News and Headlines
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Can AI help ease medicine’s empathy problem?
Despite the proliferation of communication training programs over the past decade or two, doctors often fail to express empathy, especially in stressful moments when patients and their families are struggling to hear bad news and make difficult decisions. Since empathy has been shown to enhance what patients understand and how much they trust their medical team, falling short compromises the quality of patient care. One reason for the growing interest in AI to help solve medicine’s empathy problem is that this aspect of medical care has proven particularly hard to improve. This isn’t surprising, given that physicians face ever-increasing pressures to quickly see large numbers of patients while finding themselves drowning in paperwork and a myriad of administrative duties. These taxing conditions lead to both a lack of time and, perhaps more importantly, a lack of emotional energy. An American Medical Association report indicated that 48% of doctors experienced burnout last year. Given the magnitude of the empathy problem and its significant clinical and ethical stakes, various possible uses of AI are being explored. None of them are likely to be silver bullets and, while each is well-intentioned, the entire endeavor is fraught with risks. |
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Less Than 5% of People With a Substance Use Disorder Get Treatment
A new federal report found that 48.5 million Americans aged 12 and up had a substance use disorder (SUD) in 2023. Only 4.5% of this group received treatment for their condition.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) identified this discrepancy in its newly released 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
A lack of understanding about the importance of SUD treatment may contribute to the number of people who do not receive SUD treatment, and adults who felt they needed treatment but did not seek it offered three main reasons for their choice. Almost three-quarters felt they should be able to handle their alcohol or drug use on their own, 65% believed they were not ready to start treatment and 60% felt they were not ready to stop or cut back on their alcohol or drug consumption. |
Hundreds of Thousands of Parents Died From Drugs. Their Kids Need More Help, Advocates Say
More than 321,000 children in the U.S. lost a parent to a drug overdose in the decade between 2011 and 2021, according to a study by federal health researchers that was published in JAMA Psychiatry in May.
Children need help to get through their immediate grief, but they also need longer-term support, said Chad Shearer, senior vice president for policy at the United Hospital Fund of New York and former deputy director at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health Reform Assistance Network. Counties with higher overdose death rates were more likely to have children with grandparents as the primary caregiver, according to a 2023 study from East Tennessee State University. This was particularly true for counties across states in the Appalachian region. Tennessee has the third-highest drug overdose death rate in the nation, following the District of Columbia and West Virginia. In recent years, opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers have paid states billions of dollars to settle lawsuits accusing them of contributing to the overdose epidemic. Some experts and advocates want states to use some of that money to help these children cope with the loss of their parents. Others want more support for caregivers, and special mental health programs to help the kids work through their long-term trauma — and to break a pattern of addiction that often cycles through generations. |
OhioMHAS Virtual Data Forum - July 31
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is pleased to announce our next Data Forum on July 31, 2024, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The purpose of the Data Forums is to:
- highlight new data resources, share information about current and upcoming data projects;
- facilitate opportunities for peer-to-peer learning;
- demonstrate how data can be used in the daily practice of ADAMH Boards and Behavioral Health providers; and
- discuss local needs related to data and data infrastructure.
The Data Forum series will convene on a quarterly basis to provide a venue for sharing timely and useful best practices, examples, and resources for ADAMH Boards and behavioral health providers that may be implementing or updating their own data systems and data analytic capabilities.
Intended Audience:
This resource is intended for any stakeholders who are interested in learning about data and data resources, including ADAMH Board and Behavioral Health provider leadership and staff who work with, manage, and communicate data at all levels.
JULY DATA FORUM AGENDA:
- Update – RecoveryOhio Data Initiatives, Erin Reed, Governor’s Office
- Impaired Driver Referral Program, Captain Christopher Kinn, Ohio Department of Public Safety, Ohio State Highway Patrol
- New Data Product – 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Data Dashboard, Tom Gerber, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
Click here to register!
Contact [email protected] if you have any questions. |
Why Master’s-Level Mental Health Providers Are Choosing Coaching Over Therapy Careers
Understaffing has undermined the behavioral health industry for years. Only slightly more than a quarter of the nation’s need for mental health services is being met, according to KFF. Mental health coaching has emerged as a crucial way for the industry to provide care for lower-acuity patients who need a helping hand meeting goals, rather than a diagnosis and symptom management. Many coaches hold high-level degrees and may be qualified to work towards a therapist license, but opt to coach instead because of the flexibility, benefits and rewarding nature of working with clients to set and achieve goals. Mental health coaching offers benefits that make it an attractive career path, even for some people who could receive their therapist licenses if they choose to. One former therapist chose to become a coach, in part, because of the lower patient acuity level. Therapists usually see patients at a higher level of need, right before “the rubber hits the road,” she said. |
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