Good morning! ☀️

We’re back to our regular programming.

Today’s question: How many people in the United States are incarcerated today?

News

Public transit & social workers

Public transit ridership has plummeted and is at 61% of what it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many reasons for this decrease, one of them being a general sense of concern over safety. This is highlighted by the recent shooting that occurred in a Brooklyn subway station.

In response to this, cities are addressing the situation, although in different ways. Seattle, for example, launched a “fare ambassadors” program, which aims to place civilians instead of police officers across their transit system. In Philadelphia, the pilot project Serving a Vulnerable Entity (SAVE) will pair police officers with social workers. In New York City, there has been a large crackdown on people who were living inside the metro system.

On another note, we highlight some social workers who are embodying the spirit of service, competence, and integrity.

Among these incredible social workers is Marine veteran Jared Malone, a Licensed Master Social Work in Idaho who has been in Ukraine helping families in need. On a more local level, social workers are building “share shacks” to feed people in need and even working alongside Brene Brown as a result of a fortuitous tweet.

Other social work-related news

• Mental health is increasingly becoming a significant factor in NFL Draft evaluations

• Sudan investigates social worker for ‘leaking state secrets’ to UN

Research

What are pseudodelics?

In the past, we’ve covered the advent of psychedelics in mental health treatment.

In case you’ve been living in your bunker, psychedelics are substances such as shrooms “whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness”. Some studies have shown that certain psychedelics or psychelic compounds such as psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine-assisted therapy may be beneficial for depression, PTSD, and some other mental health disorders.

Yet the psychedelic trip that comes with psychedelics is not for everyone. And the current psychedelic-assisted therapy model requires mental health therapy alongside psychedelics, which may treatment more difficult to access. As researchers continue to try and understand the effects and benefits of psychedelics, they have also began to question whether they can create psychedelics without the “trip”, or altered state of consciousness, while still having therapeutic effects.

There is some promising research in this area, which seeks to create “pseudodelics”.

Tabernanthalog, a compound of similar structure to Ibogaine (a psychoactive substance which causes intense visionary trips) has shown some promise in treating heroine addiction and producing “antideprsesant-like effects”. Another molecule with the very simple and beautiful name AAZ-A-154 has been shown to activate a serotonin receptor in mice, apparently making them happier.

The research in this space is still in its early days.

Other reads on research

• A meta-analysis of 97 studies indicates mental disorders are linked to cognitive dysfunction across multiple domains

• School ‘resegregation’ associated with behavioral issues among Black children

• Inside the Seattle lecture room where experts are brainstorming the future of psychedelic research

Policy

Conspiracy theories & politics

A recently passed bill in Georgia highlights the level of misinformation which plagues our society.

There shouldn’t have been much controversy around the Mental Health Parity Act bill in Georgia. After all, the state “ranks 48th out of 50 states and D.C. for access to mental health care, resources, and insurance”. The bill sought to target mental health parity, ensuring that mental health and substance use services were covered in the same way as physical health benefits. It also sought to increase the mental health professional workforce and create mental health response teams around the state.

In fact, it was supported by both Democrats and Republicans, which doesn’t happen often. Only three lawmakers in the house voted against the original bill. Yet before the bill could advance, opponents began to connect it to controversial issues such as sexual identity.

Rep. Philip Singleton, leader of the far-right state Freedom Caucus, stated that the bill would "massively expand government in the style of ObamaCare", and that the bill would cover the treatment of gender dysphoria and pedophilia. From there, the nonprofit “Truth in Education” stated that the bill would be used to take “guns away from citizens” and that pedophilia would no longer be illegal.

None of these claims were true. And though ultimately the bill was passed into law, it does highlight how fear mongering can be used to spread disinformation across society.

Reads on policy

• Florida issues Texas-like guidance seeking to bar transition care for minors

• As teen mental health worsens, schools learn how to help

Answer: There are almost 2 million people in the United States today who are incarcerated. This amounts to about 25% of the world’s total prison population.

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