Sep 25, 2026
A specialist clinic at Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool is treating children as young as 13 for severe bladder conditions caused by sustained ketamine use. Patients describe devastating symptoms including loss of bladder control, with doctors warning about the serious health consequences of the drug's misuse among young people.
Array Behavioral Care, a Chicago-based virtual behavioral health provider, introduced a new triage and routing capability designed to help healthcare providers better respond to patients requiring urgent mental health care.
A Vermont jury convicted a man of attempted murder for shooting three Palestinian college students who were walking near his home in November 2023. The jury rejected an insanity defense rooted in his claims that he was hearing voices.
The Guardian reviews Derek Owusu's new work The Recovery House, praising it as a uniquely honest exploration of mental health that draws unexpected connections, including references to the Cranberries' 1994 song Zombie.
The FDA has granted breakthrough therapy designation to Definium Therapeutics' DT120 Orally Disintegrating Tablet after preliminary clinical evidence showed significant improvements in treating major depressive disorder.
The National Association of Head Teachers has demanded an end to graded Ofsted inspections, warning they pose a 'risk to life' for school staff. Nearly three-quarters of school leaders report the new inspection regime is harming mental health and creating greater stress than the system it replaced.
Multiple telehealth companies offering quick prescriptions for sensitive conditions like weight loss, sexual health, and mental health are repeatedly exposing customers' private medical data due to gaps in U.S. health privacy regulations. The FTC has filed suit against Hims & Hers over data practices and prescribing standards.
Patrick Clancy appeared on 60 Minutes with his new wife Dr. Rachel Danis in his first interview since his ex-wife Lindsay Clancy's murder trial ended in a mistrial. He discussed his grief over losing his three children, his decision to forgive his ex-wife, and revealed that he and his new wife are planning to start a family.
New research led by The University of Queensland reveals that people with severe mental illness die more than 10 years earlier than the general population, highlighting significant mental health inequality.
A new survey of 1,000 doctors by a physician advocacy group found that nearly half have made or considered major career changes in the past year due to well-being concerns, with a widening mental health gap between employed and independent physicians.
New research suggests that cats are the only common household pet associated with higher rates of anxiety and behavioral issues in young children, raising questions about pet ownership decisions for families with toddlers.
Definium Therapeutics reported that its oral LSD-based treatment DT120 reduced symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder in a second successful late-stage study, marking the company's third Phase 3 win this year for the candidate.
A new CDC report reveals that approximately 71.5% of adults in the United States experienced fatigue on multiple days, with contributing factors including healthcare costs, economic uncertainties, and anxieties about emerging technologies like AI.
A Calgary study found emergency department visits for suicide attempts among youth increased 22% globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Separately, Boston researchers discovered smartphone check-ins can help predict suicide risk days before an attempt in patients with serious mental illness.
A trauma clinic in Birmingham that opened in July is providing mental health services to asylum seekers dealing with trauma. The center offers therapeutic support to individuals like Azad, an Iranian asylum seeker, who are seeking refuge in the UK.
Researchers at the University of Warwick analyzed data from more than 1.9 million people across 23 studies and found that ADHD is associated with nearly double the odds of constipation, 58% higher odds of irritable bowel syndrome, and an almost 50% increase in overall gastrointestinal symptoms.
The FDA indicated openness to innovative approaches for studying psychedelic therapies, including the use of comparators other than placebo, signaling potential regulatory accommodation for this emerging treatment class.
State attorneys general are gaining authority to allocate billions of dollars from major tech company settlements, including California's $2.1 billion from Meta and Wisconsin's share of a $17 billion national settlement. The funds are designated primarily for youth mental health initiatives related to social media harms.
The chief executive of Mind has stated that mental health organisations have failed to acknowledge the risk of violence from a minority of people with severe mental illnesses, speaking ahead of the closure of an inquiry.
A Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case after jurors deadlocked on whether the mother who killed her three children was legally insane, highlighting ongoing debates about postpartum mental health and criminal responsibility.
New Zealand's pharmaceutical regulator has approved two psychiatrists to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to patients suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, marking a significant shift in mental health treatment policy.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Pattaya, Thailand, after 286 consecutive days at sea supporting operations in the Middle East. The deployment raised concerns about crew mental health and ship maintenance.
