Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Study finds five distinct human sleep chronotypes

The familiar labels "night owl" and "early bird," long used in sleep research, don't fully capture the diversity of human internal clocks, a new study has found.

2 Feb 2026

Large gaps exist between Medicaid enrollment and actual care

Almost one-third of physicians who are enrolled in Medicaid don't actually care for a single patient covered by Medicaid insurance, according to new research led by Oregon Health & Science University.

2 Feb 2026

Study reveals rising psychosis rates among younger generations

People born more recently are being diagnosed with psychotic disorders (e.g., schizophrenia) more often and at younger ages than people born earlier, suggests a large study of more than 12 million people in Ontario, published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.250926.

2 Feb 2026

Your next primary care doctor could be online only, accessed through an AI tool

When her doctor died suddenly in August, Tammy MacDonald found herself among the roughly 17% of adults in America without a primary care physician.

2 Feb 2026

Do lifestyle choices affect university students' grades

Researchers examine the association between academic performance on secondary school exams and lifestyle behaviors among university students.

2 Feb 2026

Religious faith linked to lower psychological distress during Covid-19 lockdown

Two Cambridge-led studies suggest that the psychological distress caused by lockdowns (UK) and experience of infection (US) was reduced among those of faith compared to non-religious people.

1 Feb 2026

Recall of childhood trauma shifts with present relationships

New research from Michigan State University finds that how young adults recall adverse childhood experiences fluctuates based on the current quality of their relationships - particularly with their parents.

31 Jan 2026

Genetic ancestry influences tumor biology and survival in head and neck cancers

Genetic ancestry plays a key role in determining the behavior of head and neck tumors and may help explain why African-American patients survive for half as long as their counterparts of European ancestry, according to a new review study led by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine's (UMSOM) Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) and the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC).

31 Jan 2026

First-of-its-kind clinical guidance on psychedelic medicine released

Unbound Medicine and Johns Hopkins Medicine today announced a significant expansion of the Johns Hopkins Psychiatry POC-IT Guide, a leading digital resource for clinicians and trainees worldwide.

30 Jan 2026

Neural circuits in flies provide insights into human eating

Why do we sometimes keep eating even when we're full and other times turn down food completely? Why do we crave salty things at certain times, and sweets at other times? The answers, according to new neuroscience research at the University of Delaware, may lie in a tiny brain in an organism you might not expect.

30 Jan 2026

King’s researchers help transform UK mental health research infrastructure

King’s researchers will help transform mental health data, clinical trials and industry partnerships as part of the UK Government’s Mental Health Goals programme.

30 Jan 2026

Metacognitive therapy speeds return to work and saves costs

Many people with different mental health problems can be absent from work for a long time. But new results give hope that more people can recover and return to work sooner.

30 Jan 2026

WHO launches guide to address mental health and stigma for people living with NTDs

Marking World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that millions of people living with NTDs continue to face profound and often unseen suffering due to discrimination, social stigma and untreated mental health conditions.

30 Jan 2026

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