Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Low treatment completion rates hinder recovery for teens with cannabis use disorder

Cannabis use disorder in adolescents in the United States remains a growing threat despite declines in cannabis use.

22 Jul 2025

New insights into social factors shaping mental health outcomes

Mental illnesses are thought to be caused by both biological and environmental factors in complex interaction.

22 Jul 2025

Mount Sinai researcher uncovers how the brain and body interact in aging and depression

In a comprehensive Genomic Press interview published in Brain Medicine today, Dr. Hamilton Se-Hwee Oh reveals groundbreaking insights into the complex dialogue between our brains and bodies that fundamentally shapes aging, depression, and neurodegenerative disease.

22 Jul 2025

Amid PFAS fallout, a Maine doctor navigates medical risks with her patients

When Lawrence and Penny Higgins of Fairfield, Maine, first learned in 2020 that high levels of toxic chemicals called PFAS taint their home's well water, they wondered how their health might suffer.

22 Jul 2025

Can probiotics boost athletic performance? Review reveals what works and what still needs proof

A new review in Frontiers in Nutrition synthesizes recent evidence on how probiotic supplementation may impact gut health, immunity, and performance in athletes across various sports.

22 Jul 2025

Early smartphone use linked to poorer mental health in young adults

Owning a smartphone before age 13 is associated with poorer mind health and wellbeing in early adulthood, according to a global study of more than 100,000 young people.

21 Jul 2025

Brain activity reveals how autistic teens mask their diagnosis

Some autistic teens often adopt behaviors to mask their diagnosis in social settings helping them be perceived - or "pass" - as non-autistic.

21 Jul 2025

$50B rural health ‘slush fund’ faces questions, skepticism

A last-minute scramble to add a $50 billion rural health program to President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending law has left hospital and clinic leaders nationwide hopeful but perplexed.

21 Jul 2025

Can probiotics help you sleep better?

A new meta-analysis shows that probiotic supplements can modestly improve sleep quality and reduce depressive symptoms in people with insomnia, with no significant safety concerns. However, effects on total sleep time and sleep efficiency remain uncertain, and evidence strength varies across outcomes.

20 Jul 2025

One-third of U.S. public schools mandate mental health checks for students

Nearly one-third of the nation's K-12 U.S. public schools mandate mental health screening for students, with most offering in-person treatment or referral to a community mental health professional if a student is identified as having depression or anxiety, according to a new study.

18 Jul 2025

Antipsychotic medications linked to increased risk of oral health problems

A research group in the Department of Pharmacology of the University of the Basque Country has investigated the adverse reactions that antipsychotics can cause in the mouth.

18 Jul 2025

Sound stress alone induces pain sensitivity and brain inflammation

Pain is an important physiological response in living organisms. While physical pain is an outcome of tissue damage, pain can manifest as diverse unpleasant sensory and emotional experiences. Many studies report that emotional or psychological stress enhances pain responses.

18 Jul 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Senate saves PEPFAR funding — for now

The Senate has passed — and sent back to the House — a bill that would allow the Trump administration to claw back some $9 billion in previously approved funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting.

17 Jul 2025

Autistic adults face high rates of mental health hospitalizations and readmissions

Mental health conditions are common among autistic adults, with 50% of autistic adults having a co-occurring condition, like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety or depression.

17 Jul 2025

Stimulant use quietly drives rise in opioid-related deaths

Many people might be aware of an ongoing opioid epidemic, with thousands of people dying every year from overdoses.

16 Jul 2025

Food insecurity found to directly cause anxiety and depression symptoms

Food insecurity is not only linked with, but directly causes symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to research published in the open access journal PLOS Mental Health.

16 Jul 2025

Music therapy approach can ease distress in dementia patients

A new treatment that uses music therapy on dementia wards could improve care and support for some of the NHS's most vulnerable patients.

16 Jul 2025

New study tracks how living in an agrihood impacts resident health

Could moving into a neighborhood built around a working farm be the prescription for better health? A new Texas A&M University study is putting that question to the test, tracking how residents of a new "agrihood" community change their diet, exercise, and overall health after moving in.

16 Jul 2025

Harvard researchers uncover how the brain directs blood flow in real time

All day long, our brains carry out complicated and energy-intensive tasks such as remembering, solving problems, and making decisions.

16 Jul 2025

Targeting amino acid networks could lead to more precise medicines

Amino acids play a fundamental role in regulating how cells respond to drugs. These molecules, which form proteins, act like bricks that communicate with each other within a structure.

16 Jul 2025