Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Officials agree: Use settlement funds to curb youth addiction. But the ‘how’ gets hairy.

When three teenagers died of fentanyl overdoses last year in Larimer County, Colorado, it shocked the community and “flipped families upside down,” said Tom Gonzales, the county’s public health director.

25 Sep 2023

Long-term consumption of ultra-processed foods may increase depression risk

The effects of ultra-processed food (UPF) on mental health.

25 Sep 2023

Has the COVID-19 pandemic widened the mental health gap in the UK?

The study explores the varying mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the UK's adult population, revealing increased inequalities and distress. Utilizing both surveys and focus group discussions, the research emphasizes the urgent need for targeted interventions and policy responses to address deteriorating mental health and growing disparities.

24 Sep 2023

COVID-19 pandemic has increased mental health burden on family and friends of patients

Family members and close friends of people with COVID-19 have elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety, a study from Karolinska Institutet published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe reports.

22 Sep 2023

New software uncovers that myelin develops much slower after birth

A single brain is unfathomably complex. So brain researchers, whether they're looking at datasets built from 300,000 neurons in 81 mice or from MRIs of 1,200 young adults, are now dealing with so much information that they must also come up with new methods to comprehend it.

22 Sep 2023

Editorial proposes an innovative systems medicine approach to address clinician burnout

A new editorial published in the Heart and Mind journal proposes an innovative systems medicine approach to address the epidemic of clinician burnout and holistically improve clinician mental health and wellbeing (Heart and Mind: September 18, 2023. | DOI: 10.4103/hm.HM-D-23-00013, published ahead of print).

22 Sep 2023

Millions of U.S. adults experience the co-occurrence of chronic pain and mental health symptoms

New University of Arizona Health Sciences research recently published in the journal PAIN found that nearly 1 in 20 adults in the U.S. experience the co-occurrence of chronic pain and anxiety or depression, resulting in functional limitations in daily life.

21 Sep 2023

Brain activity changes predict recovery from early PTSD symptoms

After a traumatic experience, most people recover without incident, but some people - between 2% and 10%- develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition that can cause debilitating symptoms of anxiety due to emotional dysregulation.

21 Sep 2023

Study highlights brain area that plays a key role in psychological loss

Psychological loss can occur when someone loses a job, loses a sense of control or safety or when a spouse dies.

21 Sep 2023

California officials seek ‘CARE’ without coercion as new mental health courts launch this fall

The first time Heidi Sweeney began hallucinating, the voices in her head told her Orange County's Huntington Beach was where she would be safe.

21 Sep 2023

Think again: Suppressing negative thoughts may actually improve mental health

Suppressing negative thoughts may not be harmful after all, says new study from University of Cambridge researchers. Training participants to actively suppress worrisome thoughts led to less vivid fears and improved mental health, challenging the notion that thought suppression is maladaptive.

21 Sep 2023

Has the COVID-19 pandemic made young adults less fit?

A recent study in Scientific Reports reveals that one year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, young adults experienced significant declines in physical fitness parameters, including explosive power, aerobic and anaerobic capacities, and weight. These changes could have serious health implications, especially for those with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, underscoring the importance of promoting physical activity during and after pandemics.

20 Sep 2023

Is social media fatigue making you more likely to share fake news?

The study explores how social media fatigue, cognitive ability, and narcissistic traits influence the sharing of misinformation, particularly related to COVID-19, across eight countries. It finds that social media fatigue and narcissism are linked to higher rates of believing and sharing false information, especially among those with low cognitive ability.

20 Sep 2023