Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Health evidence favors permanent standard time, Canadian analysis finds

Several Canadian jurisdictions are moving toward ending the twice-yearly clock change, but a new analysis published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.261089 argues that eliminating the clock change is only half the decision: governments must also decide whether to adopt permanent standard time or permanent daylight saving time.

5 Oct 2026

Global experts call for coordinated action on digital health risks

The way digital technologies are currently built and governed creates real risks to health worldwide, alongside genuine benefits, according to a new three paper Series authored by 13 global experts, published in The Lancet.

5 Oct 2026

Eating walnuts daily may boost mood and shift serotonin-related metabolism

Daily walnuts improve mood and alter serotonin-related metabolites in young adults.

2 Oct 2026

Ultrasensitive AMH testing offers new insights into midlife ovarian reserve

In women's lifelong health management, the years from 35 to 55 form a critical transition period. During this period, many women face a triple challenge: declining fertility, bothersome perimenopausal symptoms, and delayed or delays in recognizing or confirming menopause.

1 Oct 2026

NIH-funded trials will test pregnenolone for addiction and depression

Center for BrainHealth investigator Francesca Filbey, PhD, and UTSW investigator Sherwood Brown, MD, PhD, have secured two awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund two major collaborative studies investigating whether the naturally occurring neurosteroid pregnenolone can help treat substance use disorders and co-occurring depression.

1 Oct 2026

Higher daily step counts linked to better teenage mental health

Every extra walk to school, kickabout in the park or trip to the shops could be doing more for teenage mental health than first thought, according to new research tracking thousands of adolescents in the US.

1 Oct 2026

New framework maps depression symptoms to unique brain circuits

A research team from the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) has published a scientific review proposing a paradigm shift in the way depression is understood and studied.

1 Oct 2026

New trial tests if diet can reduce bipolar depression symptoms

A clinical trial is set to test whether diet could help reduce depressive symptoms in people with bipolar disorder, comparing a high fat, low carbohydrate diet with standard NHS healthy eating advice.

1 Oct 2026

Real-world data reveals higher reported GLP-1 side effects in female patients

The second of a Series of papers presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) and published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women's Health discusses the wide-ranging issues relating to use of GLP-1 RA drug use in women.

1 Oct 2026

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