{"title":"From the Military to Civilian Life: The Perspective of a Young Veteran.","authors":"Danyaal Khan","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260290","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260290","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"1016-1017"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148311328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alex M Ray, Kellie A Weisse, Christina T Nguyen, Andre J Gonzalez
{"title":"Assessment of Intellectual Disability in Death Penalty Cases.","authors":"Alex M Ray, Kellie A Weisse, Christina T Nguyen, Andre J Gonzalez","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260419","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260419","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion in <i>Hamm v. Smith</i> addressed the assessment of intellectual disability in capital cases, focusing on how courts should evaluate multiple full-scale IQ scores in claims arising under <i>Atkins v. Virginia</i>, which barred the death penalty for defendants with intellectual disabilities. Although the court declined to establish a clear framework for weighing conflicting psychometric evidence, the decision highlights principles of psychological assessment that are frequently misunderstood in legal proceedings. This column examines the legal and psychometric issues presented in <i>Hamm</i> and discusses implications for future litigation involving the assessment of intellectual disability in capital cases.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"1005-1007"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148836020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stuart Brabbs, Benjamin R Szymanski, John F McCarthy
{"title":"Suicide Surveillance and Simpson's Paradox: When Aggregation Obscures.","authors":"Stuart Brabbs, Benjamin R Szymanski, John F McCarthy","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20240228","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20240228","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"990-991"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148682034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meghan M Mallya, Carrie Chen, Fatima Naqvi, Katherine N Sheffield, Adeeb Ahmed, Sean O'Leary, Aymun Razzak, Jessica Tran, Alaa Khurram, Ryan Dao, Jessica Johnson, Alexa Coon, Xiaoying Yu, J Wesley Boyd
{"title":"Wait Time and Documentation Required for Child Psychiatric Care Across Payer and Facility Types.","authors":"Meghan M Mallya, Carrie Chen, Fatima Naqvi, Katherine N Sheffield, Adeeb Ahmed, Sean O'Leary, Aymun Razzak, Jessica Tran, Alaa Khurram, Ryan Dao, Jessica Johnson, Alexa Coon, Xiaoying Yu, J Wesley Boyd","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250181","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250181","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Long wait times and stringent documentation requirements, such as identification and guardianship paperwork, can limit access to outpatient child psychiatric care at academic medical centers (AMCs) and community health centers (CHCs). This cross-sectional study aimed to compare quoted wait times and documentation requirements for obtaining child psychiatric appointments across payer types (Blue Cross Blue Shield [BCBS], Medicaid, and self-pay) at CHCs and AMCs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Between January and September 2024, data were collected via telephone survey from 70 nationally ranked AMCs and 68 CHCs. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the associations of payer type and facility type with wait time and required documentation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Wait times at CHCs were shorter than at AMCs (mean±SD=43.0±3.7 vs. 119.8±19.4 days, p<0.001). Medicaid patients waited longer than self-pay patients at CHCs (mean=48.7±29.3 vs. 32.0±25.7 days, p=0.021) and longer than BCBS patients at AMCs (mean=160.9±136.4 vs. 77.1±87.5 days, p=0.022). Documentation requirements were higher at CHCs compared with AMCs (mean=2.2±1.4 vs. 1.4±1.1 documents, p<0.001), although Medicaid patients (mean=1.9±1.2 documents) at CHCs were asked to provide fewer documents than BCBS or self-pay patients (mean=2.5±1.4, p=0.032, and mean=2.5±1.7, p=0.030, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Pediatric patients had shorter wait times at CHCs than at AMCs, although more documents were required. Future policy work and research should focus on how health care systems can reduce child psychiatric wait times and documentation burdens.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"931-937"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148552035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Peter Jongho Na, Ian C Fischer, Jack Tsai, Dilip V Jeste, Robert H Pietrzak
