Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Persistent intense grief linked to higher healthcare use and mortality

Grief after the loss of a loved one is a natural response – an inevitable part of living and loving. But in a minority of the bereaved, grief is so overwhelming that it can lead to physical and mental illnes, even if they don't necessarily qualify for a diagnosis with the mental health condition 'prolonged grief disorder'.

28 Jul 2025

New study links surrogacy to higher risk of mental illness

People who are gestational carriers (or "surrogates") appear more likely to be diagnosed with a new mental illness during and after pregnancy, according to new research from ICES, McGill University, and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.

28 Jul 2025

Which GLP-1 meds have the most side effects? Study of 60,000 Facebook posts gives answers

Researchers analyzed nearly 60,000 public Facebook posts to identify real-world adverse events linked to GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) medications. Gastrointestinal symptoms were most common, while mental health concerns and tirzepatide-specific side effects were also flagged.

28 Jul 2025

Experts say you don’t need 10,000 steps, here’s the new magic number

A major systematic review finds that walking just 7,000 steps per day, rather than the traditional 10,000, can significantly reduce the risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and more. The analysis, published in The Lancet Public Health, provides an evidence-based and achievable target for adult health.

27 Jul 2025

Creatine may enhance neuroprotection through energy pathways

Creatine supplementation may improve cognitive performance and mood, offering insights into its role in muscle-brain interactions and overall health.

25 Jul 2025

Addressing avoidable hospitalizations in terminally ill nursing home residents

Hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits can be distressing and costly for nursing home residents – especially those who are severely impaired or terminally ill. Despite their vulnerability, these individuals are frequently transferred to hospitals, even though up to 40% of such transfers over the past 25 years are considered potentially avoidable by health care professionals.

25 Jul 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Here come the ACA premium hikes

Much of the hubbub in health care this year has been focused on Medicaid, which faces dramatically reduced federal funding as the result of the huge budget bill signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month.

24 Jul 2025

Automated cage monitoring system reveals behavioral changes in schizophrenia mouse model

Schizophrenia is a serious mental health condition that affects thoughts, moods, perceptions, and behaviors.

24 Jul 2025

New website empowers women to navigate menopause with confidence

Menopause remains one of the most under-discussed stages of life, even though more than 1 million women in the United States experience this natural biological transition each year.

24 Jul 2025

Ibogaine treatment shows major breakthrough for veterans with brain injuries

Now, Stanford Medicine researchers have discovered that the plant-based psychoactive drug ibogaine, when combined with magnesium to protect the heart, safely and effectively reduces PTSD, anxiety and depression and improves functioning in veterans with TBI.

24 Jul 2025

Penn State team investigates the neural basis of nightmares and mental health

Dreams, and likely nightmares, are experienced universally across humans and animals, but neuroscientists still do not know why.

24 Jul 2025

How much does online negativity really affect your mind?

Negative comments on social media can significantly increase anxiety and lower mood in adults, according to a new experimental study. Younger adults are particularly susceptible to the psychological effects of online negativity.

23 Jul 2025

Study reveals pandemic life made brains age faster, even without catching COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated biological brain aging in older adults by an average of 5.5 months over less than three years, regardless of infection status. Social disruption, age, male sex, and socioeconomic disadvantage heightened vulnerability, while only infected individuals showed measurable declines in executive function.

23 Jul 2025

Teen tobacco use linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety

Adolescents who use either e-cigarettes or conventional tobacco products (CTP)-like cigarettes, cigars, hookah and pipes-are significantly more likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety than teens who don't use tobacco products at all, according to a study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Mental Health by Noor Abdulhay of West Virginia University, USA, and colleagues.

23 Jul 2025

Teen dating app use may not be hurting their mental health

Nearly one in four teenagers are using dating apps - and it may not be hurting their mental health, suggests a new Northwestern Medicine study that monitored adolescents over six months.

23 Jul 2025

States pass privacy laws to protect brain data collected by devices

More states are passing laws to protect information generated by a person's brain and nervous system as technology improves the ability to unlock the sensitive details of a person's health, mental states, emotions, and cognitive functioning.

23 Jul 2025

Ultrasound descriptions may shape how parents view their unborn children

Most parents can think back to the first ultrasound image they saw of their unborn child, and may even be able to remember what impression that image had on them.

22 Jul 2025

New analysis reveals hidden economic burden of PTSD in the UK

The annual UK cost of the mental health disorder PTSD is likely to top £40 billion, but the figures are based on 2020-1 prevalence rates-the most recently available-and don't include many indirect costs, such as family support services, finds a cost analysis published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

22 Jul 2025

Optimists think alike: Brain scans reveal shared visions of the future

Researchers found that optimistic individuals share similar patterns of brain activity when imagining future events, especially distinguishing positive from negative scenarios. This neural convergence may help explain why optimists experience greater emotional clarity and social connection.

22 Jul 2025

Cannabis and psychedelics rated most effective for symptom relief by eating disorder patients

A pioneering international survey of people living with eating disorders has found that cannabis and psychedelics, such as 'magic mushrooms' or LSD, were best rated as alleviating symptoms by respondents who self-medicated with the non-prescribed drugs.

22 Jul 2025