Major depressive disorder affects hundreds of millions worldwide, but a key to understanding its origins may lie in the brain’s immune system. New findings spotlight astrocytes—previously overshadowed by microglia—as major players in...
Central precocious puberty (CPP), generally defined as pubertal onset in girls before they are 8 years old and boys before they are 9 years old, may increase the risk of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, and...
More than half of adults (55%) believe climate change is impacting Americans’ mental health, while four in 10 adults say they have personally experienced effects on their mental health, according to a new APA Healthy Minds poll,...
A simple blood test could reveal which early Alzheimer’s patients are most at risk for rapid decline. Researchers found that people with high insulin resistance—measured by the TyG index—were four times more likely to experience faster...
USC researchers have uncovered a hidden driver behind the early and severe onset of Alzheimer's in people with Down syndrome: iron overload in the brain. Their study revealed that individuals with both conditions had twice the iron...
When we focus, switch tasks, or face tough mental challenges, the brain starts to sync its internal rhythms, especially in the midfrontal region. A new study has found that smarter individuals show more precise and flexible coordination...
Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, might just revolutionize how depression and anxiety are treated in cancer patients. In a groundbreaking trial, a single dose combined with therapy significantly reduced emotional...
A team at Kobe University has created a game-changing resource for autism research: 63 mouse embryonic stem cell lines, each carrying a genetic mutation strongly associated with the disorder. By pairing classic stem cell manipulation...
Teens might finally have a good reason to sleep in on weekends within limits. A new study reveals that teenagers who get up to two extra hours of sleep on weekends show fewer anxiety symptoms than those who don t. But go beyond that...
A single, long-acting oral capsule can provide patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with a stable dose of medication for one week, according to findings of an open-label study from Lyndra Therapeutics published...
An at-home electrical stimulation intervention, coupled with exercise and pain education, can significantly reduce fibromyalgia-associated pain, according to results of a clinical trial published yesterday in JAMA Network Open . Wolnei...
People who work in the arts, design, entertainment, sports, and the media have a higher prevalence of frequent mental distress than those in other fields, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open . Aaron L. Sussell, Ph.D., of...
Almost all the callers who reached out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) say their calls helped them, with 88% saying that it stopped them from killing themselves, a study published in...
Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or nicotine dependence may have an improved response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) when their symptoms are provoked through audio and/or visual cues, according to a report...
Researchers are exploring the potential of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists to treat neuropsychiatric disorders such as cognitive dysfunction and alcohol use disorder, according to a panel held last week at the American...
Less than one-third of facilities that offer treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) or combined SUD and mental health disorders offer a perinatal program, a study in the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment has found....
As psychedelics gain traction as potential treatments for mental health disorders, an international study stands to improve the rigor and reliability of clinical research.
Human-AI interactions are well understood in terms of trust and companionship. However, the role of attachment and experiences in such relationships is not entirely clear. In a new breakthrough, researchers from Waseda University have...
A group intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy can help parents of children with comorbid asthma and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) build resilience and self-efficacy—leading to better health outcomes...
Patients with depression and insomnia showed significant improvements after receiving a digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention aimed at treating insomnia. The findings were published this week in Depression and Anxiety ....
Singing to your infant can significantly boost the baby's mood, according to a recent study. Around the world and across cultures, singing to babies seems to come instinctively to caregivers. Now, new findings support that singing is an...
Humans and mice share persistent brain-activity patterns in response to adverse sensory experience, scientists find, opening a window to our emotions and, perhaps, neuropsychiatric disorders.
Researchers gave participants face tattoos that can track when their brain is working too hard. The study introduces a non-permanent wireless forehead e-tattoo that decodes brainwaves to measure mental strain without bulky headgear. This...
The number of psychiatric hospitals owned by private equity (PE) firms increased from 42 in 2013 to 87 in 2021, according to a survey in JAMA Psychiatry . While PE-owned facilities were associated with lower staff-to-patient ratios, they...