{"title":"VA Health Care Utilization Among U.S. Veterans: The Influence of Social Determinants of Health and Health Factors.","authors":"Peter Jongho Na, Ian C Fischer, Jack Tsai, Dilip V Jeste, Robert H Pietrzak","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260095","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260095","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The authors aimed to use data on social determinants of health (SDOH) and health characteristics to differentiate users of VA health care from nonusers in order to inform clinical and policy decisions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data from 2,636 U.S. veterans in a national study (2025-2026) were analyzed to assess trends in use of VA health care, as well as the SDOH and health characteristics associated with primary use of such care.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Primary use of VA health care was higher in 2025-2026 (27%) than in 2011 (17%) and 2019-2020 (21%; all p<0.001). The strongest correlates of primary use included lifetime psychiatric disorders (relative variance explained [RVE]=17%), younger age (RVE=16%), combat service (RVE=15%), and medical conditions (RVE=10%). Prior homelessness, greater neighborhood deprivation, and lower household income collectively explained an additional 27% of variance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>SDOH were strongly associated with VA health care use, even after adjustment for major psychiatric and general medical variables.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"972-976"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13576641/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148371777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hannah Kearney, Juveria Zaheer, Zakia Hussain, Julia France, Ananka Rodriguez, Shakked Lubotzky-Gete, Suze Berkhout, Robert Dmytryshyn, Sheila Dunn, Renu Gupta, Fardous Hosseiny, Frank Sirotich, Sophie Soklaridis, Aristotle N Voineskos, Simone N Vigod, Lucy C Barker
{"title":"Sexual and Reproductive Health Recommendations for Women and Nonbinary Young Adults With Early Psychosis: A Qualitative Study.","authors":"Hannah Kearney, Juveria Zaheer, Zakia Hussain, Julia France, Ananka Rodriguez, Shakked Lubotzky-Gete, Suze Berkhout, Robert Dmytryshyn, Sheila Dunn, Renu Gupta, Fardous Hosseiny, Frank Sirotich, Sophie Soklaridis, Aristotle N Voineskos, Simone N Vigod, Lucy C Barker","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250514","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250514","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Psychosis can adversely affect sexual and reproductive health outcomes. In this study, the authors explored the recommendations of women and nonbinary young adults experiencing early psychosis and of clinicians on how sexual and reproductive health care should be delivered.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This qualitative study used semistructured interviews and focus groups to explore recommendations on how sexual and reproductive health care should be delivered to young adults experiencing early psychosis, including the potential role for integration within early psychosis intervention programs. Participants included service users (N=19, ages 18-31) and clinicians providing either mental health or sexual and reproductive health care to this population (N=36) in Canada. Transcripts were analyzed through thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three key themes were identified: sexual and reproductive health care should be integrated into various clinical settings, including early psychosis intervention; sexual and reproductive health interventions should encompass many topics (including adverse effects of medications) and use flexible delivery methods; and such interventions should be guided by the principles of autonomy and inclusivity.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings of this study highlight the importance of integrated approaches to delivering sexual and reproductive health care for young adults with early psychosis, including in early psychosis intervention services. Clinical interventions should prioritize flexibility, service user-identified topics of interest, and autonomy.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"963-971"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148407837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Commentary on \"Sexual and Reproductive Health Recommendations for Women and Nonbinary Young Adults With Early Psychosis: A Qualitative Study\".","authors":"Jocelyn Marrow","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260390","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20260390","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":"77 10","pages":"988-989"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149122987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Associations of Telehealth Use With Health Outcomes Among Young People With Autism Spectrum Disorder.","authors":"Ping-I Lin, Hannah Korach, Yi-Chia Chen","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20260256","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20260256","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who did or did not have documented telehealth (TH) utilization.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were aggregated from electronic health records of 112 health care organizations (queried in March 2026). Patients ages 5-18 years who had received a diagnosis of autistic disorder (<i>ICD-10-CM</i> code F84.0) were assigned to a TH or non-TH cohort. After 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) across 14 comorbid condition categories, the analysis included 12,380 patients per cohort at 6 months and 15,689 patients per cohort at 12 months. Eight outcomes were assessed: medical noncompliance, antipsychotic initiation, emergency department (ED) visit, inpatient hospitalization, antidepressant initiation, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication initiation, irritability-related encounters, and adaptive behavior treatment. Risk ratios (RRs), hazard ratios, and encounter frequencies were derived.