New research reveals that the number of young people with no close friends has risen fivefold since 2014, with experts attributing the trend to austerity, the pandemic, and social media's impact on a generation now described as the "loneliest generation."
Meta agreed to implement changes for minors on Instagram and Facebook, including cutting off access at night and during school hours. However, a whistleblower criticized the settlement as insufficient to meaningfully address harms to teen mental health.
Meta has agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion to settle claims from 29 state attorneys general alleging the company purposely designed Instagram and Facebook to be addictive to young people. The settlement represents one of the largest consumer protection actions against a tech company.
A bipartisan coalition of 29 U.S. states began a landmark federal trial in Oakland, California, accusing Meta Platforms of intentionally designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children and harm young users' mental health. The case could potentially reshape the social media platforms.
OpenAI introduced a version of ChatGPT tailored for users aged 13-17 with stricter safeguards around sensitive topics like suicide and self-harm, along with parental controls. The launch comes amid growing scrutiny over AI tools' impact on minors.
Opening statements begin in federal court in Oakland, California, in a major multistate lawsuit against Meta alleging the company knowingly designed its platforms to be addictive to children. The trial is considered one of the most consequential of thousands of lawsuits Meta faces over child safety, with states seeking extensive financial damages.
The high-profile murder trial of Lindsay Clancy has brought postpartum psychosis into the spotlight. Women who have experienced the condition and medical professionals are calling for more research and understanding of this difficult mental illness.
Jason Arday, 41, who became Cambridge University's youngest Black professor in 2023 and resigned last week following plagiarism allegations regarding his PhD thesis, was found dead at his home in south London. Metropolitan Police reported he was found unresponsive at an address in Battersea on Friday.
An AI startup hired 10 people as 'masturbation consultants' to test a 28-day 'Daily Guided Masturbation' program, paying $2,000 per month while participants logged mood, energy levels, and cravings before and after sessions. The company now claims the program produced improvements in stress and focus.
The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington is heading to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, following reports of mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed Lincoln as the Iran war continues with no clear end in sight.
New research reveals how children and teenagers are using AI tools in their daily lives, from academic assistance to seeking emotional support late at night, raising questions about safety and appropriate use. Studies from multiple countries show widespread adoption among youth.
Sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted to jump overboard during a record-breaking deployment exceeding 240 days at sea, according to family members. Reports describe deteriorating conditions, food shortages, and mounting mental health concerns on the 5,000-person carrier.
Healthcare facilities in Canada, the UK, India, Australia, and the US are grappling with critical staffing shortages, leading to reduced patient care, bed closures, and workforce burnout. The crisis spans from intensive care units operating short-staffed to mental health facilities struggling with junior staff burnout and courts ordering governments to fill vacant positions.
More than two-thirds of NHS mental health providers in England are planning to cut services, with half expected to eliminate jobs, threatening to increase wait times for millions of adults and children seeking mental health care.
Researchers at Washington University have discovered that severe childhood stress creates lasting changes to DNA packaging inside brain cells, forming a molecular memory of trauma that makes individuals more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and mood disorders when facing stress as adults.
Researchers at Washington University have discovered that severe childhood stress creates lasting changes to DNA packaging inside brain cells, forming a molecular memory of trauma that makes individuals more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and mood disorders when facing stress as adults.
A recent clinical trial found that a single dose of ketamine increases morning cortisol levels in suicidal patients for up to 24 hours, potentially explaining the drug's rapid antidepressant and anti-suicidal effects. The finding adds to understanding of ketamine's therapeutic mechanisms beyond its original use as an anesthetic.
Vistagen announced topline results from a repeat dose study of fasedienol for acute treatment of social anxiety disorder, showing favorable safety and tolerability profiles along with efficacy signals across primary and secondary endpoints in both repeat and single dose administrations.
A randomized controlled trial conducted through the NHS in England found that a single dose of psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, produced significant improvements in depression symptoms among 60 adults with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder compared to placebo, with good tolerability.
