999 Results
Stakeholders Agree: Modernize the Privacy Laws to Combat Opioid Epidemic -- Part 2 Coalition Applauds Bipartisan Bills to Strengthen Addiction Treatment
The Partnership to Amend 42 CFR Part 2 (Partnership), a coalition of nearly 50 health care organizations committed to aligning 42 CFR Part 2 (Part 2) with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations (TPO), today issued the following statement in response to the introduction of identical bipartisan bills in both the House and Senate. The Overdose Prevention and Patient Safety Act, “OPPS Act”, was introduced by
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
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.
Treating Sleep Problems May Help Prevent Depression
Sleep problems and depression are closely interconnected and have a bidirectional relationship. In The American Journal of Psychiatry, authors David T. Plante, M.D., Ph.D., with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, suggests that there is important “opportunity to prevent depressive episodes using evidence-based treatments for insomnia.” Plante highlights several factors contributing to the potential for broad public health impact.
What the Pandemic Is Teaching Us About How to Address Addiction
NIDA Director Nora Volkow, M.D., discusses recent findings she will be elaborating on at the 2023 APA Annual Meeting.
New APA Poll Finds Americans Rate Cigarettes as Most Unsafe, Addictive Substance Among Options Surveyed
In a new national poll, Americans widely agreed that cigarettes are unsafe (84%) and addictive (87%), and yet a fifth (21%) reported smoking every day. The vast majority of people believe alcohol, opioids, and vapes are addictive, and about two-thirds said alcohol and opioids are unsafe, while more than three-fourths said vaping is unsafe.