470 Results
APA Praises House Passage of Mental Health Bills; Urges Senate to Follow Suit
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a package of mental health-related legislation brought forth by the Energy and Commerce Committee. The package of bills, previously passed by the House in the 116th Congress, would help prevent suicide, expand diagnosis and treatment for substance use disorders, increase mental health screenings in the emergency room and overall, and support patients with mental health conditions and substance use disorders. The American Psychiatric Association (APA
APA Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution for People with Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders
As the COVID-19 vaccine is being administered across the country, the American Psychiatric Association called on state public health authorities today to include people with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorders (SUD) to the equivalent of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Phase 1-C of their prioritization schedules. The recommendation coincides with APA’s recently released guidance document, The Role of the Psychiatrist in the Equitable Distribution of the COV
APA Pledges Continued Support for Affordable Care Act on its 10th Anniversary
Ten years ago today, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. In addition to its main objective of expanding health insurance coverage to 30 million Americans, the reform package also included a number of elements related to psychiatric care, which have ultimately increased access to treatment for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorder.
APA and Coalition Outline Policy Reforms to Improve Mental Health Care in Criminal Justice System
The criminal justice system bears an alarming share of the load of mental health care in the United States, often placing people with mental illness and substance use disorders in systems that have neither the resources nor the expertise to provide them the care they need. An estimated two million people with serious mental illness are booked in our jails each year. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that only a third of inmates with mental illness receive treatment, and for those that do,
New Postage Stamp: Healing PTSD
Today, Dec. 2, the U.S. Postal service begins selling a new stamp, the PTSD Healing stamp, that will help raise funds for people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). About 7-8% of people will have PTSD at some point in their lives, including about 10% of women and about 4% of men..
U.S. Surgeon General’s Warning on Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain
On August 29, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a new advisory on marijuana use and the developing brain. The advisory focuses on the dangers of marijuana for adolescents and for pregnant women. The statement from Surgeon General Vice Adm. Jerome Adams emphasized “the importance of protecting our Nation from the health risks of marijuana use in adolescence and during pregnancy. Recent increases in access to marijuana and in its potency, along with misperceptions of safety of marijuana endanger our
Men, Women, and Differing Responses to Stress
Stress affects people in several ways—it activates adrenaline and other hormones, the nervous system and immune system. While not all stress is harmful, and some can even be beneficial, chronic or toxic stress can contribute to health problems. “Men and women react differently to toxic stress because their brains are wired differently,” notes Bruce McEwen, Ph.D., of The Rockefeller University, * “and therefore they may be at risk for different stress-related illnesses.” For example, as a result
March Issues of American Psychiatric Association Journals Cover Genomics and Mental Illnesses and Associations Between Recent Public Health Crises with Traumatic Stress
The March issues of two of the American Psychiatric Association journals, The American Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Services are available online.
How to Write Effective Letters of Medical Necessity
While significant progress has been made in recent years, there are still challenges to obtaining insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Insurance companies may deny claims for a variety of reasons, including that the care is not “medically necessary.”
Exploring the Potential to Eliminate Traumatic Memories
Erasing or manipulating memories sounds like science fiction, but researchers are moving closer to the ability to target and erase traumatic memories. New advances in the neurobiology of fear memory are leading to potential new approaches to PTSD treatment, including the erasure of traumatic memories.
FDA Approves First Game-Based Therapy for ADHD
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this month approved a video game-based therapy for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This is the first game-based therapy, called a digital therapeutic device, approved by FDA for any type of condition.
Racial Disparities in ADHD
Two recent reports highlight racial disparities in the prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses. A meta-analysis published online in JAMA Psychiatry in September found that Black individuals are at higher risk of ADHD diagnosis than the general population, a finding that “challenges generally accepted statements that Black individuals have a lower prevalence of ADHD compared with others,” the authors note.