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>PSM cohorts were well balanced. In the 6-month analysis, TH use was associated with lower antipsychotic initiation (RR=0.81) and hospitalization (RR=0.69) but more ED visits (RR=1.39), irritability-related encounters (RR=2.49), and adaptive behavior treatment (RR=5.17). In the 12-month analysis, higher irritability (RR=2.29) and adaptive behavior treatment (RR=3.40) persisted in the TH cohort, which also had increased antidepressant (RR=1.17) and ADHD medication initiation (RR=1.12) and greater medical noncompliance (RR=1.84).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>TH use by young people with ASD was associated with lower rates of hospitalization and antipsychotic initiation at 6 months, although not at 12 months. TH use was also associated with increased irritability-related encounters and adaptive behavior treatment. These findings highlight the need for tailored hybrid care strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"appips20260256"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149033023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lauren R DiPaolo, Kevin G Lynch, Erin Niedererr, Ryan M Bremseth-Vining, Kevin Kennedy, David W Oslin
{"title":"Using Measurement-Based Care to Inform Antidepressant Medication Management Among Veterans: A Pilot Study.","authors":"Lauren R DiPaolo, Kevin G Lynch, Erin Niedererr, Ryan M Bremseth-Vining, Kevin Kennedy, David W Oslin","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250192","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20250192","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This pilot study examined the effectiveness of high and low measurement-based care (MBC) feedback strategies for depression treatment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Twenty providers at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facility were randomly assigned to a no-feedback, low-feedback (automated collection and scoring of a depression self-report measure), or high-feedback (automated collection and scoring plus automated decision support) condition. Patients (N=336) completed the electronic version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 biweekly for 16 weeks. Outcomes included number of medication changes and depression symptom severity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients completed 75% of the assessments. No statistically significant differences in medication changes or depression symptom severity were observed by condition. Approximately 46% of the patients received a medication change. The MBC groups had lower variability in management compared with the control group. Depression symptoms improved among all patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>MBC may reduce variability in medication management; however, automated collection was insufficient. Further research is needed to support implementation of all components of MBC.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"appips20250192"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149032972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hans Oh, Trevor A Pickering, Leona Ofei, John Bunyi, Eric R Pedersen, Bruce Link
{"title":"Stigma and Mental Health Treatment Utilization Among Black and Asian American Young Adults.","authors":"Hans Oh, Trevor A Pickering, Leona Ofei, John Bunyi, Eric R Pedersen, Bruce Link","doi":"10.1176/appi.ps.20250420","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20250420","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Black and Asian American young adults underuse mental health services, yet little is known about how different forms of stigma influence help seeking among 18- to 29-year-olds in these communities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A national sample of 2,801 emerging adults (ages 18-29), comprising Black (N=1,224) and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI; N=1,577) individuals, was recruited via Qualtrics Panels. Modified Poisson regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics were used to estimate associations of stigma with help-seeking outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Personal attitudes toward individuals receiving treatment were generally favorable, with ≥90% of the participants endorsing agreement of accepting a close friendship with someone who receives mental health treatment. However, moderate stigma persisted around dating. Perceived public stigma was increased, with most respondents overestimating how many people would likely reject individuals who receive mental health treatment. Among participants with depression, more than half were not receiving care. Personal stigma was positively associated with treatment use among Black respondents but negatively associated among AANHPI respondents, was linked to lower perceived need in both groups, and was associated with lower intention to continue treatment. Perceived public stigma was largely unrelated to treatment behaviors except for a positive association with perceived need among AANHPI respondents.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Personal stigma plays a nuanced role in treatment engagement among Black and AANHPI emerging adults, underscoring the importance of culturally targeted stigma reduction efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":520759,"journal":{"name":"Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)","volume":" ","pages":"appips20250420"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149033038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}