President’s Message: Passing the Hope
Many folks around us are feeling discouraged. Many feel powerless and wish they could do something to help. As psychiatric-mental health nurses, we need to hold on to hope and pass it on to others. Keep Reading

Member News
Jeremy Baker, Tari Dilks, and Tamara Sullivan honored with awards from The DAISY Foundation™. Amber Deere talked with Northstar News about pandemic-related isolation and persons living with SMI. Joyce Fitzpatrick, Judy Sheehan & Joanne Matthew, and Edilma Yearwood & Geraldine Pearson recognized with American Journal of Nursing Book Awards. Learn More

Get the Presenter's Perspective from APNA Members
This month, presenters from two of the most highly rated and well attended presentations at last year’s conference share their insights on submitting an abstract & presenting.

• APNA Member Brittany Haskell presented Mental Health Virtual Escape Room, along with Matt Schroer, last fall. Hear from Haskell
• APNA member Christine Moran, along with Tiffany McMillan, presented 2020 Vision: Providing a CLEAR PATH for Successfully Leading Behavioral Health Inpatient Care During a Pandemic at last year’s conference. Hear from Moran

Inspired? Get started on your abstract and be sure to submit by March 7th.

Your 2022 CPI Keynotes
The APNA CPI Program Committee is thrilled to announce the keynote speakers for the APNA 20th Annual Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute this June: Patricia E. Deegan, PhD and Nassir Ghaemi, MD MPH. Registration will open next month. Learn About Deegan & Ghaemi

JAPNA Special Issue on Substance Use Disorders: Bias Checked
The January/February special issue of the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association provides the latest PMH nurse findings on substance use disorders. It may not surprise you that a common thread throughout the articles is bias. Keep Reading

APNA Partners with The DAISY Foundation™
APNA has partnered with The DAISY Foundation™ as a supportive association! The foundation recognizes nurses through grants and awards, such as The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses - an evidenced-based means of providing nurse recognition and thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of patients and their families. See the 3 APNA members who recently received awards.

Survey Findings: Racism in Nursing
Almost half the 5,600+ nurses surveyed by the The National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, a coalition of nursing organizations, declared that racism in nursing is widespread. Keep Reading

Activate Your Voice by Educating: At the Dog Park?
Now online in the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, this column by APNA President Leslie Oleck examines the difference that a little bit of education can make. Read Now

The prevalence of mental disorders has been on the rise and remains a significant leading cause of disease burden worldwide, according to a 30-year global systematic analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry. Results showed that mental disorders accounted for 654.8 million estimated cases in 1990 and 970.1 million cases in 2019, an increase of 48.1%. Australasia, tropical Latin America, and high-income North America recorded the highest prevalence of mental disorders across all measurements, reported Healio. Full Story

The American Nurses Foundation (ANF) is asking all nurses to participate in the second annual COVID-19 Impact Assessment Survey. The organization will use responses to inform decisions about how to best support the U.S. nursing workforce. The survey results also will help ANF design programs and educational offerings, lobby government officials, and educate the public on the unseen challenges nurses confront daily. Click here to take the survey which closes Thurs. Jan. 27.

The number of individuals over 40 with dementia will nearly triple worldwide and double in the U.S. by 2050 unless steps are taken to address risk factors, new research suggests. Results from a study of 195 countries and territories estimates that by 2050, 153 million people are expected to have dementia worldwide — up from 57 million in 2019. In the U.S., the number is expected to increase 100%, from an estimated 5.3 million in 2019 to 10.5 million in 2050, reported MedScape. Full Story

When it comes to antidepressant prescribing, less may be more, new research suggests. A new review suggests antidepressants are overprescribed and that the efficacy of these agents is questionable, leading researchers to recommend that when physicians prescribe these medications, it should be for shorter periods, reported MedScape. Full Story

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning patients and prescribers about the potential for dental problems associated with buprenorphine medicines dissolved in the mouth to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) and pain. Dental problems (including tooth decay, cavities, dental abscesses/infection, tooth erosion, and, in some cases, total tooth loss), have been reported even in patients with no history of dental issues. Full Story

A TMS protocol that can be done in five days has shown remarkable efficacy in people with treatment-resistant depression and may be particularly valuable in inpatient settings with limited bed space, reported Psychiatric News. Full Story

Researchers have identified a risk locus on chromosome 7 containing DNA variations that increase the risk that an individual will attempt suicide, even in the absence of a psychiatric disorder, reported MedScape. This finding suggests the genetic underpinnings of suicide attempts are partially shared and partially distinct from those of related psychiatric disorders, the investigators note. Full Story

