Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Childhood trauma affects two in five Australian adults and raises lifelong health risks

A University of Sydney-led study published today has found 42 percent of Australian adults - more than eight million people - experienced a traumatic event as children.

18 Nov 2025

Researchers create a simple way to induce strong response linked to psychological pressure

Researchers at the University of Tokyo developed an experimental method to induce a strong physiological response linked to psychological pressure by making participants aim for a streak of success in a task.

18 Nov 2025

Muscle-driven gene therapy shows promise for protecting memory in Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating cause of memory loss and cognitive decline, for which no curative treatment is available.

18 Nov 2025

Large language models revolutionize psychiatric questionnaires

Large language models can help improve questionnaires used to diagnose mental illness by optimizing symptom generalizability and reducing redundancy.

18 Nov 2025

Deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant severe depression shows positive results

Deep brain stimulation – implants in the brain that act as a kind of 'pacemaker' – has led to clinical improvements in half of the participants with treatment-resistant severe depression in an 'open label' trial.

18 Nov 2025

Daily berries and cocoa enhance mood by targeting key brain pathways

Dietary flavonoids from everyday foods show modest but promising benefits for mood, with the strongest evidence emerging from chronic, anthocyanin rich interventions. Acute effects are mixed, but longer term intake may support emotional well being through mechanisms involving monoamine activity and neuroplasticity.

17 Nov 2025

Maternal obesity raises childhood epilepsy and disability risks, new study shows

Higher maternal BMI before pregnancy is linked to increased risks of epilepsy and intellectual disability in young children, even after extensive adjustment for maternal and neonatal factors. Associations with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD disappear after full adjustment, highlighting the potential mediating role of perinatal complications.

17 Nov 2025

Researchers develop novel tool to identify pregnant women at high risk for having a preterm birth

Researchers at NYU and partners within the International Healthy Outcomes of Pregnancy for Everyone (HOPE) Consortium have developed a novel tool, the Preterm Birth Actionable Risk Index (PTB-ARIx), designed to identify pregnant individuals at high risk for having a preterm birth (PTB, or delivery before 37 weeks).

17 Nov 2025

Hyperemesis gravidarum linked to depression in pregnant women

A recent study conducted at the University of Turku in Finland showed that hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of nausea that occurs during pregnancy, is linked to depression.

14 Nov 2025

New model warns of a staggering $68 billion alcohol burden in Australia

Alcohol-related diseases and injuries have the potential to cost the Australian healthcare system a staggering $68 billion over 60 years if nothing is done to stop the impact.

13 Nov 2025

Off-label GLP-1 use highlights the cultural pressures driving body anxieties

New obesity drugs that were designed to treat diabetes and obesity are increasingly being used off-label by people without these conditions to achieve slimness and social approval rather than health gains. This perspective maps how such pharmacological thinness interacts with stigma, beauty ideals, digital culture, and inequality, and calls for multinational, intersectional research to understand its full impact.

13 Nov 2025

Social media addiction linked to poor sleep in Bangladeshi students

A new study published in Nature and Science of Sleep reveals a strong connection between social media addiction and poor sleep quality among high school graduates in Bangladesh, offering fresh insights into the mental health and digital habits of young people.

13 Nov 2025

ADHD symptoms linked to earlier substance use in young sexual minority men

Young sexual minority men – a term used to describe gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men – with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are more likely to begin using substances such as cigarettes, alcohol, cannabis, stimulants and illicit drugs at an earlier age, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

13 Nov 2025

ICE crackdown heightens barriers for immigrant domestic violence victims

The immigrant from India believed her husband when he said that if she wasn't gone by the time he got to their Georgia home in 10 minutes, he would kill her.

13 Nov 2025

APA urges safeguards for using AI in mental health

Emotional support is an increasingly common reason people turn to generative artificial intelligence chatbots and wellness applications, but these tools currently lack the scientific evidence and the necessary regulations to ensure users' safety, according to a new health advisory by the American Psychological Association.

13 Nov 2025

Study explores scent's role in social status perceptions

As humans, we are constantly navigating social status, using subconscious strategies to assert either our dominance or prestige.

13 Nov 2025

New Canadian network promotes health benefits of fermented foods

A one-stop network, the first of its kind in North America, has begun sharing easily digested research, recipes and other resources about the health benefits of fermented foods.

12 Nov 2025

Study reveals long-term struggles after Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) survivors encounter rare, life-threatening drug reactions and years of physical, emotional and social consequences long after leaving the hospital, according to a study published today in JAMA Dermatology.

12 Nov 2025

How parental stress and long work weeks shape children’s reading outcomes

Parents working long hours provide less homework help, and this reduced support is linked with weaker reading comprehension in children. The study reveals that parental stress exacerbates this pattern, rendering demanding work schedules even more detrimental to learning.

12 Nov 2025

Personalized prehabilitation reduces the risk of surgical complications

The weeks leading up to a major surgery can be a time of uncertainty and worry for patients, many of whom anticipate the need for rehabilition to get back on their feet.

12 Nov 2025