Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
When The Pandemic Hit, The World Got 25% More Depressed: WHO
Fox News: WHO Says Global Anxiety And Depression Increased 25% Due To COVID-19 Pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The scientific brief released by the United Nations (UN) agency said one explanation for the increase is unprecedented stress caused by the social isolation resulting from the pandemic. Loneliness, fear of infection, suffering and death for oneself and loved ones, grief following bereavement, and financial worries were all cited as factors leading to anxiety and depression. (Musto, 3/10)
In related news about mental health care —
Stat: For Patients Who Screen Positive For Depression, Follow-Up Care Falls Short
In a routine checkup, a primary care physician like Lucinda Leung asks all the patients she sees about symptoms of depression. To her, it’s as important as measuring blood pressure or listening to a patient’s lungs. New research, published Thursday in JAMA Network Open, provides a unique, bird’s-eye view of what happens after a patient screens positive for depression. Leung and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 600,000 patients in Veterans Affairs clinics in California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Tracing the path of care from screening onward, the researchers found that the majority of patients who screened positive for depression did not get timely follow-up care. The study also found that 23% of patients did not receive even minimal treatment for depression. (Delamerced, 3/10)
Los Angeles Times: After Soccer Star Katie Meyer's Death, Stanford Vows To Bolster Mental Health Services
A week after Stanford soccer captain Katie Meyer died by suicide, university officials have vowed to bring on additional mental health services. The March 1 death of Meyer, 22, sent shockwaves through the community, as did the tragic deaths of three other students during the past year: Dylan Simmons, Jacob Meisel and Rose Wong. Meisel and Wong died by suicide, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. “Over the last year, the Stanford community has grieved the unimaginable loss of multiple members of our student family, and the past few weeks have been especially challenging and heartbreaking,” the university said in a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday. (Seidman, 3/10)
Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State OL Harry Miller Retires, Describes Mental Health Battles
Ohio State offensive lineman Harry Miller has decided to retire from football in an announcement on Twitter in which he said he contemplated suicide. “Prior to the season last year, I told Coach Day of my intention to kill myself,” Miller wrote. “He immediately had me in touch with Dr. Candice (Williams) and Dr. (Josh) Norman, and I received the support I needed. After a few weeks, I tried my luck at football once again, with scars on my wrists and throat.“ …There was a dead man on the television set, but nobody knew it. (Rabinowitz, 3/10)
KHN: More Black Americans Are Buying Guns. Is It Driving Up Black Suicide Rates?
When Russell and Sharis Lewis want to unwind, they pack up their guns and drive from their home in a suburb north of St. Louis to an indoor range called the SharpShooter on the city’s south side. Russell dons big protective headphones, carefully lays out his firearms, and selects a Panzer Arms M4 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun. He takes aim at paper targets, including one labeled “snowflakes,” and squeezes the trigger. “It’s just something about the power and being able to release that and let it go downrange,” he said. “It relaxes me.” (Smith, 3/11)
In other public health news —
Kansas City Star: Feel Sleepy, Cranky? Some Daylight Saving Time Sleep Tips
For years, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, experts on all things sleep, has called for daylight saving time to be abolished. In the days leading up to this weekend’s time change, their cause was debated in yet another congressional hearing. But for now, we’re stuck with, well, Cranky Monday. “Basically what is going to happen Monday morning is that you will have jet lag without traveling,” said Dr. Abid Bhat, medical director for the University Health Sleep Center, formerly Truman Medical Centers. (Gutierrez, 3/11)
NPR: Therapy Dogs Can Help Relieve Pain In The Emergency Room
Therapy dogs have long visited nursing homes and schools — even disaster sites — offering comfort to humans. A new study shows that a 10-minute visit from a therapy dog can help relieve patients' pain in the emergency room. The research from the University of Saskatchewan, published in the journal PLOS on Wednesday, found that ER patients who were visited by a therapy dog reported less pain than those who weren't. "Therapy dogs themselves ... they're just really friendly, family pets that are so excited to visit with people and in places where you don't typically have a pet," Dr. Colleen Dell, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of the study authors, told NPR. "And just going into the emergency department was a natural." (Torchinsky, 3/10)
USA Today: Trader Joe's Recall: Crunchy Slaw Recalled Because May Contain Plastic
A salad sold at Trader Joe's has been recalled because the salad dressing may contain hard plastic. The grocer announced the recall on its website and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert Thursday for the "Crunchy Slaw with Chicken, Crispy Noodles & Peanut Dressing." The 12-ounce salads were shipped to Trader Joe's stores in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. They bear establishment number “P-6247” inside the USDA mark of inspection and have "use by" dates ranging from March 9 through 12. (Tyko, 3/10)
