Tag: The Washington Post

Reading of the Week: The Homeless – Who Are They? How Can We Help Them? Also, Shannon Jones on Her Son & His Homelessness

May 2, 2024 /

From the Editor

For much of her admission, she was disorganized and, at times, agitated. But when the medications started to work, Tanya talked about her years of homelessness and the stresses of finding a warm place to stay on a cold night, which often involved sleeping on buses – and “that’s not easy, I’m almost elderly.” 

This week, we take a closer look at homelessness and mental illness.

In the first selection, Richard Barry (of the University of Calgary) and his co-authors describe a systematic review and meta-analysis of mental disorders and homelessness for JAMA Psychiatry. They included 85 studies involving more than 48 000 people globally. “The findings demonstrate that most people experiencing homelessness have mental health disorders.” We explore the paper and its implications.

Street art in Quebec City

In the second selection, Nick Kerman and Dr. Vicky Stergiopoulos (both of the University of Toronto) examine different aspects of homelessness. In a comprehensive review for Nature Mental Health, they analyze the origins of the problem in high-income nations: focusing on deinstitutionalization. They also point to a way forward, noting the successes of Housing First and other interventions. “Homelessness among people with mental illness is a prevalent and persisting problem.”

And in the third selection, Shannon Jones writes about her son, who was homeless, in a deeply personal essay for The Washington Post. She discusses his childhood and the trips they took as a family. Also, she describes his illness and his death. “There are an estimated 600,000 homeless people in America, 75,000 of them in Los Angeles County. The number who die each year is increasing, with drug overdoses the leading cause. And every one of them has a story.”

DG

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Reading of the Week: IPT for Depression in Pregnancy – the New JAMA Psych Paper; Also, Treating Opioid Use (JAMA) and Substance Ed for Docs (Wash Post)

June 22, 2023 /

From the Editor

Prenatal depression affects two: the mother and her fetus. But how to effectively address depressive symptoms?

In the first selection, from JAMA Psychiatry, Benjamin L. Hankin (of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and his co-authors consider a focused psychotherapy for that population. In a RCT involving 234 participants, they find that IPT was helpful. “Brief IPT significantly reduced prenatal depression symptoms and MDD compared with EUC [enhanced usual care] among pregnant individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds recruited from primary OB/GYN clinics.” We look at the paper and its clinical implications.

In the second selection, Caroline King (of the Oregon Health & Science University) and her co-authors consider buprenorphine for opioid use disorder with a focus on adolescent residential treatment. In a JAMA research letter, they report the findings which included every identified facility in the United States. “In contrast to the standard of care, only 1 in 4 US facilities offered buprenorphine and 1 in 8 offered buprenorphine for ongoing treatment.”

And, in the third selection, former AMA president Dr. Patrice A. Harris (of Columbia University) and her co-authors argue that physicians should know more about addiction treatment. In a Washington Post essay, they argue for more robust training. “Opioid use disorder is treatable, and medicines are readily available. But doctors cannot learn to help patients by taking a weekend course alone.”

DG


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Reading of the Week: Screen Time and Kids’ Mental Health – the New JAMA Psych Paper; Also, Carol Smith on Her Grief (Wash Post)

May 26, 2022 /

From the Editor

Gaming. Apps. Streaming videos.

Children today have endless options at their fingertips, allowing them to entertain themselves for hours – which means less time for reading, playing, and physical activity. What effect does this have on their mental health? That question has sparked much debate: some argue that screen time is inherently problematic while others feel that it opens doors for creativity and connection to others. But what does the literature say? 

In the first selection, Rachel Eirich (of the University of Calgary) and her co-authors consider screen time and behavioural problems in children with a new systematic review and meta-analysis, just published in JAMA Psychiatry. Pulling together 87 studies, they focus on several variables. The big finding? “This study found small but significant correlations between screen time and children’s internalizing and externalizing behavior problems.” We look at the study.

And in the second selection, continuing our consideration of the first update to the DSM series in nine years, journalist Carol Smith mulls DSM-5-TR and the new diagnosis of prolonged grief disorder. In The Washington Post, she writes about her personal experience with grief: she lost her son when he was just 7. “I never thought to ask for help. I wish I had.”

DG

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Reading of the Week: Trump on Trump & the Goldwater Rule; Also, Chatbots Reviewed (CJP)

October 29, 2020 /

From the Editor

Should psychiatrists comment on the possible mental health problems of President Donald Trump? His niece thinks so.

In our first selection, we consider an essay by Mary L. Trump. In this Washington Post essay, the psychologist discusses the Goldwater Rule, which prevents members of the American Psychiatric Association from commenting on political figures. Trump feels that psychiatrists should speak up. “Adopting a notionally neutral stance in this case doesn’t just create a void where professional expertise should be – it serves to normalize dysfunctional behavior.” We consider the essay and the questions it raises.

barrygoldwater-58fab94e5f9b581d596956b2Goldwater of the Goldwater Rule

In the other selection, we pick another current topic, but this time we draw from a journal, not a newspaper, considering a new paper from The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Aditya Nrusimha Vaidyam (of Harvard University) and his co-authors do a review of chatbots for mental health; that is, “digital tools capable of holding natural language conversations and mimicking human-like behavior in task-oriented dialogue with people” (think Siri or Alexa, but for mental disorders). “This review revealed few, but generally positive, outcomes regarding conversational agents’ diagnostic quality, therapeutic efficacy, or acceptability.”

DG

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Reading of the Week: Suicide Prevention in the Acute Care Setting (JAMA Psychiatry); Also, Gottlieb on Racism (Wash Post)

June 25, 2020 /

From the Editor

In the year before they suicide, more than 90% of people have had contact with some type of acute care – an ED visit, a trip to the family doctor, or an appointment at an outpatient specialty clinic. So how can we help people better? Given the contact, what can we do to reduce suicides?

This week, we have two selections; the first focuses on this question. In a new JAMA Psychiatry paper, Dr. Stephanie K. Doupnik (of the University of Pennsylvania) and her co-authors do a systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 studies that used brief suicide prevention interventions in acute care settings (think brief contact interventions like a phone call after an ED visit). They find an encouraging result: “In this meta-analysis, brief suicide prevention interventions were associated with reduced subsequent suicide attempts.” We consider the big paper, and the editorial that accompanies it.

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In the other selection, therapist Lori Gottlieb discusses race and therapy in a Washington Post essay. She examines her own biases, and the way they play out in her therapy session. “Here’s what we didn’t talk about [in school]: the racism that might take place inside the supposedly ‘safe space’ of our therapy rooms – our patients’ racism and our own.”

Please note that there will be no Reading next week. Happy Canada Day.

DG

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