Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Most users see AI programs for mental health as supplements to human therapy

As more people turn to artificial intelligence chatbots for emotional and mental health support, a new study from Drexel University suggests that most users see these tools as supplements to - not substitutes for - human therapy.

28 May 2026

Heart health before pandemic influenced severity of COVID-19 infections

Better heart health before the pandemic was linked to a lower risk of severe COVID-19 events, according to research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

27 May 2026

Mount Sinai opens integrated clinical center for womens health

The Mount Sinai Health System is opening the Carolyn Rowan Center for Women's Health and Wellness, a transformative new model for women's health that brings together multidisciplinary clinical expertise, structured care pathways, and leading-edge research innovation to deliver more personalized, comprehensive care for women across the entire lifespan.

27 May 2026

Artificial intelligence in mental health settings inherits human bias

A new viewpoint article published in JMIR Mental Health warns that artificial intelligence (AI) systems used in mental health settings may inherit and reinforce unreliable human input unless new safeguards are adopted.

27 May 2026

Healthy hearts prior to pandemic reduced severe COVID-19 risk

27 May 2026

Early multidisciplinary care speeds concussion recovery in children

Children recover significantly faster from concussion after receiving early, multidisciplinary care designed to treat persistent symptoms, according to a new study.

26 May 2026

New study reveals barriers to Medicaid-funded home care access

Obtaining home care for older adults with Medicaid can be a complex, multi-step process marked by delays and uncertainty, often resulting in long wait times, according to a new Weill Cornell Medicine study.

26 May 2026

How heat-smart cities can protect outdoor recreation in a warming world

This review shows how rising humid heat threatens the health benefits of nature-based recreation in tropical cities. The authors call for heat-smart urban planning, targeted advisories, and inclusive strategies that keep outdoor activity safe, accessible, and beneficial.

26 May 2026

Ongoing nausea in pregnancy may flag anxiety and depression risk

Persistent or severe nausea during pregnancy was linked to higher maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms across gestation. The study found little consistent evidence that nausea worsened most perinatal outcomes, suggesting it may serve mainly as a clinical warning sign for psychological burden.

25 May 2026

Food insecurity links to poorer mental and physical health in Tasmania

Food insecurity among adults in Tasmania was strongly associated with lower diet satisfaction and poorer self-rated mental and physical health, with diet dissatisfaction showing the strongest link. The findings suggest that food insecurity limits not only nutrition, but also food choice, agency, wellbeing, and equitable access to acceptable, affordable, and culturally appropriate diets.

24 May 2026

Yoga and meditation show promise for gut health

This systematic review found that yoga and Buddhist meditation were associated with favorable gut microbiota and metabolite profiles in four human studies involving healthy adults. However, because participants largely followed vegetarian or vegan diets and no randomized controlled trials were included, the findings cannot prove that meditation alone reshapes the gut microbiome.

24 May 2026

How social media, AI, and surveillance can become health determinants

Digital technologies increasingly shape health by mediating how social, political, commercial, and economic conditions affect people’s lives. This Perspective calls for global collaboration to ensure digital transformation promotes health equity rather than reinforcing existing inequities.

24 May 2026

University of Ottawa study links heart attacks with brain damage

A new study led by a team from the University of Ottawa takes a major step forward in understanding how a heart attack can dramatically reshape brain function and trigger neurological effects, from depression and anxiety to different types of cognitive decline.

22 May 2026

New clinical guidelines outline strategies to improve postpartum cardiovascular care

A new Expert Consensus Decision Pathway by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) provides recommended strategies for improving postpartum care for individuals with and at risk for short- and long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD).

22 May 2026

Mental disorders surpass other conditions as leading global cause of disability

Nearly 1.2 billion people worldwide are living with a mental disorder, nearly double the number recorded in 1990.

22 May 2026

How screen time, stress, and nicotine trap young adults in poor sleep

Among the younger part of the population, sleep problems, anxiety, and depression are widespread and growing issues.

22 May 2026

Research show worsening health trends for post-1946 generations

Younger generations appear to be experiencing poorer health earlier in life than previous generations, according to a review of studies comparing national birth cohort datasets involving tens of thousands of people across the UK born since 1946.

22 May 2026

AI-created miniproteins show promise for targeting hard-to-treat diseases

G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs, sit in the plasma membrane, the boundary that defines the inside and outside of a living cell. They communicate with nearly every physiological process in our bodies - from the ability to see and smell, to sensing of adrenaline, insulin, nutrients and medicines.

21 May 2026

Smartphone overdependence may signal higher alcohol and smoking risk in teens

Higher smartphone overdependence was significantly associated with greater odds of self-reported lifetime alcohol and tobacco use among more than 100,000 Korean adolescents. The study found graded dose-response patterns, with earlier initiation and heavier alcohol or smoking behaviors linked to a higher adjusted probability of high-risk smartphone overdependence.

21 May 2026

PAHO and The Carter Center join hands on the elimination of onchocerciasis across the Americas

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and The Carter Center signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement today to strengthen collaboration on the elimination of onchocerciasis — also known as river blindness — and other communicable diseases in the Americas.

21 May 2026