Sometimes I write “depressing” blog posts. On the other hand, I have both good and bad news today.
I found out that, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center, Iowa’s state psychiatric hospital bed availability is dismal according to 2023 figures. That’s actually not new. Although we rate last in the nation for this, we still get a Grade B overall. I’ll have more to say later about it. You can check your own state’s grade on the web site’s map graphic.
And a recently published article about antidepressant prescribing for young people is sort of depressing, there are ways to address the likelihood that adolescent females are being prescribed antidepressants more often than adolescent males.
I tend to agree with the author of another article on adopting a more nuanced perspective on what is often called “depression” in young people. Not everybody who is distressed is depressed.
Even if we are depressed, there are healthy activities we can engage in to heal. We don’t all necessarily need antidepressants. That’s the point of a recent systematic review and meta-analysis on the role of exercise for managing depression. Exercise is effective either by itself or in addition to psychotherapy and antidepressant.
Iowa actually seems to be putting a lot of hard work in mental health outreach, such as Your Life Iowa. It’s funded by the Iowa Dept of Health and Human Services under the Division of Behavioral Health.
I’d say that’s pretty positive, overall.
Go Retire Psychiatrist 