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In an effort to help the public better understand the mental health implications of gaming, an international foundation and a public health nonprofit this month released a white paper, calling it a first‐of‐its‐kind report, that analyzes the potential role of gaming as an innovative solution to the increasing mental health crisis in this country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health care payments continue to evolve and shift away from fee‐for‐service payment systems that typically reward volume and move to value‐based payment (VBP) models that incentivize high‐quality, cost‐effective care. While this is happening more for physical health services, there's more uncertainty about the role of behavioral health. A new white paper aims to tackle that question with information about existing models that have been implemented along with recommendations for federal and state policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization or day treatment programs can provide more intensive levels of care with multiple types of therapy, more frequent sessions with mental health professionals, and clinically informed care coordination and case management. This observation on residential treatment is included in a new white paper released this month by the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observing that the transition to the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers an opportunity to grow crisis response services along a continuum, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) last month released a series of 10 technical assistance collaborative papers providing important resources for stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boldly proclaiming to Congress that it's time to redesign the U.S. mental and behavioral health system, Senate lawmakers last month released a white paper outlining a national strategy to integrate mental health care, enhance delivery within local communities and improve how federal funds and other resources are planned for and allocated to increase the nation's investment through better mental and behavioral health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the white paper released by Leavitt Partners on April 17, 2018 that urge mental health services providers to implement a measurement-based system where validated symptom rating scales for patient with major depressive disorder (MDD) are performed during visits. It notes that MDD is a serious comorbidity with numerous other medical conditions including hypertension, coronary artery disease and diabetes.

Taking into account the everyday decisions medical professionals have to make about patient care for individuals with mental health and substance use disorder challenges, a white paper has been published that offers much needed guidance to help key stakeholders throughout the behavioral health field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) issued a white paper on October 6, 2016 stating social stigma as a major issue in accessing mental health treatment. Topics discussed include the potential of marriage and family therapists in rendering mental health services on issues like depression, anxiety and addiction, the approach of CAMFT in promoting access to mental health treatment, and the formation of a public outreach committee.

Can bird‐watching improve mental health? A new study has found that people who have nature‐based experiences report better well‐being and lower psychological distress than those who do not, a North Carolina State University news release stated. Bird‐watching in particular yielded promising results, with higher gains in subjective well‐being and more reduction in distress than more generic nature exposure, such as walks. Because bird‐watching is an easily accessible activity, the results are encouraging for college students, who are among those most likely to suffer from mental health problems, the news release indicated. "Bird‐watching is among the most ubiquitous ways that human beings interact with wildlife globally, and college campuses provide a pocket where there's access to that activity even in more urban setting, said Nils Peterson, corresponding author of the study and a professor of forestry and environmental resources at North Carolina State University. The paper, "Birdwatching linked to increased psychological well‐being on college campuses: A pilot‐scale experimental study," was published in Environmental Psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's (AACAP's) Program Committee has issued a Call for Papers for submission of abstracts of original investigations for consideration in the 2024 Annual Meeting of AACAP, October 14‐19, in Seattle. AACAP is planning for an in‐person meeting in Seattle and as such, will require all presenters to be in‐person in Seattle for their presentation. The Call for Papers deadline is Feb. 15, 2024 (11:59 p.m. EST). For more information, visit https://aacap.confex.com/aacap/2024/cfp.cgi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on mental health education to be taught in schools. Topics discussed include white paper "Mental Health Education in New York Schools: Review of Legislative History, Intent and Vision for Implementation" has been issued by Mental Health Association of New York State'; New York state schools teach about alcohol, tobacco and cancer screenings; and the views of Glenn Liebman, MHANYS chief executive officer, on curriculum development.

