Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Discrimination Against Young Adults Linked To Higher Risk Of Mental Issues
CNN: Discrimination Could Lead To Higher Risk For Mental Problems, Study Finds
Young adults who experience discrimination about their bodies, race, age or sex have a greater risk of dealing with mental health problems than those who do not, a new study has found. Encountering discrimination -- especially racism -- has long been associated with negative effects on overall well-being, such as higher levels of stress, poor cognitive function, anxiety, depression and substance use, previous studies have found. Those who faced discrimination frequently -- at least a few times per month -- were around 25% more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disorder and twice as likely to develop severe psychological distress than people who didn't experience discrimination or did less often, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. (Rogers, 11/8)
Bloomberg: LGBTQ People Were More Likely To Lose Income During The Pandemic
In a first-of-its-kind survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly a quarter of LGBTQ people reported losing income during the Covid-19 pandemic, a higher share than non-LGTBQ respondents. U.S. unemployment and income statistics don’t specifically measure the LGBTQ experience. This past July, the U.S. Census Bureau for the first time collected information about sexual orientation and gender identity of respondents to its Household Pulse Survey. Across four surveys about emotional and economic well-being, LGBTQ respondents reported higher levels of food insecurity, anxiety and depression than non-LGBTQ people. (Silvan, 11/5)
NPR: Advice For Cold, Flu And COVID-19: Wear A Mask And Wash Your Hands
Cold and flu season is coming up, on top of the still ongoing COVID pandemic. The number of cases of flu in the U.S. last year was low because people were still at home and masking up. But this year, cases could go up. And many are asking, how do they avoid getting sick? (Silver, 11/6)
The Connecticut Mirror: Eating Disorders Among Veterans Attributed To Trauma, Military Weight Requirements
Food makes Thomas Burke nauseous. Burke, an ex-Marine, won’t eat in front of people because he’s likely to vomit. He barely gets down meals and never finishes what’s on his plate. He’s struggled with anorexia and bulimia at different periods for more than a decade, and like many other veterans with eating disorders, he attributes them to his time in the military. (McCarthy, 11/6)
North Carolina Health News: Evidence-Based Reentry Key For Incarcerated Population
At first, Tommy Green doesn’t tell his clients that he was formerly incarcerated. As a Community Health Worker for North Carolina Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program (NC FIT) in Orange County, he connects people coming out of jails and prisons with health resources, as well as assistance with other needs, like food and transportation. When he first meets clients, he tells them about the program, but it’s not until he says he also did time that he sees a spark in their eye. (Thompson, 11/8)
AP: Food Banks Embark On Expansions With Lessons From COVID
Food banks across the country are pursuing major expansion projects driven in part by their experiences during the pandemic, when they faced an explosion of need. “So many people who had never had to ask for help found themselves in a position of needing it and not knowing where to go,” said Ginette Bott, president and chief executive of the Utah Food Bank. “It was like somebody flipped a switch.” Even though demand for fresh and packaged provisions has dropped from pandemic peaks, the need remains far above pre-pandemic levels. (Thanawala, 11/5)
In obituaries —
The New York Times: Michael Rutter, Pioneering Child Psychiatrist, Is Dead At 88
Dr. Michael Rutter, a British child psychiatrist whose many transformative studies included one that demonstrated the genetics of autism and another that assessed how poor treatment suffered by Romanian children in orphanages affected them after they were adopted by English families, died on Oct. 23 at his home in Dulwich, a suburb of London. He was 88. The cause was cancer, said Sandra Woodhouse, his personal assistant at King’s College London. (Sandomir, 11/7)
The New York Times: Stephen Karpiak, Pathbreaking H.I.V. Researcher, Dies At 74
Stephen Karpiak, whose research into the lives of New Yorkers aging with H.I.V. revealed a scarcity of support networks and high rates of depression, leading to changes in the care of older people living with the virus, died on Oct. 16 at a hospital in Manhattan. He was 74. His brother, Michael, said the cause was kidney damage that resulted from an infection. (Vadukul, 11/7)
Also —
KHN: Journalists Follow Leads On Curbing Violence, Improving Psych Care And Crowdsourcing Covid Safety
KHN’s Peggy Girshman fellow Amanda Michelle Gomez discussed how Washington, D.C., is adopting public health tools to help curb gun violence on Newsy’s “Morning Rush” on Wednesday. KHN interim Southern bureau editor Andy Miller discussed the shortage of beds at state psychiatric facilities on Newsy on Wednesday. KHN freelancer Morgan Gonzales discussed how vigilantes are crowdsourcing covid safety information about local businesses on Newsy on Tuesday. (11/6)
