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

To keep you better informed about some of the biggest news and developments concerning behavioral and mental health, below are 10 of the most significant reports published in August. Highlights include stories on global mental illness, parental concerns, mental health parity, traumatic brain injury and cigarettes. 

1. Study: Half of All People Likely Get Mental Illness in Their Lifetime

A study showed that about half of the world's population "can expect to develop" at least one type of mental disorder by the time they are 75 years old.

2. Poll: Technology, Mental Health Top Concerns Among Parents

A national poll showed parents' biggest health concerns for their children involve technology and its impact on mental health.

3. Emergency Physicians, Emergency Nurses, and Pediatricians Call for Strategies to Improve Care for Children, Adolescents Seeking Urgent Help for Mental, Behavioral Health Concerns

The American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians and Emergency Nurses Association joined to provide recommendations for management of mental and behavioral health care in emergency departments.

4. A Strong Step on Enhanced Mental Health Parity Regulations

Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, issued a statement praising the release of the recent proposed rule designed to improve access to mental health and substance use disorder services.

5. Fatal Drug Overdoses Affect Healthcare Workers in Large Numbers

Research revealed that registered nurses, social workers and other behavioral health workers, as well as those in healthcare support, are at significantly greater risk for drug overdose death compared to non-healthcare workers.

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6. Large Employers See 'Dire Need' for Mental Health Services

Results of a survey of large employers found that of all the pandemic's impacts on employer-sponsored health plans, none are as widespread as declining mental health.

7. Study: Kids Who've Been Assaulted More Likely To Develop Mental Illness

Research suggested children and adolescents who have been physically assaulted are nearly twice as likely as their peers to develop mental illness after the assault — and the risk is even higher in the first year after an incident.

8. TBI Increases Mental Health Diagnoses, Time to Suicide

A study revealed that among military veterans who die by suicide, those who experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) during service take their lives more than 20% sooner after deployment than those without a TBI history.

9. Americans Invested in Their Mental Health During the Pandemic

A study showed that American spending on mental health with private insurance surged during the pandemic — an increase in demand that correlates to a growing mental health crisis.

10. Cigarettes Ignite the Risk of Mental Illness

A study reveals a direct link between smoking and the increased risk of hospitalization for mental illness by 250%.