10 Must-Read Behavioral and Mental Health Articles From February 2023

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1. Proem Responds to Stat+ Article on History of PHQ-9

Read Proem CEO John Letter's responses to a Stat+ investigative article on the history and misuse of the PHQ-9 depression screener.

2. Primary Care Doctors Are Growing Source of Mental Health Counseling

Research revealed that growing numbers of patients are getting mental health counseling from their primary care doctor. One noteworthy takeaway from Medical Economics' coverage of the research: "[The authors] add that the findings show the importance of providing primary care doctors with the tools for addressing patients' mental health needs." 

3. Follow-Up Care Missing for Half of Kids with Mental Health Emergencies

A study found that nearly half of children receiving emergency care for mental health crises fail to receive necessary follow-up care.

4. Can Behavioral Health Be Objective and Data-Driven?

A Healthcare IT Today report featuring insight from Proem Founder and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Thomas Young discusses how improvements in data collection and data interpretation are enabling better behavioral health diagnoses and treatments.

5. Nearly a Third of Teen Girls Say They Have Seriously Considered Suicide, CDC Survey Shows

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey from 2021 found that around 1 in 3 high school girls in the U.S. have seriously considered attempting suicide — up significantly from 2011. More than half of teen girls also reported feeling "persistently sad or hopeless," which is a record high.

6. More Than 1 in 9 Adults With Co-Occurring Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders Are Arrested Annually

A Pew analysis found that adults reporting co-occurring serious or moderate mental illness and SUDs were far more likely to be arrested compared with both those with mental illness alone and those who did not experience any mental illness or SUD. National survey data show only 10% of all adults with co-occurring disorders received treatment for both conditions.

7. 10 Things To Know About How Social Media Affects Teens' Brains

An NPR report summarizes key takeaways from the testimony of Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer at the American Psychological Association (APA), to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

8. A Look at Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Among Medicaid Enrollees

A Kaiser Family Foundation report examines the share of enrollees with SUD using Medicaid claims and data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

9. More Support for Behavioral Health Services Can Improve Probation

Pew Charitable Trusts interviews with four people on probation provide insight into the importance and value of addressing gaps in treatment for those on probation who also have substance use or mental health disorders.

10. Charles Silverstein, a Psychologist Who Helped Destigmatize Homosexuality, Dies at 87

Dr. Charles Silverstein, a psychologist and therapist perhaps best known for playing an essential role in getting homosexuality declassified as a mental illness, died in January. 

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