Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Multilingual girls face delayed ADHD diagnosis and support

Girls from multilingual and immigrant families could be missing out on ADHD support - according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

17 Sep 2026

Women with hyperemesis gravidarum report major gaps in care

Medical assistance can help women suffering from severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, but insufficient recognition of Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) means that many are not getting the help they need to overcome this severe and debilitating form of morning sickness.

17 Sep 2026

Genetic risk for PTSD varies across different types of trauma

A groundbreaking study reveals that your genes may make you more vulnerable to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from certain types of trauma-particularly childhood neglect-than from others.

17 Sep 2026

Your walking pattern may reveal more about anxiety and depression than you think

Researchers used smartphone and wearable accelerometers to examine how everyday movement patterns relate to anxiety and depression symptoms in middle-aged adults. Phone-derived gait states differed with daily symptom scores, while lower wrist movement was linked to greater anxiety in a small subsample, supporting further study of passive movement sensing for mental health monitoring.

16 Sep 2026

Gambling disorder emergency visits increase following sports betting legalization

Emergency department (ED) visits for gambling disorders doubled following the legalization of single-event sports betting and expansion of Ontario's online gambling market, according to a new study from ICES. The increase was observed predominantly among young men.

16 Sep 2026

RES-AGE project explores cost-effective ways to strengthen older adults' wellbeing

How can we develop evidence‑based and cost‑effective ways to strengthen older adults' resilience and mental wellbeing? With just over 1 million euros from the Strategic Research Council, Åbo Akademi University will, over an initial period of three years, examine social, health‑related, psychological and biological factors that promote resilience, with a particular focus on loneliness, stress and health.

16 Sep 2026

Cold plunges may boost your mood, but the evidence is still on thin ice

A Molecular Psychiatry review examined evidence linking cold exposure with mood and mental health outcomes, alongside proposed roles for catecholamines, the HPA axis, and immune-inflammatory pathways. Early studies report short-term mood improvements and physiological changes, but clinical evidence remains limited, and the proposed mechanisms have not been established as drivers of lasting psychiatric benefits.

16 Sep 2026

The music in psychedelic therapy may be more than background sound

A narrative review examines how music interacts with psychedelics, psychological support, and treatment context in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, arguing that its role cannot be understood as an isolated component. The authors highlight limited evidence on music-specific effects and propose studying PAP as a complex intervention, with music described according to its therapeutic function rather than fixed playlists or genres.

16 Sep 2026

Vulnerable adolescents face sharp drop in mental health service access

Some of the most vulnerable children and young people are failing to get access to mental health support despite much higher levels of need, according to new research from the University of Cambridge.

16 Sep 2026

Study explores pregnancy risks from heat and wildfire smoke

Wildfire smoke and extreme heat – increasingly the new norm – each have their own harmful effects on pregnant people and babies, including preterm birth and low birthweight.

15 Sep 2026

Interaction with miniature animals improves the mood of adolescents

Interacting with animals can make people feel calmer and less lonely and anxious. A new study from the University of California, Davis, shows that animals play an active role in shaping these interactions and their outcomes.

15 Sep 2026

Reading for pleasure linked to better mental health and greater empathy

Reading for pleasure – from tucking into a Jane Austen classic to devouring a Heartstopper graphic novel – is linked to better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia, say researchers.

15 Sep 2026

Bacterial strains determine pneumonia and meningitis risk from air pollution

Air pollution leads to different risk of bacterial pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis, depending on the subtype of bacteria a person has, new research suggests.

15 Sep 2026

Adolescent cannabis use disorder diagnoses rise after legalization

New diagnoses of cannabis use disorder (CUD) among adolescents in Northern California began climbing after recreational cannabis was legalized in California in 2016, reversing a steady decline in the three years prior, according to a new study published in the journal Addiction.

15 Sep 2026

More data, more answers? A 1.9 million-person health study shows why scale has limits

Researchers analyzed phenotypic and linked health-record data from more than 1.9 million adults in Our Future Health, comparing demographic characteristics, disease patterns, clinical associations, and rare-condition case counts with national data and other major cohorts. The cohort's size provides unusually large samples for many common and less common conditions, although its demographic composition and current data sources require careful consideration when interpreting population-level estimates.

14 Sep 2026

A study of ayahuasca users found a mental health pattern researchers cannot yet explain

In a cross-sectional study of 808 Brazilian adults planning to attend ayahuasca ceremonies, greater prior experience with the brew was associated with lower depression, anxiety, and stress scores, as well as higher spiritual well-being and stronger metaphysical beliefs. Because the study was observational and relied on self-reported data, it cannot show that ayahuasca caused these differences.

13 Sep 2026

Neighborhood environments impact long-term health of 9/11 responders

Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that environmental conditions where World Trade Center responders live may influence their long-term physical and mental health.

11 Sep 2026