Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Daytime eating could mitigate health risks of night shift work

A study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham suggests that, when it comes to cardiovascular health, food timing could be a bigger risk factor than sleep timing.

8 Apr 2025

Cannabis extract can improve behavior of children and teens with autism spectrum disorder

New research presented at the 2025 European Congress of Psychiatry reveals that the use of cannabidiol (CBD) cannabis extract can lead to meaningful benefits and improve the behavior of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

8 Apr 2025

Perimenopause can begin in the thirties yet remains widely misunderstood

Hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain and insomnia are all signs of hormonal changes and symptoms of menopause, when a woman no longer has menstrual cycles. They can also signal perimenopause, when the body is preparing for this next season of life.

8 Apr 2025

Babies as young as three months can sense their own heartbeat

Body signals such as heartbeat and breathing accompany us constantly, often unnoticed as background noise of our perception. Even in the earliest years of life, these signals are important as they contribute to the development of self-awareness and identity. However, until know little has been known about whether and how babies can perceive their own body signals. A recent study from Wiener Kinderstudien Lab at the University of Vienna demonstrates for the first time that babies as young as 3 months can perceive their own heartbeat. In addition, the team, headed by researchers from the University of Vienna, together with colleagues from the University of Potsdam and Royal Holloway University of London, also investigated for the first-time infants' perception of their own breathing and found developments during the first two years of life. The results are now published in the prestigious journal eLife. The perception of internal body signals is closely linked to emotional awareness, mental health, and self-perception. Early in life the ability to perceive one's own body signals may be particularly important, as it often forms the basis for interactions with caregivers - for example babies rely on their caregivers to respond appropriately to signs of hunger or discomfort. Moreover, the development of self-awareness and identity partly depends on the perception and experience of one's own body. The study shows that even 3-month-old babies can perceive their own heartbeat and that this ability remains relatively stable during the first two years of life. At the same time, the findings indicate that the perception of breathing improves significantly during the second year. Interestingly, the ability to perceive the heartbeat and breathing does not appear to be related - much like in adults. Measuring body awareness in babies is challenging, as, unlike adults, you cannot simply rely on verbal report. Therefore, the research team used innovative methods by tracking the infants' eye movements as they watched child-friendly figures. These figures moved either in synchrony with the child's heartbeat or breathing, or with a slight time delay. Results showed that even at an early age, babies recognize the correspondence between their own heartbeat or breathing rhythm and the animated figures. They looked longer at the screen when the figures were in synchrony than when they were delayed. "The babies must have recognized that the figures moved simultaneously with their heartbeat or breathing, and then they paid more attention," said the study's lead author, Markus Tünte from the University of Vienna. These findings open up exciting perspectives for future developmental psychology research. In particular, it is important to explore how early body awareness relates to the development of emotional and social skills, as well as the role parents play in shaping early body perception. In the long term, such research could be used to promote healthy body awareness and, consequently, the mental health of children.

8 Apr 2025

For opioid victims, payouts fall short while governments reap millions

Christopher Julian's opioid journey is familiar to many Americans.

8 Apr 2025

Study reveals socioeconomic inequalities in unmet needs for mental health care across the EU

A new study presented today at the European Psychiatric Association Congress 2025 reveals significant socioeconomic inequalities in unmet needs for mental health care across European Union countries, with financial barriers disproportionately affecting lower-income populations.

7 Apr 2025

Early life adversities linked to reduced brain connectivity and cognitive performance

Mass General Brigham investigators have linked difficult early life experiences with reduced quality and quantity of the white matter communication highways throughout the adolescent brain.

7 Apr 2025

Young females more vulnerable to social anxiety from smartphone dependence

A new study presented today at the European Psychiatric Association Congress 2025 reveals that gender plays a significant role in excessive and problematic (psychological or behavioral dependence) smartphone use, with young females more likely to experience higher social anxiety than other genders.

7 Apr 2025

The House Speaker’s eyeing big cuts to Medicaid. In his Louisiana district, It’s a lifeline.

When Desoto Regional Health System took out $36 million in loans last year to renovate a rural hospital that opened in 1952, officials were banking on its main funding source remaining stable: Medicaid, the joint federal-state health program for low-income people and the disabled.

7 Apr 2025

Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures: A Conversation with WHO’s Dr. Allotey

Dr. Pascale Allotey advocates for comprehensive maternal health policies, stressing the importance of women's voices in shaping effective healthcare solutions.

7 Apr 2025

Treating SIBO holistically helps patients feel better, new study finds

A 90-day real-world study in Spain shows that a comprehensive, personalized treatment for SIBO significantly improves patients’ quality of life—even when breath tests remain abnormal.

7 Apr 2025

Medical cannabis may help reduce cravings and improve recovery outcomes

A new pilot study from UBC Okanagan and Thompson Rivers University examined how medically supervised cannabis use in a residential recovery home may support people in treatment for substance use challenges.

4 Apr 2025

Cornell researchers discover brain mechanisms behind psilocybin's effects

Psilocybin is the active ingredient that gives so-called "magic mushrooms" their hallucinogenic kick. It also has a therapeutic potential for treating depression.

4 Apr 2025

Exposure to wildfire smoke raises mental health visits to emergency departments

Exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke was associated with increased visits to emergency departments (ED) for mental health conditions, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

4 Apr 2025

Hormonal contraceptives linked to higher postpartum depression risk

Researchers investigate whether the use of hormonal contraception increases the risk of postpartum depression.

4 Apr 2025

New bacterial evolutionary map could lead to precision treatments for infections

The first-of-its-kind in-depth bacterial evolutionary map could pave the way for the development of precision treatments for certain antibiotic-resistant infections, such as urinary tract infections.

3 Apr 2025

NIH trial demonstrates AI's effectiveness in opioid use disorder care

NIH-supported clinical trial shows AI tool as effective as healthcare providers in generating referrals to addiction specialists.

3 Apr 2025

Penn Medicine CAREs grants support patient storytelling and community health

Hospitals, some of the busiest places, can also be among the loneliest.

3 Apr 2025

Trump’s DEI undoing undermines hard-won accommodations for disabled people

For years, White House press conferences included sign language interpreters for the deaf.

3 Apr 2025

Racial and age disparities in cervical artery dissection hospitalizations

Cervical artery dissection is a tear in an artery in the neck that provides blood flow to the brain. Such a tear can result in blood clots that cause stroke. A new study has found almost a five-fold increase in the number of U.S. hospitalizations for cervical artery dissection over a 15-year period.

3 Apr 2025