Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Key risk factors identified for long-term relapse in alcohol use disorder

John F. Kelly, PhD, of the Recovery Research Institute and Department of Psychiatry at Mass General Brigham, is the lead author of a paper published in Frontiers in Public Health, "Long-term relapse: markers, mechanisms, and implications for disease management in alcohol use disorder."

30 Jan 2026

The role of school health services in adolescent wellness

She has written a doctoral thesis on health-related quality of life among children and young people in Agder.

30 Jan 2026

Sharing thoughts and feelings may enhance recovery in stroke survivors

Stroke survivors who were uncomfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings about their condition and future had slower physical and cognitive recovery after their stroke, according to a preliminary study to be presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2026.

29 Jan 2026

Smartwatch app to track social interactions of stroke survivors may help maximize recovery

A smartwatch app designed to measure social interactions of hospitalized stroke survivors may enable new treatments to preserve or enhance cognition, social engagement and quality of life after a stroke, according to a preliminary study to be presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2026.

29 Jan 2026

Produce prescriptions help Medicaid patients overcome nutrition insecurity

The LA produce prescription program significantly improved nutrition security among Medicaid patients with diabetes, revealing ongoing affordability barriers.

29 Jan 2026

Exploring the link between devices and adolescent sleep

New research in Brain & Behavior found a link between screen time and adolescents' sleep quality and beliefs about healthy lifestyles.

28 Jan 2026

Transcranial magnetic stimulation can be a cost-effective treatment option for depression

A major new study has found that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which applies magnetic energy to the brain, can be a cost-effective treatment option for the NHS in treating moderate and severe forms of depression that have not responded to other treatments.

27 Jan 2026

Study isolates mania-specific genetic architecture in bipolar disorder

Researchers at King's College London and the University of Florence have, for the first time, identified the specific genetic blueprint of mania, the defining feature of bipolar disorder.

27 Jan 2026

Depression and anxiety together raise long COVID risk in older women

Older women who have a history of both depression and anxiety had a 78% higher risk of developing long COVID after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, report University of California San Diego researchers in the Jan. 27, 2026 online edition of the journal Menopause.

27 Jan 2026

Richer social environments linked to better cognitive health in aging adults

Research by an interdisciplinary team from McGill University and Université Laval provides new insights into the links between social factors and cognitive health among aging adults.

27 Jan 2026

UH psychologist provides guidance to improve mental health of sexual violence victims

A psychologist at the University of Houston is providing guidance to improve the mental health of victims of sexual violence, recognized by major health organizations as a public health crisis with serious implications on victims' physical, mental and reproductive health.

27 Jan 2026

Hospital-based program reduces re-injury, violence among victims

A hospital-based program that supports victims of gun and knife violence can reduce the likelihood that those victims will be reinjured or commit violence themselves, according to a new Boston University study.

27 Jan 2026

Primary care: Patients value speedy portal responses over in-person appointments

Many patients use patient portals to message their primary care clinician, but demand for in-person appointments remains high.

27 Jan 2026

Consistent home-based care reduces urgent care use and hospitalizations in older adults

This study examined whether continuity of care (how often patients see their assigned physician and nurse) was associated with urgent care use and hospital admissions among older adults receiving permanent home-based primary care.

27 Jan 2026

Menopause associated with reduced brain volume and increased anxiety symptoms

Menopause is linked to reductions in grey matter volume in key brain regions as well as increased levels of anxiety and depression and difficulties with sleep, according to new research from the University of Cambridge.

27 Jan 2026

Large multi-ancestry study expands understanding of schizophrenia genetics

A landmark study led by researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs has uncovered new genetic insights into schizophrenia by analyzing data from ancestrally diverse populations, including African Americans, through the Million Veteran Program (MVP) and Cooperative Studies Program (CSP).

24 Jan 2026

Experimental study reveals advanced episodic memory replay in rats

In a new study Indiana University researchers observed episodic memory in rats to a degree never documented before, suggesting that rats can serve as a model for complex cognitive processes often considered exclusively human.

24 Jan 2026

New medical LLM detects depression in women via WhatsApp audio analysis

A new medical large language model (LLM) achieved over 91 percent accuracy in identifying female participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder after analyzing a short WhatsApp audio recording where participants described their week, according to a study published January 21, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS Mental Health by Victor H. O. Otani, from Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences and Infinity Doctors Inc., Brazil, and colleagues.

22 Jan 2026

Farmers now owe a lot more for health insurance

Last year was a tough one for farmers. Amid falling prices for commodity crops such as corn and soybeans, rising input costs for supplies like fertilizer and seeds, as well as the Trump tariffs and the dismantling of USAID, many farms weren't profitable last year.

22 Jan 2026

Large study identifies more than 100 genetic regions linked to schizophrenia

A team of researchers led by scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, and the Department of Veterans Affairs has conducted the largest and most comprehensive genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date of schizophrenia in individuals of African ancestry.

21 Jan 2026