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In an effort to help the public better understand the mental health implications of gaming, an international foundation and a public health nonprofit this month released a white paper, calling it a first‐of‐its‐kind report, that analyzes the potential role of gaming as an innovative solution to the increasing mental health crisis in this country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observing that the transition to the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers an opportunity to grow crisis response services along a continuum, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) last month released a series of 10 technical assistance collaborative papers providing important resources for stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boldly proclaiming to Congress that it's time to redesign the U.S. mental and behavioral health system, Senate lawmakers last month released a white paper outlining a national strategy to integrate mental health care, enhance delivery within local communities and improve how federal funds and other resources are planned for and allocated to increase the nation's investment through better mental and behavioral health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking into account the everyday decisions medical professionals have to make about patient care for individuals with mental health and substance use disorder challenges, a white paper has been published that offers much needed guidance to help key stakeholders throughout the behavioral health field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's (AACAP's) Program Committee has issued a Call for Papers for submission of abstracts of original investigations for consideration in the 2024 Annual Meeting of AACAP, October 14‐19, in Seattle. AACAP is planning for an in‐person meeting in Seattle and as such, will require all presenters to be in‐person in Seattle for their presentation. The Call for Papers deadline is Feb. 15, 2024 (11:59 p.m. EST). For more information, visit https://aacap.confex.com/aacap/2024/cfp.cgi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can bird‐watching improve mental health? A new study has found that people who have nature‐based experiences report better well‐being and lower psychological distress than those who do not, a North Carolina State University news release stated. Bird‐watching in particular yielded promising results, with higher gains in subjective well‐being and more reduction in distress than more generic nature exposure, such as walks. Because bird‐watching is an easily accessible activity, the results are encouraging for college students, who are among those most likely to suffer from mental health problems, the news release indicated. "Bird‐watching is among the most ubiquitous ways that human beings interact with wildlife globally, and college campuses provide a pocket where there's access to that activity even in more urban setting, said Nils Peterson, corresponding author of the study and a professor of forestry and environmental resources at North Carolina State University. The paper, "Birdwatching linked to increased psychological well‐being on college campuses: A pilot‐scale experimental study," was published in Environmental Psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kids playing too many video games and spending too much time online has long concerned parents, but new research has found that these activities may be associated with psychotic experiences, Newsweek reported. Teenagers who spend a lot of time playing video games and on the computer are more likely to have a psychotic experience, according to a new paper in JAMA Psychiatry. These psychotic experiences ranged in extremity from mild suspiciousness and bizarre ideas to delusions and hallucinations. The researchers studied a cohort of 1,226 participants born between 1997 and 1998, and found that those who played more video games, and those who increased then decreased their computer usage, were more likely to have a psychotic experience at some point before the age of 23. Between 5% and 7% of adults have had a psychotic experience at some point, with the first often occurring during teenage years. Psychotic experiences or episodes often involve hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, paranoia and depressive moods. "Understanding the environmental determinants and psychosocial functions of media use during adolescence may help better integrate digital technologies in the prevention and management of [psychotic experiences]," the authors wrote. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Untreated mental illness in the Hoosier state comes at a cost of more than $4 billion a year, according to a new Indiana University study, the Daily Journal reported Nov. 1. The research published by the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health found that one in five Indiana residents with mental illness do not receive the treatment they need. Hoosiers who do not receive such treatment are also more likely to experience other chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, researchers said. The economic burden of untreated mental illness in Indiana is estimated to be $4.2 billion annually, including $3.3 billion in indirect costs — like unemployment and caregiving — $708.5 million in direct health care costs, and $185.4 million in non‐health care costs. The largest cost attributable to untreated mental illness was premature mortality, at over $1.4 billion. Productivity losses were estimated to cost $885 million each year. "The findings were published Oct. 13 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers worked with the Indiana Behavioral Health Commission to perform their analysis. Through the researchers' work, they developed a framework that allows Indiana to prioritize key areas in mental health services and treatment. The framework also provides Indiana with a baseline for tracking progress toward improvement efforts. The research was used in support of Senate Enrolled Act 1, which passed during the 2023 legislative session. The sweeping legislation will create a new mental health care system in Indiana, fortifying the relatively new 988 crisis response center and hotline with funding for mental health emergencies. The IU study population consisted of more than 6.1 million individuals of whom an estimated 429,000 had untreated mental illness in 2019, according to the research paper. "One of the most significant impacts of this research is that other states can use this framework to understand the financial burden in their state," said Justin Blackburn, Ph.D., associate professor at the Fairbanks School. "There is a scarcity of data on the costs incurred by each state — especially by individuals, families and communities — from untreated mental illnesses in the United States. Policymakers, clinicians and employers need this sort of data to determine how we should allocate our societal resources." