Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Health care ‘game-changer’? Feds boost care for homeless Americans

The Biden administration is making it easier for doctors and nurses to treat homeless people wherever they find them, from creekside encampments to freeway underpasses, marking a fundamental shift in how — and where — health care is delivered.

19 Oct 2023

How the gut microbiome contributes to schizophrenia

Researchers explore potential relationships between schizophrenia, the gut microbiome, the gut-brain axis, and short-chain fatty acids.

19 Oct 2023

Study finds no link between anxiety or depression and IVF outcomes in men

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a time-intensive and often stress-inducing fertility procedure. Yet how does that stress impact its success? Investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, assessed the effects of anxiety and depression in men on fertility and IVF outcomes.

18 Oct 2023

UTHealth Houston study to examine how eviction protection during the pandemic affects mental health

During the COVID-19 pandemic, eviction moratoria prevented or delayed many people from experiencing homelessness.

18 Oct 2023

Telehealth may improve access and retention for opioid use disorder treatment

Starting buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder through telehealth was associated with an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to starting treatment in a non-telehealth setting, according to a new study analyzing Medicaid data from 2019-2020 in Kentucky and Ohio.

18 Oct 2023

Research reports increase in psychological distress in the UK during first COVID-19 wave

New research published in Economic Inquiry reports substantial increases in psychological distress in the UK during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

18 Oct 2023

Pregnant and addicted: Homeless women see hope in street medicine

Five days after giving birth, Melissa Crespo was already back on the streets, recovering in a damp, litter-strewn water tunnel, when she got the call from the hospital.

18 Oct 2023

Social media and mental health linked to rising e-cigarette use in American teens

Researchers find that symptoms of anxiety and depression mediate the link between social media use and e-cigarette usage among American school students. The study suggests that the effects are more pronounced in females, highlighting the public health concerns of social media's impact on youth.

17 Oct 2023

How adverse working conditions increase the risk of depression

The study in The Lancet reveals a strong correlation between adverse working conditions and the onset of mental health disorders like depression, emphasizing the need for workplace interventions. It calls for improved theoretical frameworks and assessment methods to further understand this link and translate findings into actionable policies.

17 Oct 2023

How pregnancy affects body image dissatisfaction among women

A recent study in BMC Pregnancy Childbirth explores how pregnancy affects body image dissatisfaction among women. The meta-analysis reveals varying experiences, with some women feeling worse about their bodies during pregnancy, highlighting the role of social pressures and individual differences.

17 Oct 2023

New poll finds parents may be overparenting by limiting children's independence

As they grow, children start doing certain activities without their parents watching over them, including trick-or-treating with friends, staying home alone or biking to a friend's house.

17 Oct 2023

College students of color and first-generation students face unique mental health challenges, study finds

Depression and anxiety among college students is a growing public health problem. And new research from the University of Georgia suggests the problem may be worse for students who aren't the same race as most of their peers.

17 Oct 2023

ChatGPT outperforms doctors in following clinical guidelines for depression treatment

ChatGPT, the AI language model capable of mirroring human conversation, may be better than a doctor at following recognized treatment standards for clinical depression, and without any of the gender or social class biases sometimes seen in the primary care doctor-patient relationship, finds research published in the open access journal Family Medicine and Community Health.

16 Oct 2023

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Ghana confined to clinical settings

Calland, J. K., et al. (2023). Population structure and antimicrobial resistance among Klebsiella isolates sampled from human, animal, and environmental sources in Ghana: a cross-sectional genomic One Health study. The Lancet Microbe. doi.org/10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00208-2.

16 Oct 2023

Virtual reality therapy shows promise for treating hoarding disorder

Many people who dream of an organized, uncluttered home à la Marie Kondo find it hard to decide what to keep and what to let go. But for those with hoarding disorder - a mental condition estimated to affect 2.5% of the U.S. population - the reluctance to let go can reach dangerous and debilitating levels.

16 Oct 2023

Women more likely than men to develop depression after traumatic brain injury

Women are nearly 50% more likely than men to develop depression after suffering a concussion or other traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to an analysis of nine studies and nearly 700,000 people presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2023 annual meeting.

16 Oct 2023

Stress and depression more common in female heart attack patients with blocked arteries

Stress and depression are known to increase risk of heart attack, especially among women. They've also been linked to worse recovery.

16 Oct 2023

Study highlights need for early intervention for behavioral problems

A six-year study that analyzed data from a 25-question screening tool found alarming evidence of unhealthy behavioral trajectories starting as early as age 2 among families affected by low income and other social stressors.

16 Oct 2023

Doctors abandon a diagnosis used to justify police custody deaths. It might live on, anyway.

Brooks Walsh hadn't questioned whether "excited delirium syndrome" was a legitimate medical diagnosis before the high-profile police killings of Elijah McClain in Colorado in 2019 and George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020.

16 Oct 2023

A third of schools don’t have a nurse. Here’s why that’s a problem.

Jodi Bobbitt, the school nurse at William Ramsay Elementary in Alexandria, Virginia, is always ready to see children with a wide range of injuries and illnesses. One day during the first week of school, the parade started before the first bell when a little girl walked in with red, irritated eyes.

16 Oct 2023