During 2015–2019, an estimated annual average of 10.6 million adults in the U.S. (4.3% of the adult population) reported having had suicidal thoughts in the past year; an estimated 3.1 million adults (1.3% of the adult population) had made a suicide plan in the past year; and an estimated annual average of 1.4 million adults (0.6% of the adult population) reported they made a suicide attempt in the past year, according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Full Story

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Otsuka and Lundbeck’s supplemental new drug application (sNDA) of brexpiprazole for the treatment of schizophrenia in pediatric patients aged 13 to 17, reported Psychiatric Times. Full Story

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved long-acting atypical antipsychotic INVEGA HAFYERA (6-month paliperidone palmitate marketed as Invega Hafyera by Janssen), the first-and-only twice-yearly injectable for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. Before transitioning to INVEGA HAFYERA, patients must be adequately treated with INVEGA SUSTENNA (1-month paliperidone palmitate) for at least four months, or INVEGA TRINZA (3-month paliperidone palmitate) for at least one 3-month injection cycle. Full Story

Significant changes—including the addition of prolonged grief disorder and the inclusion of symptom codes for suicidal behavior and nonsuicidal self-injury, refinement of criteria, and comprehensive literature-based updates to the text—will appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), to be released by American Psychiatric Association Publishing in March. Full Story

Virtual reality-based interventions have shown effectiveness in improving symptoms of paranoia in patients, according to a study published in Psychiatry Research. The virtual reality (VR) provides valuable facts giving a better understanding of paranoia conditions while providing an endurable situation for patients, according to the researchers. The VR helps patients with paranoia to learn how to deal with the symptoms when occurring in a social situation and how to continue an activity. Although patients know this is a simulation, their learning is transferred to the real world, reported Healio. Full Story

In a recent interview, MedPage Today spoke with April Kapu, DNP, APRN, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) about pandemic-related NP workforce issues and burnout, the continued fight for full practice authority and the expanding NP workforce, as well as other issues facing the AANP and its members. Full Story

For the 20th consecutive year, nurses are once again ranked #1 in Gallup's annual Most Honest and Ethical Professions Poll. The American public rated nurses the highest among a host of professionals, including medical doctors, grade-school teachers, and pharmacists. Nurses ranking in this year’s poll directly reflects the trust the American public has in nurses and the work they continue to do to earn that trust, even amid a persistent pandemic. According to the poll, 81% of Americans rated nurses’ honesty and ethical standards as “very high” or “high.” Full Story

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a draft National Coverage Determination (NCD) proposing that monoclonal antibodies directed against amyloid for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease be covered for Medicare beneficiaries only under CMS’ Coverage with Evidence Development (CED) pathway. Specifically, CMS proposes restricting coverage for these products to randomized controlled trials approved by the agency, reported Health Affairs. Full Story

TikTok videos with the hashtag #mentalhealth have accumulated more than 20 billion views. And that’s not counting #anxiety, which has almost 11 billion views, or #adhd, with close to 9 billion, reported the Los Angeles Times. The short-video app may be known for trendy dances and goofy humor. But TikTok has also become a place for young people to share their mental health struggles, learn from therapists and find community with others facing similar challenges. Full Story

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the definition of telehealth services that are permanently eligible for reimbursement under the Medicare program to include audio-only services for established patients with mental illness/substance use disorders (SUDs) who are unable or unwilling to use video technology. The final rule on telehealth services for mental illness/SUDs is part of the 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which covers updates to physician payment and other regulations regarding Medicare’s Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) each year. It was published in the Federal Register on November 19, 2021, and went into effect on January 1, reported Psychiatric News. Full Story

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced $103 million in awards to improve the retention of health care workers and help respond to the nation’s critical staffing needs by reducing burnout and promoting mental health and wellness among the health care workforce. These awards will fund evidence-informed programs, practices and training, with a specific focus on providers in underserved and rural communities. Full Story

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is working with states to promote access to Medicaid services for people with mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) crises. Authorized under President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP), states have a new option for supporting community-based mobile crisis intervention services for individuals with Medicaid. Mobile crisis intervention services are essential tools to meet people in crisis where they are and rapidly provide critical services to people experiencing mental health or substance use crises by connecting then to a behavioral health specialist 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. Full Story

The Alzheimer’s Association and The Joint Commission announced a collaboration to help improve quality and safety in dementia care in nursing, skilled nursing, and assisted living facilities. The organizations will partner to evaluate ongoing scientific issues, standards and performance measures, and quality improvement initiatives, as well as to provide education programs and presentations, and share data with the public. Full Story

Click here to see letters APNA has signed on to as a part of its participation in coalitions that further policy for nursing and mental health.

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.