Untreated mental illness in the Hoosier state comes at a cost of more than $4 billion a year, according to a new Indiana University study, the Daily Journal reported Nov. 1. The research published by the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health found that one in five Indiana residents with mental illness do not receive the treatment they need. Hoosiers who do not receive such treatment are also more likely to experience other chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, researchers said. The economic burden of untreated mental illness in Indiana is estimated to be $4.2 billion annually, including $3.3 billion in indirect costs — like unemployment and caregiving — $708.5 million in direct health care costs, and $185.4 million in non‐health care costs. The largest cost attributable to untreated mental illness was premature mortality, at over $1.4 billion. Productivity losses were estimated to cost $885 million each year. "The findings were published Oct. 13 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers worked with the Indiana Behavioral Health Commission to perform their analysis. Through the researchers' work, they developed a framework that allows Indiana to prioritize key areas in mental health services and treatment. The framework also provides Indiana with a baseline for tracking progress toward improvement efforts. The research was used in support of Senate Enrolled Act 1, which passed during the 2023 legislative session. The sweeping legislation will create a new mental health care system in Indiana, fortifying the relatively new 988 crisis response center and hotline with funding for mental health emergencies. The IU study population consisted of more than 6.1 million individuals of whom an estimated 429,000 had untreated mental illness in 2019, according to the research paper. "One of the most significant impacts of this research is that other states can use this framework to understand the financial burden in their state," said Justin Blackburn, Ph.D., associate professor at the Fairbanks School. "There is a scarcity of data on the costs incurred by each state — especially by individuals, families and communities — from untreated mental illnesses in the United States. Policymakers, clinicians and employers need this sort of data to determine how we should allocate our societal resources." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kids playing too many video games and spending too much time online has long concerned parents, but new research has found that these activities may be associated with psychotic experiences, Newsweek reported. Teenagers who spend a lot of time playing video games and on the computer are more likely to have a psychotic experience, according to a new paper in JAMA Psychiatry. These psychotic experiences ranged in extremity from mild suspiciousness and bizarre ideas to delusions and hallucinations. The researchers studied a cohort of 1,226 participants born between 1997 and 1998, and found that those who played more video games, and those who increased then decreased their computer usage, were more likely to have a psychotic experience at some point before the age of 23. Between 5% and 7% of adults have had a psychotic experience at some point, with the first often occurring during teenage years. Psychotic experiences or episodes often involve hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, paranoia and depressive moods. "Understanding the environmental determinants and psychosocial functions of media use during adolescence may help better integrate digital technologies in the prevention and management of [psychotic experiences]," the authors wrote. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annually, one in five childbearing persons in the United States experiences a mental health or substance use disorder before, during or after pregnancy, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) stated in an Aug. 1 news release. To ensure that psychiatrists and mental health clinicians are best positioned to respond to this need, the APA, with support from the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] Foundation, has released a series of educational materials for addressing perinatal mental health in its Psychiatric Toolkit. The toolkit includes eight fact sheets for clinicians and patients, a white paper, and a four‐part webinar series covering this understudied and underserved area of mental health. These materials can be accessed at APA's Perinatal Mental Health website (https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/professional‐interests/women‐s‐mental‐health/maternal‐mental‐health‐toolkit). The white paper calls for revisions to academic and continuing education curricula to improve competency and confidence within the behavioral care workforce for treating this population. It examines the care of vulnerable populations, raising such issues as cultural competency and lack of access. This "Mental Health Needs Assessment in the Management of Perinatal Psychiatric Disorders" is supported by the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $447,209 funded by the CDC/HHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the best efforts of clinicians and researchers for decades, there is still so much uncertainty about why some people develop mental disorders and others do not, the nonprofit journalism organization, The Conversation, reported Aug. 4. However, changes in the brain very likely offer the best clues to future mental health outcomes. The adolescent brain is particularly important in these predictions because brain changes during this time are rapid and dynamic, shaping a person's individual uniqueness. By monitoring and tracking brain changes as they happen, [researchers] contend that they can tackle emerging mental health problems in adolescence and target early treatment. The challenge is in accurately predicting the likelihood of a person developing a mental disorder before it happens. In a paper published recently in NeuroImage, study authors used data from the Australian Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study that monitors changes in adolescents' brains. "We have been tracking adolescent brain development, using MRI scans, for several years," stated researchers. "Our recent paper is the first to show [that] the uniqueness of an adolescent's brain (or their 'brain fingerprint') can predict mental health outcomes. Brain fingerprinting could be the future of mental disorder prevention, allowing us to identify signs of concern in teenagers through brain imaging and intervene early, before illness develops." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Could earmarking recreational marijuana taxes for investments in mental health offset the potential health consequences of marijuana legalization, while retaining its benefits to communities?, NYU News reported April 1. "If more and more states are passing recreational marijuana laws and adding excise taxes, then it would make sense that at least some of this is earmarked for mental health," says NYU School of Global Public Health's Jonathan Purtle, an associate professor of public health policy and management and the author of a new JAMAHealth Forum paper arguing that the earmarked taxes have the potential to help millions. Right now, most states don't earmark marijuana tax revenue for mental health. Just six states — Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York, Oregon, and Washington — mention mental health in their recreational marijuana tax codes, but only in combination with substance use, providing no guarantee that any revenue will be spent on mental health in addition to substance use services. "We found that earmarking a quarter of marijuana tax revenue is not nominal — it's a lot of money, and could help a lot of people," said Purtle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Treat First model of care program led by the New Mexico Behavioral Health Services Division for clinical practice improvement. Topics discussed include reactions of medical service provider on proposed cuts in Medicaid payment rates and fragmented service system, assessment related to patient's paper work and views of program coordinator Betty A. Downes on the same.

