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Mental Health Parity: New Proposed Rule
On July 25, 2023, the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services released a proposed rule intended to strengthen enforcement of the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and improve patients’ ability to access care for mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUD). At the same time, the agencies also released a Technical Release, seeking feedback on data requirements related to network composition and a possible enforcement safe harbor; a second Report to Congress, as required by law; and a Fact Sheet summarizing enforcement efforts during 2022.
Elevating Bebe Moore Campbell's Legacy in 2023: APA's Dynamic Approach to National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month: Part 2
In response to the U.S. Surgeon General's advisory on the youth mental health crisis in the U.S., APA held the inaugural APA Moore Equity in Mental Health Youth Summit on July 12. Through this one-day summit, APA collaborated with the Marion Barry Youth Leadership Institute to design a youth-centered mental health event focused on cultivating mental wellness among 150 young people of color in Washington, D.C. This summit aimed to increase mental health awareness, empower youth to advocate for their own mental wellness, facilitate peer support and engagement, and introduce youth attendees to early career mental health clinicians. Given the disconcerting youth mental health statistics, this event had a critical role in creating a space for open dialogue directly with youth.
The Basics of Augmented Intelligence: Some Factors Psychiatrists Need to Know Now
Following the release of GPT4 in ChatGPT, augmented intelligence (AI) has been in the news more than ever. You may have tried out ChatGPT on your own for something fun (e.g., “Write a joke from the perspective of a cat,”) or something serious (e.g., “Write a draft lesson plan for a psychiatry residency program about treatment-resistant depression in adults”). A simultaneous strength and challenge of AI is that core to the technology is “learning” and evolution, making it difficult to define a static role for AI in psychiatric practice now or in the future.
APA Advocacy Secures Several Victories in Federal Legislation Signed by President Biden
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (HR 2617) passed at the end of 2022. This federal funding legislation includes many American Psychiatric Association initiatives and priorities impacting psychiatry and mental health care, lobbied for by the APA advocacy team of staff and members.
New APA Resource Document Highlights Quality and Safety Considerations in the Use of Seclusion or Restraint
Seclusion or restraint is used as an intervention of last resort in the management of severe agitation (e.g., violence) in patients. Both are highly regulated by local, state, and federal law and other health care accreditation organizations. Patients, families, and psychiatrists may be concerned about these interventions as they can cause significant psychological distress and/or physical injury as well as perpetuate the stigma of mental illness. The APA recognizes these concerns, and has developed a resource document on seclusion or restraint to provide practical advice to psychiatrists and other mental health care workers to promote safe and quality mental health care.