy is holding its “40th Anniversary Celebration: The Legends of Psychotherapy,” Dec. 15–18 in Anaheim, Calif. For more information, visit https://hmpglobalevents.com/evolutionofpsychotherapy.

A new study published in JAMA Network Open sheds light on how adolescents and young adults are turning to generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for mental health advice — and finding them helpful. According to the research, among those who used chatbots for emotional support, 66% engaged at least monthly, and an overwhelming 93% reported that the advice was helpful.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently announced two significant advances in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), a condition affecting millions of adults nationwide. These developments expand therapeutic options for patients who continue to struggle despite standard antidepressant therapy.