Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Study connects food insecurity to mental health in young mothers

A new review of research from across sub-Saharan Africa found that inadequate access to food is linked to depression, suicide attempts, HIV vulnerabilities, and poorer sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adolescent mothers.

30 Sep 2026

Young adults using AI for health questions may screen positive for anxiety and depression

Young adults who use generative artificial intelligence to ask health-related questions are more likely to screen positive for clinically significant anxiety and depression than those not using the AI tool for health issues, according to a new study led by University of Florida researcher Yusen Zhai.

30 Sep 2026

Owning a smartphone at 12 linked to eating disorder symptoms

Early smartphone use is linked to a rise in eating disorder symptoms among adolescents, indicating potential mental health implications that require attention.

30 Sep 2026

Maternal depression linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in children

Children of mothers with depression had higher rates of certain neurodevelopmental disorders regardless of whether they were exposed to antidepressants in the womb, reports a new study led by Saraid McIlvride of the University of Glasgow, UK, published September 29th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine.

29 Sep 2026

Perceiving life as getting worse raises suicidal ideation risk

New research finds that people are far more likely to report suicidal ideation when they perceive their life to be getting worse relative to their own recent past, rather than because of their income, age or health status alone.

29 Sep 2026

War shocks Ukrainian mental health with widespread trauma and PTSD

A national survey of Ukrainian residents provides one of the clearest estimates to date of the psychological impact of the ongoing war.

29 Sep 2026

BD² announces third funding call for clinical sites to improve bipolar disorder care

Breakthrough Discoveries for thriving with Bipolar Disorder (BD²) today announced its third call for applications for clinical sites to join the BD² Integrated Network.

29 Sep 2026

Can’t stop thinking about food? You’re far from alone

Investigating 'food noise', this study reveals its association with diet quality and mental health, emphasizing demographic influences and eating behaviors.

29 Sep 2026

Intentional substance exposures at school rise sharply among younger children

A new study found that rates of intentional substance exposures at school reported to U.S. poison centers increased substantially among elementary- and middle-school-aged children from 2000 through 2024, while high-school-aged adolescents continued to experience the highest rates of serious medical outcomes and hospital admissions.

28 Sep 2026

Insomnia linked to increased risk of stroke and hospital admissions

Insomnia is not only associated with poor sleep and reduced daytime functioning, but may also be an indicator of increased health risks.

28 Sep 2026

Study finds rising cannabis use disorder among older adults

Cannabis use is becoming increasingly common among older adults in the United States, but less is known about how often cannabis use may become problematic in this population.

28 Sep 2026

Childhood cancer survivors face severe mental health challenges as adults

Consultant and researcher Magnus Aasved Hjort believes that people who survive childhood cancer should receive far better support as adults.

28 Sep 2026

New framework maps the complex link between psychological status and cardiovascular health

CVD remains the leading cause of death worldwide, while the global burden of mental disorders continues to rise.

28 Sep 2026

Study links insomnia to higher stroke and hospitalization risks

Insomnia is associated with a 26% higher risk of stroke and 28% higher odds of hospital admission, according to new research in Sleep Medicine Reviews. The researchers say the findings support recognizing insomnia as an important marker of brain, mental and general health.

28 Sep 2026

Neurodivergent youth face higher risk of early-onset type 2 diabetes

People with neurodiversity, particularly autism and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), may be more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at younger ages, with particularly high prevalence of neurodiversity observed among individuals diagnosed with T2D before the age of 20, finds an analysis of patient data being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (September 28–October 2.

27 Sep 2026

Could age help explain why psychedelic studies reach different conclusions?

A cross-sectional study of 1,088 adults found that lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with lower current anxiety and depression symptoms among younger adults, but these associations weakened with age. Mystical experiences may partly explain the age-related pattern, although the observational design cannot establish that psychedelic use caused the mental health differences.

27 Sep 2026

Kangaroo care helps smaller babies. Now researchers are studying babies born at normal weight

Researchers examine whether extending SSC beyond the first hour can improve early weight changes, breastfeeding and other maternal and newborn outcomes in normal-birthweight infants.

27 Sep 2026

Hospital overcrowding drives increasing violence against emergency healthcare workers

Seventy-five percent of workers in emergency medical departments and services have witnessed violence in the past year, according to a survey of over 1,300 health professionals in 81 countries worldwide.

25 Sep 2026

Chronic postsurgical pain affects women long after cesarean delivery

A new synthesis of global evidence, published in Anaesthesia (the journal of the Association of Anaesthetists), finds that chronic postsurgical pain after cesarean delivery is associated with substantial impairment in women's quality of life and everyday functioning in the months and years after giving birth.

25 Sep 2026

Happy at work, better at the job? A study of young employees offers clues

Researchers studying 412 employees aged 35 or younger in Spain found that higher job satisfaction was associated with better task and contextual performance. Work that negatively affected mental health and personal life was associated with poorer contextual performance and more counterproductive behavior, while supervisor emotional accessibility and organizational respect showed no significant direct links to performance.

24 Sep 2026