Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Is Social Media Reshaping Teens' Brains?; More Mental Health Care Unlikely To Curb Gun Violence
Bloomberg: How Do Facebook, Twitter, TikTok Affect Kids' Brains? We Still Don't Know
The American Psychological Association has issued its first advisory on social media use in adolescence. What’s most striking in its data-based recommendations is how little we really know about how these apps affect our kids. (Lisa Jarvis, 5/9)
Vox: Blaming The Texas Mall Mass Shooting On Mental Health Issues Obscures The Real Problem
Though the Texas legislature has allocated more than $1.5 billion toward mental health services in the last few years, those services remain inaccessible to many in Texas, which faces a critical shortage of mental health professionals. What’s more, it’s not clear that addressing the state’s mental health crisis will have any meaningful impact on preventing gun violence, given the large body of research that shows most individuals with serious mental health issues never become violent. (Nicole Narea, 5/8)
The Star Tribune: It's Time To Normalize Conversations About Mental Health In Public Safety
Have you seen the stats about mental health since the onset of COVID? It's staggering. There has been a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide since March 2020. If there is ever a time to normalize conversations about mental health, it's now. (Kiri Faul, 5/9)
Stat: The Wasteful $400 Million Golden Gate Bridge Anti-Suicide Net
Each year about 30 people make the gut-wrenching decision to leap off the Golden Gate bridge to their deaths. To address this tragedy, a Suicide Deterrent Net is being constructed — a planned $142 million project that, after years of delays, may end up costing more than $400 million, according to contractors embroiled in a lawsuit. The stainless steel barrier will undoubtedly catch people before they hit the frigid San Francisco Bay. But speaking as a psychiatric nurse, I believe the $400 million net proves we’re approaching mental health care in this country from the wrong end of the problem. (Sherrie Page Guyer, 5/10)
Also —
The CT Mirror: CT Legislature Must Help Community Health Centers
For more than 417,000 Connecticut residents, or 11% of our state’s total population, their health care needs are met by a community health center (also known as Federally Qualified Health Centers, or FQHCs). With more than 250 locations in Connecticut, every corner of the state is served by one of these health centers, and served well. (Nichelle A. Mullins and Katherine S. Yacavone, 5/10)