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annually, one in five childbearing persons in the United States experiences a mental health or substance use disorder before, during or after pregnancy, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) stated in an Aug. 1 news release. To ensure that psychiatrists and mental health clinicians are best positioned to respond to this need, the APA, with support from the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] Foundation, has released a series of educational materials for addressing perinatal mental health in its Psychiatric Toolkit. The toolkit includes eight fact sheets for clinicians and patients, a white paper, and a four‐part webinar series covering this understudied and underserved area of mental health. These materials can be accessed at APA's Perinatal Mental Health website (https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/professional‐interests/women‐s‐mental‐health/maternal‐mental‐health‐toolkit). The white paper calls for revisions to academic and continuing education curricula to improve competency and confidence within the behavioral care workforce for treating this population. It examines the care of vulnerable populations, raising such issues as cultural competency and lack of access. This "Mental Health Needs Assessment in the Management of Perinatal Psychiatric Disorders" is supported by the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $447,209 funded by the CDC/HHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the best efforts of clinicians and researchers for decades, there is still so much uncertainty about why some people develop mental disorders and others do not, the nonprofit journalism organization, The Conversation, reported Aug. 4. However, changes in the brain very likely offer the best clues to future mental health outcomes. The adolescent brain is particularly important in these predictions because brain changes during this time are rapid and dynamic, shaping a person's individual uniqueness. By monitoring and tracking brain changes as they happen, [researchers] contend that they can tackle emerging mental health problems in adolescence and target early treatment. The challenge is in accurately predicting the likelihood of a person developing a mental disorder before it happens. In a paper published recently in NeuroImage, study authors used data from the Australian Longitudinal Adolescent Brain Study that monitors changes in adolescents' brains. "We have been tracking adolescent brain development, using MRI scans, for several years," stated researchers. "Our recent paper is the first to show [that] the uniqueness of an adolescent's brain (or their 'brain fingerprint') can predict mental health outcomes. Brain fingerprinting could be the future of mental disorder prevention, allowing us to identify signs of concern in teenagers through brain imaging and intervene early, before illness develops." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Could earmarking recreational marijuana taxes for investments in mental health offset the potential health consequences of marijuana legalization, while retaining its benefits to communities?, NYU News reported April 1. "If more and more states are passing recreational marijuana laws and adding excise taxes, then it would make sense that at least some of this is earmarked for mental health," says NYU School of Global Public Health's Jonathan Purtle, an associate professor of public health policy and management and the author of a new JAMAHealth Forum paper arguing that the earmarked taxes have the potential to help millions. Right now, most states don't earmark marijuana tax revenue for mental health. Just six states — Connecticut, Illinois, Montana, New York, Oregon, and Washington — mention mental health in their recreational marijuana tax codes, but only in combination with substance use, providing no guarantee that any revenue will be spent on mental health in addition to substance use services. "We found that earmarking a quarter of marijuana tax revenue is not nominal — it's a lot of money, and could help a lot of people," said Purtle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can too much free time be almost as bad as too little? As an individual's free time increases, so does that person's sense of well‐being — but only up to a point, according to a news release from the American Psychological Association. Too much free time can also be a bad thing, research published online Sept. 9 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology stated. "People often complain about being too busy and express wanting more time," said Marissa Sharif, Ph.D., an assistant professor of marketing at the Wharton School and lead author of the paper. "But is more time actually linked to greater happiness? We found that having a dearth of discretionary hours in one's day results in greater stress and lower subjective well‐being. However, while too little time is bad, having more time is not always better. In cases where people do find themselves with excessive amounts of discretionary time, such as retirement or having left a job, our results suggest these individuals would benefit from spending their newfound time with purpose." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]