A new statewide program launched in New Jersey will be the first of its kind in the United States aimed at suicide prevention among police officers, the Philly Voice reported. The New Jersey Resilience Program for Law Enforcement, announced Aug. 6 by Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, comes in response to a white paper that found officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. Last year, for example, at least 167 officers nationally died by suicide, more than the total number of line‐of‐duty deaths, the white paper found. "We cannot fully comprehend the emotional and mental stress that our law enforcement officers suffer on a daily basis," Grewal said in a statement. "We owe it to them to not only combat the stigma associated with seeking help, but also to give them the tools they need to deal with the stress and trauma they endure." Since 2016, New Jersey has recorded 37 law enforcement officer suicides, which may be lower than the actual figure as these deaths are often underreported. The program is intended to serve as an addition to existing employee assistance programs and the longstanding Cop2Cop program that provides counseling to police officers experiencing challenges. Under the new program, officers will be required to complete a two‐day training module including lectures and practice exercises. "The constant exposure to society's most difficult problems can take an emotional toll on law enforcement officers that, if not addressed, can build up over time, often with tragic consequences," said Veronica Allende, director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. "Our goal is to teach law enforcement officers how to recognize and manage that stress to remain mentally healthy and avoid going down a dark hole." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can too much free time be almost as bad as too little? As an individual's free time increases, so does that person's sense of well‐being — but only up to a point, according to a news release from the American Psychological Association. Too much free time can also be a bad thing, research published online Sept. 9 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology stated. "People often complain about being too busy and express wanting more time," said Marissa Sharif, Ph.D., an assistant professor of marketing at the Wharton School and lead author of the paper. "But is more time actually linked to greater happiness? We found that having a dearth of discretionary hours in one's day results in greater stress and lower subjective well‐being. However, while too little time is bad, having more time is not always better. In cases where people do find themselves with excessive amounts of discretionary time, such as retirement or having left a job, our results suggest these individuals would benefit from spending their newfound time with purpose." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leading advocates and researchers in the mental health field published new data in JAMA showing that state medical board license applications do not follow national recommendations to protect the mental health of physicians, The Emotional PPE Project reported May 18. Physicians have high rates of burnout and consistently report they do not have adequate support for their emotional wellness. Despite this context, physicians infrequently seek mental health care, often fearing that it will result in loss of their medical license. In 2018, the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) published recommendations to limit medical license application questions regarding mental health to only what is necessary and relevant, and to provide language supportive of mental health treatment seeking. The findings in JAMA show that as of July 2020, these recommendations have not been widely adopted. Only 1 of 54 US state and territory medical licensing applications evaluated in the study fully adopted the FSMB recommendations (North Carolina), and five states were not consistent with any of the recommendations. This latest paper is one in a series of publications over the past year that have brought awareness to the multitude of barriers that physicians face when seeking mental health care. Advocacy organizations such as The Emotional PPE Project and the National Alliance on Mental Illness have emerged as some of the leaders in the effort to lift these barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Minnesota House committee unanimously approved March 3 a longstanding attempt to simplify and align how Minnesota administers mental health treatment, The Free Press reported. The so‐called uniform service standards bill, at 257 pages, would cut down on provider and patient paper‐work, update mental health treatment language that's been around in some cases since the 1950s and '60s, and align definitions and standards within the state's mental health care system. "Proponents of the bill hope simplifying Minnesota's mental health system and requiring less paperwork for certain treatments will lead to better outcomes for patients and their families. The new bill aims to simplify Minnesota's mental health licensing process, align certain treatment standards for children and adults, and align standards for training and even patient information gathering. These changes have been in the works since 2017 as state officials have worked with mental health experts, advocates and professionals to align policies across the board. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new study by researchers at Oxford University found that playing video games can actually be good for mental health, 69 News reported Nov. 17. It was published as video game sales are booming this year because more people are stuck at home during this pandemic, and a lot of countries have once again imposed limits on public life. The paper was based on survey responses from more than 3,000 people who played two games: Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The study used data provided by game makers Electronic Arts and Nintendo on how much time participants spent playing. The researchers say they found the actual amount of time spent playing was a small but significant positive factor in people's well‐being. The study says the level of enjoyment players get from a game could be a more important factor for their well‐being than mere playing time. The results could cast doubt on long‐held assumptions that gaming causes aggression or addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kennedy Krieger Institute Vice President of Psychiatric Services and Research Robert Findling, M.D., recently received the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's (AACAP's) 2019 Norbert and Charlotte Rieger Award for Scientific Achievement for his research on the role of lithium in the maintenance treatment of pediatric patients with bipolar I disorder. The award, which was presented Oct. 16 at the AACAP annual meeting in Chicago, recognizes the most outstanding scientific paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from July 2018 through June 2019, a news release stated. Published in February 2019, the study, "Lithium for the Maintenance Treatment of Bipolar I Disorder: A Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Discontinuation Study," examines the long‐term safety of lithium through a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled discontinuation trial. The study found that continued treatment with lithium is associated with better outcomes and is generally well‐tolerated in pediatric patients with bipolar disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a Disability Rights Oregon report, authored by Joel Greenberg, and published in the paper "The Oregonian," that reveals less time spent by male inmates with severe mental illnesses outside of their cells, with inmates spending their days in dark and foul-smelling area.

The article reflects on the paper published by researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and Dartmouth, which details the link between parents' debts and the socio-emotional well-being of children within the family.