Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Shingles Infection Might Play A Role In Dementia, Study Finds
Stat: Chickenpox, Shingles, Alzheimer’s? Evidence Mounts For A Viral Cause Of Dementia
Pascal Geldsetzer believes in open access, in disseminating science as quickly as it happens. Even so, last summer, as he uploaded the surprising results of his latest study to the MedRxiv preprint server, the Stanford University epidemiologist was feeling something other than the usual excitement. “I was scared to put this up because it’s such a different approach from what’s generally done in epidemiology and medicine,” he said. (Molteni, 10/18)
In other news about mental health —
Roll Call: FCC Requires 988 Calls Be Routed To Local Call Centers
The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to require that all calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline be routed by wireless carriers to local call centers. Cellphone carriers will be required to use georouting to connect callers to the 988 call center closest to the caller’s physical location, a change intended to streamline connections to local resources and broaden services. (Hellmann, 10/17)
Wyoming Public Radio: Critics Call For Less Police Involvement When Responding To 988 Crisis Hotline Calls
Advocates for marginalized groups say even the possibility of police getting involved in the response to a call to the national 988 suicide and crisis hotline causes callers harm. National nonprofit Trans Lifeline has seen a lot of mistrust for the newly launched three-digit line, according to a new report. (Merzbach, 10/17)
The Wall Street Journal: When Stock Prices Fall, Antidepressant Prescriptions Rise
Feeling depressed when the stock market is down? You have plenty of company. According to a recent study, when stock prices fall, the number of antidepressant prescriptions rises. ... “Our findings suggest that as the stock market declines, more people experience stress and anxiety, leading to an increase in prescriptions for antidepressants,” says Chang Liu, an assistant professor at Ball State University’s Miller College of Business in Muncie, Ind., and one of the paper’s co-authors. The analysis controlled for other factors that could influence antidepressant usage, like unemployment rates or the season. (Ward, 10/17)
On gun violence and mental health —
The Washington Post: Michigan To Pay $13M After Shooter Drill At Child Psychiatric Hospital
A frantic announcement played through the speakers of a Michigan psychiatric hospital in 2022: Two men with guns were on the property. Staff members rushed crying children into windowless rooms and stacked chairs, tables and mattresses against the doors. They armed themselves and children with any items they could find — hot coffee, combs and soap. They called 911 while holding back tears. But unbeknownst to the employees and children, there was no actual threat. Officials for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), which owned the hospital, were conducting a surprise active shooter drill, police said. Many patients and employees at the Hawthorn Center filed a class-action lawsuit against the MDHHS last year, claiming that the shooter drill gave them post-traumatic stress and upended their lives. (Melnick, 10/17)
The New York Times: Father And Son Indicted On Murder Charges For Georgia School Shooting
A 14-year-old boy and his father were indicted by a grand jury on Thursday on murder charges connected to the deadly shooting at a Georgia high school last month. The boy is accused of carrying out the attack, and his father is accused of giving his son the rifle used in the deadliest school shooting in Georgia history. The indictments from the grand jury contain dozens of other charges stemming from the Sept. 4 shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., where the authorities said that the boy, Colt Gray, killed two students and two teachers. At least nine other people were injured. (Rojas, 10/17)
