Mental Health

Those in minority groups face barriers even after they’ve made the hard decision to seek mental health care. The Department of Labor aims to address systemic issues on a personal level.

Roughly 7% of US women of reproductive age have attempted self-induced abortions after the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022; the FDA announced that the cost to file a drug using clinical data will increase to about $4.3 million in 2025; the suicide rate among US children aged between 8 to 12 years has steadily risen during the past 15 years.

Suicide has emerged as the leading cause of death among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youths, a demographic that is rapidly growing in the United States.

For Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, the Employee Benefits Security Agency (EBSA) in the US Department of Labor highlights the critical need to address mental health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities.

Screening for postpartum depression while patients are pregnant is a crucial step to ensuring they get access to treatment if they need it postpartum, according to Rachel Dalthorp, MD, of LifeStance Health.

Using the modified Tinkertoy Test (m-TTT), recent findings further the understanding of specific cognitive deficits affecting life skills in individuals with schizophrenia, revealing a critical link between divergent thinking and daily functioning.

Ron Grunstein, MD, PhD, head of sleep and circadian research, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, details results from the ALKS 2680 trial and the study's next steps.

The 2025 Physician Fee Schedule includes a conversion factor reduction, expanded behavioral health services, extended telehealth waivers, new Quality Payment Program pathways, and measures to address suspect billing, alongside a Biden administration initiative introducing federal maternal health standards for hospitals.

Rachel Dalthorp, MD, explains that zuranolone is recommended as the first-line medication, alongside psychotherapy, to effectively manage postpartum depression (PPD) and mitigate long-term impacts.

Despite extensive research into patient-level differences in antidepressant treatment outcomes, the variability among clinicians themselves hasn’t been thoroughly evaluated.

Donanemab-azbt is the first and only amyloid plaque-targeting therapy approved for adults with early symptomatic Alzheimer disease.

Douglas Weber, MD, explains how zuranolone has changed the landscape for postpartum depression treatment, addressing a gap in care within maternal health.

Patients who received long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) in the hospital but discontinued them early faced a 22% to 25% higher readmission risk than those who did not receive LAIs.

In our fourth Pride Month podcast episode, we are speaking with Domenico Ruggerio, executive director of We Are Family, in Charleston, South Carolina, the state's oldest nonprofit to provide life-affirming and life-saving programs for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus (LGBTQ+) youth.

With an effective therapy available for treating postpartum depression, Rachel Dalthorp, MD, believes health care providers need to focus on educating patients and helping them navigate the health system so zuranolone can reach those who need it.

As health care leaders, it’s our responsibility to know the importance of psychological safety and actively promote an environment that supports emotional and mental well-being, no matter one’s position or background, notes Carolyn Tandy of Humana.

"As a health care provider and as a psychiatrist, it's something that I think about first—instead of step therapy, when I have a patient with postpartum depression, this is what they need to be on," Rachel Dalthorp, MD, explains.

Ali Khawar, principal deputy assistant secretary with the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), US Department of Labor, explains how the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) aims to address the mental health crisis in the US.

An analysis drawing on data from the 2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) highlights that a significant portion of telehealth visits were for mental health services despite the overall telehealth utilization being relatively low.

There are effective strategies that can be employed concurrently to promote adherence to medications for schizophrenia, including but not limited to pharmacological, technological, and psychosocial interventions.

According to data from HHS' Office of Minority Health, Asian Americans are 60% less likely to utilize mental health services, even though 16.8% of those in the community experience mental illness.

The data refute the rapid-onset gender dysphoria hypothesis by showing that the initially higher depressive symptoms reported by youths transitioning from cisgender to transgender or gender diverse were not significant after accounting for exposure to LGBT violence, the researchers wrote.

Covering antiobesity medications like semaglutide could save Medicare around $500 million annually; preliminary CDC data showed a 3% decline in the number of US overdose deaths last year; the Biden administration recently announced the first national maternal mental health strategy.

Chris Pagnani, MD, medical director and founder of Rittenhouse Psychiatric Associates in Philadelphia, explains the importance of offering college students consistent care via telehealth while collaborating with their campus counseling centers.

Gaps in the delivery and coverage of behavioral health care can be addressed through continued advocacy for better policies and financial incentives surrounding treatment.