Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Calls To LGBTQ Youth Crisis Hotline Have Increased With Alarming Speed
The numbers are staggering: 39% of young people who identify as LGBTQ+ seriously considered attempting suicide within the last year. The data, from a May 2024 study by the Trevor Project, a crisis intervention nonprofit for LGBTQ+ youth, also shows that more than 1 in 10 (12%) actually attempted suicide. For transgender and nonbinary young people, it's even worse 鈥 46% report having considered suicide within the last year. And only half of those who wanted mental health care were able to access it, the Trevor Project report said. (Trethan, 6/27)
The study, which is published in the journal Environment International, found that children who spent just 60 minutes daily in nature had a 50% lower risk of mental health issues. Notably, the benefits were greatest for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly in terms of improved behavior and social skills. (6/26)
A U.S. Senate report released last week accused four of the nation鈥檚 largest behavioral health companies of putting profits above the safety and treatment of children placed in their care.聽The blistering report 鈥 Warehouses of Neglect 鈥 is the result of a two-year investigation by Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) into psychiatric residential treatment facilities run by Acadia Healthcare, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, Vivant Behavioral Healthcare and Universal Health Services. (Knopf, 6/27)
麻豆女优 Health News: US Judge Finds California In Contempt Over Prison Mental Health Staffing
A federal judge has found top California prison officials in civil contempt for failing to hire enough mental health professionals to adequately treat tens of thousands of incarcerated people with serious mental disorders. Chief U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller on June 25 ordered the state to pay $112 million in fines at a time when the state is trying to close a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. (Thompson, 6/26)
Investors funding a 鈥減sychedelic renaissance鈥 are outpacing scientific research into substances like Ketamine and LSD, putting potential drug users鈥 health at risk, the United Nations warned. Public interest in and private sector attention to psychedelic therapies are greater than the scientific evidence regarding their effectiveness in improving mental health and cognitive functions, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said in its annual report on Wednesday. (Tirone, 6/26)
In related news about the effects of gun violence 鈥
鈥淐hances are, you鈥檙e never ever going to have to use this. If you do, it鈥檚 gonna be scary,鈥 Kate Carleton told the 20 or so 8- and 9-year-olds. 鈥淏ut because we鈥檝e taught you what to do, it makes it a little less scary.鈥 She spent the next 30 minutes teaching them how to stop a wound from bleeding out. The lesson is appropriately titled 鈥淪top the Bleed.鈥 Carleton is a trauma nurse at Sutter Roseville Medical Center, a level 2 trauma center in Rocklin,聽California, a northern suburb of Sacramento. At the beginning of her 17-year career, she saw a lot of car crashes, motorcycle accidents and falls. More recently, the number of gunshot wounds coming through her hospital has increased, most often from domestic violence or suicide. (Gupta, 6/25)