Researchers have released the full dataset from the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study, a decade-long project designed to track brain and cognitive health as people age and distinguish neurologically healthy paths from those indicating a...
Suicidal thoughts and attempts steadily rose among high school students between 2007 and 2021, with similar trends seen in students at low and high risk of suicide, according to a study published today in the American Journal of...
Parental warmth and affection in early childhood can have life-long physical and mental health benefits for children, and new research points to an important underlying process: children's sense of social safety.
Scientists found that stabilizing stress granules suppresses the effects of ALS-causing mutations, correcting previous models that imply stress granules promote amyloid formation.
Antidepressants may be the preferred choice to treat anxiety in older adults, according to the results of a meta-analysis published in the Lancet Psychiatry . Further, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may produce more...
A new study reveals a concerning decline in self-reported mental health among mothers in the United States between 2016 and 2023. The study also found modest but measurable declines in self-reported physical health during the same period.
Higher-than-average social media use as a tween was associated with greater depression the following year, according to a study issued by JAMA Network Open . “Although correlations between social media use and depressive symptoms have...
Adoption of the collaborative care model has expanded dramatically across all major insurance coverage types since the introduction of dedicated billing codes in 2018, according to an analysis performed by Stoddard Davenport, M.P.H., and...
Researchers have identified a remarkably small but critical piece of genetic code that helps determine how brain cells connect, communicate, and function. The discovery not only deepens our understanding of how the brain's wiring is...
New research suggests that acute stress may impair key brain functions involved in managing emotions -- particularly in people living with 'distress disorders' such as depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder.
Worldwide, more than 55 million people suffer from dementia caused by Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and other conditions that destroy cells in the brain and nervous system. While there is no treatment to control or manage these...
Using a novel lab method they developed, researchers have identified nine molecules in the blood that were elevated in teens diagnosed with depression. These molecules also predicted how symptoms might progress over time. The findings of...
People who have been taking antidepressants for more than two years are substantially more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms compared to short-term users when they come off the medication, finds a new study.
There's good news for people with migraine who take common drugs before or during pregnancy -- a new study found no increase in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD in their children. The study looked at drugs used for...
A new risk calculator accurately identified participants who had calcium buildup in their heart arteries and those who had a higher future heart attack risk, in an analysis of about 7,000 adults in New York City referred for heart...
A mechanism involving potassium channels in the brain that control brain cell activity could provide a new and fundamentally different way of treating depression symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder.
A new study confirms that children of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have a higher risk of developing psychopathology compared to children whose parents do not have these conditions. The study, examines how the clinical...
Forests play a crucial role in promoting health and wellbeing, but not all forests provide the same benefits. A large-scale study demonstrates how specific forest characteristics -- such as canopy density and tree species diversity --...
Middle-aged and older adults who experience pain are more likely to have had worsening symptoms of depression up to eight years before the pain began, according to a new study.
People who were less active, with a daily average of more than 14 hours of sedentary behavior, were more than twice as likely to have another cardiac event, including heart attack, surgery to treat heart issues (coronary...
To better understand the potential therapeutic benefits of heritage art practices, researchers examined the impact of these practices on mental and physical health.
A hidden link between impulsivity and obesity may not be fixed in human biology but shaped by the cities we live in. Using a novel engineering-based approach, researchers found that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)...
Postpartum depression (PPD) affects up to 15 percent of individuals after childbirth. Early identification of patients at risk of PPD could improve proactive mental health support. Researchers developed a machine learning model that can...
A new study suggests that it might be possible to personalize care for people with bipolar disorder, using the results of detailed personality tests. It finds that such tests might help identify people who have certain combinations of...
PN Alert is Switching Platforms The APA Annual Meeting starts tomorrow in Los Angeles! During the meeting, we will be pausing Psychiatric News Alerts as we transition to our new host platform—Hubspot. Alerts will resume on Thursday, May...