Interventions like telemedicine and virtual support groups have exploded in response to social distancing. Now researchers can fully measure how well these interventions work. Research about how the COVID-19 pandemic affects people with substance use disorder (SUD) can inform strategies for providing treatment and social support in a post-pandemic world, said Nora Volkow, M.D., director
During a virtual congressional briefing last month, APA President Jeffrey Geller, M.D., M.P.H., and members of APA’s Committee on Telepsychiatry emphasized the need for expanded access to mental health care through telehealth not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but afterward as well. The briefing, titled “Collective Crisis: Preparing for America’s Next Wave of Mental Health
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is also proposing some changes to payment for services provided to patients with opioid use disorders. Psychiatrists will see on average a slight uptick in reimbursement under the Medicare program in 2020, according to the proposed 2020 fee schedule issued last month by the Centers for Medicare and
Physicians met with key lawmakers last month to urge passage of a new mental health parity law and discuss amendments to rules governing addiction treatment records and more funding for gun safety research. Leaders from America’s Frontline Physicians: The Group of Six, of which APA is a member, flew into Washington, D.C., last month to
An analysis of medical data from nearly 6 million Danes also found that in most cases, random chance may dictate which disorder people with co-occurring illnesses will develop first. Using the robust medical data available in Danish health registries, a team of researchers has developed the most comprehensive map of psychiatric comorbidity (the occurrence of
Experts in addiction and in digital technology say the app for opioid use disorder is an exciting development, but it remains to be seen if the technology will be widely used. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2018 cleared for marketing a prescription smartphone application to help individuals being treated for opioid use
It is possible that the new generation of medical students is attracted to a psychiatry that is now better integrated with the rest of medicine and that offers work-life balance. The popularity of psychiatry as a specialty choice among medical school seniors—and competitiveness for residency slots—may be increasing, according to recent data from the National
While the legislation expands treatment options for substance use disorder, a measure that would have improved information sharing about a patient’s substance use treatment was not included. A bill passed last month by Congress takes important steps toward combating the opioid crisis with a broad range of treatment and prevention programs, APA said in a
Previous studies of ketamine have focused on glutamate, but the new finding showing activation of opioid receptors shows why repeated use of ketamine may produce tolerance and addiction. The antidepressant effects of ketamine appear to depend on activation of the brain’s opioid receptors, underscoring the drug’s addictive potential, according to a report published this week
While digital psychiatry and mental health apps are proliferating, experts caution that they may create new legal responsibilities and question whether the hype is getting ahead of evidence supporting their use. A smartphone app now in development monitors a person’s voice frequency and detects when mania or depression is creeping in. Another prompts patients to
