11 Must-Read Behavioral and Mental Health Articles From November 2022

To keep you better informed about some of the biggest news and developments concerning behavioral and mental health, below are 11 of the most significant reports published in November. Highlights include stories on new youth mental health guidelines, CMS final rules, workforce shortages, orthopedics, and addiction.

1. HHS Releases New National Guidelines for Improving Youth Mental Health Crisis Care

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), released a report describing the need to improve crisis response services for children, youth, and families and providing guidance for communities on how to address existing gaps in care for youth.

2. Increased Need for Mental Health Care Strains Capacity

An American Psychological Association practitioner survey found demand for mental health treatment has continued to increase as many psychologists report they lack the capacity to support new patients.

3. CMS Loosens Telehealth Rules, Provider Supervision Requirements for Behavioral Health

Behavioral Health Business provided some key behavioral health takeaways from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2023 final rules.

4. The Benefits of Mental Health Programs in Schools

A report from U.S. News & World Report outlined different types of community partnerships that can help K-12 schools provide better mental health services and support for their students.

5. 3 Barriers Keep New, Diverse Professionals Out of Behavioral Health

A Government Accountability Office report identified three key categories of barriers to recruiting and retaining behavioral health providers: financial, educational, and workplace.

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6. Schools Struggle to Hire More Mental Health Professionals for Students

A PBS report looked at why school districts have struggled to staff up to address students' growing mental health needs despite an influx of COVID-19 relief money.

7. Mental Health Workforce Shortages Tied to Increase in Youth Suicides

A study showed workforce shortages among mental health professionals in the United States were linked to increased rates of youth suicide at the county level.

8. Depression Screening in Orthopedic Care: How Feasible Is Implementation?

Considering individuals with orthopedic trauma have high rates of psychiatric disorders, a team of researchers recommended that orthopedic physicians use validated screening tools to screen their clinic patients for depression.

9. Psychological Distress an Important, Easy-to-Measure Indicator of Cardiovascular Risk

A study found that screening for psychological distress can be an effective way to assess a patient's risk for cardiovascular disease. Psychological distress was associated with a nearly 30% greater risk of heart disease.

10. Helping Patients With Addiction Tackle Their Health Needs

Researchers found an intervention that teaches patients in addiction treatment how to better connect with their primary care medical team on mental and physical health concerns resulted in long-term benefits, including more primary care use and fewer substance-related emergency department visits.

11. Mental Health, Substance Use Issues Prevalent Among Nonpsychiatric Emergency Room Patients

A new study by Indiana University shows that 45% of patients in the emergency room for physical injuries also have mental health and substance use problems that are not identified.