Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Blood-brain barrier-crossing blood pressure drugs linked to lower dementia risk

In a large Australian cohort of adults with hypertension, use of blood-brain barrier-crossing antihypertensive medications was associated with a lower risk of dementia and mortality than use of non-crossing drugs. The association was strongest for beta-blockers and angiotensin II receptor blockers, although the observational design means the findings cannot establish causality.

27 Aug 2026

Birth-related PTSD may go undiagnosed among thousands of new mothers

Tens of thousands of new mums across Britain may be suffering undiagnosed PTSD following childbirth, according to a University of East Anglia report.

27 Aug 2026

Theta rhythms guide the brain’s memory selection during sleep

Why do we remember certain moments while forgetting others? Every day, our minds are bombarded with thousands of pieces of information, yet our brains have a limited capacity to consolidate these experiences into lasting memories.

27 Aug 2026

New stroke guideline mandates personalized and early rehabilitation

A stroke can change life in an instant, affecting everything from walking and speaking to memory, mood and the ability to perform everyday tasks.

27 Aug 2026

Post-seizure psychotic episodes linked to future mental health risks

Some people with epilepsy experience delusions, hallucinations, paranoia and confusion after a seizure.

27 Aug 2026

Community-focused mental health care cuts hospital admissions

A new approach to care for people experiencing a mental health crisis, emphasising continuity and community, can reduce hospital admissions and improve satisfaction with care, finds a study led by a University College London (UCL) researcher.

27 Aug 2026

GLP-1 drugs may reshape obesity care, but clinicians still have questions

Interviews with 11 healthcare professionals in a UK specialist weight management service found generally positive attitudes toward injectable GLP-1 drugs, alongside limited formal training and uncertainty about how the medications should be integrated with behavioral care. Participants anticipated potential benefits for confidence and weight management but also raised concerns about treatment discontinuation, behavioral engagement, and evolving professional responsibilities.

26 Aug 2026

New UCSF center aims to improve eating disorder care

People with eating disorders wait an average of more than two-and-a-half years between the onset of symptoms and the start of treatment.

25 Aug 2026

Diabetes study reveals differing health risks for men and women

In the years following type 2 diabetes diagnosis, women are more likely to develop mental health conditions, while men are more likely to develop cardiovascular and renal complications, according to a study published August 25th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Fabiola Eto from Queen Mary University of London, UK, and colleagues.

25 Aug 2026

PAHO/WHO assists Colombia with recovery following major earthquake

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), is providing technical cooperation to Colombian authorities to support the health response following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10.

25 Aug 2026

Study finds distinct patterns of innate immune activity in mental disorders

The immune system may also play a role in mental disorders. Scientists are investigating these links with brain function in greater detail, and new findings show that immune changes may differ by disorder type.

25 Aug 2026

Loneliness can reprogram the brain to increase alcohol use

Loneliness can reprogram the brain in ways that push alcohol consumption, reports a new preclinical study led by Northwestern University and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

25 Aug 2026

Understanding opioid risks can help prevent accidental overdoses

According to numbers calculated from the CDC, approximately 80,000 people died last year from a drug overdose, which represents about 21 deaths per 100,000 residents in the U.S. alone. Overdose deaths are preventable, and in most of the cases we see, they are completely accidental.

24 Aug 2026

An 11-year study found the same social media pattern again and again

Across 11 annual U.S. surveys involving about 183,000 adults, higher social media use was consistently associated with self-reported depression, with social media ranking among the strongest predictors in machine-learning models. SHAP analyses suggested that social media use became a stronger positive signal for depression at around 150 minutes per day, although the authors stress that this is not an established clinical threshold and requires longitudinal and experimental testing.

24 Aug 2026

Survey provides a comprehensive snapshot of youth mental health and drug use in Ontario

Findings from the 2025 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) released today by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) suggest that Ontario middle and high school students have rebounded from the heightened mental health challenges seen during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic.

24 Aug 2026

Review uncovers how tryptophan metabolism affects female reproductive health

In recent years, issues concerning female reproductive health have become a global challenge that cannot be ignored.

24 Aug 2026

A childhood shaped by sugar rationing was linked to mental health more than 50 years later

UK Biobank researchers examined whether sugar rationing during pregnancy and the first two years of life was associated with adult sweet-food preferences, sugar intake, brain structure, anxiety, and depression.

23 Aug 2026

Digital program reduces anxiety and depression in adults with chronic medical conditions

A digital program combining guided movement, breathing and meditation exercises, and coping-skills training reduced anxiety and depression symptoms in adults with chronic medical conditions, according to a new study published August 20th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Puneeta Tandon of the University of Alberta, Canada, and colleagues.

20 Aug 2026

Two distinct types of brain tissue work together to support cognition in older adults

Researchers from the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have found that two distinct types of brain tissue work together to support cognition in older adults, and that the health of the brain's short-range wiring may help soften the cognitive effects of gray matter loss.

20 Aug 2026

Parental loss doubles children's risk of mental health disorders

A new, large-scale Curtin University study has found children who experience parental loss are twice as likely to develop a mental health disorder, compared to those living with both parents.

19 Aug 2026