RFK Jr. Psych Backlash; 1.2 Billion With Mental Disorders; Schizophrenia Commission

Most surveyed psychiatrists said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not helping their field, according to the Committee to Protect Public Mental Health.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported mixed opinions from attendees at last week’s American Psychiatric Association annual meeting about Kennedy’s antidepressant deprescribing push.

Nearly 1.2 billion people worldwide had a mental disorder in 2023 — almost double the number recorded in 1990 — with notable increases in anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, dysthymia, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, schizophrenia, and conduct disorder, researchers reported in The Lancet.

Dual-site accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was more effective than single-site targeting at reducing suicidal ideation in a randomized trial of adolescents with depression. (JAMA Network Open)

Patients with anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders are taking GLP-1 medications, alarming doctors, the Washington Post reported.

The Lancet launched an international commission of experts on schizophrenia and psychotic disorders to provide a coherent framework of “current knowledge, persistent uncertainties, and priorities for transformation in the field.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs initiated a clinical trial to evaluate MDMA-assisted therapy for severe mental health conditions.

A single dose of psilocybin was associated with rapid antidepressant effects that were observed on day 2 and persisted for more than 3 months in patients with recurrent depression, a randomized trial showed. (JAMA Network Open)

The police practice of shackling mentally ill arrestees is being challenged in New York. (New York Times)

Families are pushing to change state laws that block them from accessing the historical psychiatric hospital records of their long-dead ancestors. (AP)

The University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson received a $3.8 million NIH grant to test the “mind after midnight” hypothesis as a suicide risk factor.

Rates of postpartum psychiatric conditions were higher after planned or unplanned cesarean deliveries compared with spontaneous vaginal births, a study of commercial insurance records indicated. (Obstetrics & Gynecology)

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