The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and Primary Care Collaborative have called for $37.5 million in immediate funding, as well as $75 million annually for 10 years, to help primary care providers treat patients with depression, anxiety, and addiction. The recommendation is part of a four-point plan to strengthen mental health and addiction services in primary … Read more
For patients with schizophrenia, long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIAs) are associated with a lower risk than oral antipsychotics (OAs) for disease relapse and hospitalization ― and they carry no increased risk for adverse events, new research shows. Investigators analyzed data for more than 70,000 patients with schizophrenia and found that, compared with OAs, LAIAs were associated … Read more
The gun safety law forged through tense bipartisan talks in the Senate last month has been heralded as the first federal legislation in 30 years to combat rising gun violence. But what often falls below the radar is the new law’s focus on improving mental health services. News has coverage largely centered on the law’s … Read more
Two McMaster University researchers working on projects that address pandemic-associated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among healthcare workers have received more than $4.5 million in Canadian federal funding. The projects include a website with evidence-based resources and a smartphone app that encourages early intervention and peer support. Together, the projects are expected to reach more than … Read more
On June 25, President Joe Biden signed into law the most extensive gun safety legislation in decades. Coming after a rash of mass shootings this year, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act expands background checks for gun purchasers younger than 21 years and stiffens penalties against so-called straw purchasers, who buy a gun and sell it … Read more
Who? What? When? Why? Where? How? The five W’s. I vividly remember being taught to ask these five questions and seeing word-art posted around the classroom when I was a child. As children, we are taught to be curious and ask questions until we understand. We try new food, have new experiences, and explore uncharted … Read more
Standard therapies for depression are antidepressants and psychotherapy. In particularly severe cases, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) may also be indicated. VNS is an approved, effective, well-tolerated, long-term therapy for chronic and therapy-resistant depression, write Christine Reif-Leonhardt, MD, and her team of researchers from the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in … Read more
Edwina Valdo found herself on the receiving end of a desperate phone call last year on the suicide crisis line at Acoma Pueblo Behavioral Health Services in New Mexico. Valdo, whose regular job is as a grant manager, was filling in because the pandemic had left the facility short-staffed. “I did my best to keep … Read more
According to estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 3 million people have already fled from Ukraine. As of March 18, around 200,000 of these refugees had fled to Germany, according to information from that country’s police force. They are escaping from bombs, tanks, and the destroyed infrastructure of their … Read more