The UK government has unveiled plans to open more than 100 walk-in mental health hubs in accessible community locations including libraries, banks and high street premises across England, alongside dedicated mental health emergency departments in hospitals. Health Secretary Andy Burnham described the initiative as the 'biggest redesign of mental health services in a generation' aimed at providing earlier intervention and preventing people from reaching crisis point.
A randomized controlled trial in Germany found that dronabinol, a cannabis-derived THC medication, significantly decreased nightmares in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder in a double-blind study published in Nature Medicine.
Researchers demonstrate fingertip sensors can identify physical patterns linked to stress, anxiety and depression, while major wearable companies including Whoop, Oura, and Apple expand into healthcare applications. Amae Health partners with Google Health to integrate Fitbit and voice biomarkers for precision psychiatry.
Supernus Pharmaceuticals and Indivior Pharmaceuticals announced an all-stock merger to create a combined company with approximately $2.2 billion in annual revenue and a portfolio of 11 commercialized medicines focused on neurological, psychiatric, and addiction-related conditions. The deal, described as a merger of equals, is expected to generate $125 million in cost savings.
South Korea has implemented AI-powered cameras on Seoul's Han River bridges to detect potential suicide attempts, while researchers in the U.S. are developing AI algorithms that use physiological signals and emergency room data to identify individuals at risk of suicide.
Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered common neuroimmune signatures that may explain how rapid-acting antidepressants like ketamine and psychedelics work to reduce symptoms in treatment-resistant depression.
The British Columbia Supreme Court has ruled that provincial laws allowing forced psychiatric treatment of involuntary patients without assessing their capacity to consent are unconstitutional, giving the government six months to reform the legislation. The court found B.C. is an outlier among provinces for granting mental health facilities unilateral power to treat people against their will without independent oversight.
Bryan Johnson, the US tech entrepreneur known for his extreme longevity experiments, publicly expressed doubts about his life mission in a social media post, suggesting he may have taken his anti-aging efforts too far.
The LiBBY clinical trial found that a combination of CBD and THC rapidly and significantly reduced agitation in hospice-eligible dementia patients, with nearly 90% of participants showing behavioral improvement in the nationwide study.
An international research team led by the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim has published the largest genome-wide association study on borderline personality disorder to date, analyzing data from approximately 13,000 individuals and identifying 11 genetic locations and 9 genes associated with the condition. The findings, published in Nature Genetics on July 20, 2026, represent the first significant genetic clues for this complex mental health disorder.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced more than $281 million in grant funding opportunities across 15 programs aimed at addressing addiction, overdose, and mental illness. The funding was made available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The Trump administration is moving to relaunch the specialized LGBTQ+ option for the 988 crisis intervention hotline after initially ending it, but The Trevor Project, the nonprofit that helped pioneer the service, is being excluded from eligibility to operate it.
In a stunning reversal, lawyers for Luigi Mangione informed a judge Thursday that he will no longer pursue a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk. The withdrawal means Mangione will not introduce evidence that he was experiencing an extreme mental health crisis at the time of the alleged killing.
Research published shows that ChatGPT's free version is 26 times more likely to respond inappropriately to psychotic delusions compared to paid versions, raising concerns about AI safety in mental health contexts and the disparity between free and premium AI services.
Health officials under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. explored banning certain SSRI antidepressants as part of plans to reduce their use in the United States, sparking significant debate over medication safety and federal regulatory authority.
A clinical trial of 108 adults with obesity and alcohol use disorder found that once-weekly semaglutide injections reduced heavy drinking days in the past 30 days by an average of roughly 12 days, representing a 50% reduction compared to placebo.
New research using brain imaging has revealed three distinct subtypes of ADHD, each associated with different underlying brain systems, co-occurring conditions, and learning challenges. The findings suggest that inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptom profiles follow separate neural pathways, potentially enabling more targeted treatment interventions.
Medical professionals and researchers are expressing serious concerns about GLP-1 receptor agonist medications like Ozempic being misused by people with eating disorders or triggering disordered eating behaviors, with patients describing the drugs as addictive and relapse-inducing.
A new study shows that suicide rates among young people dropped 11% following the U.S. launch of the 988 national suicide and crisis hotline, with increased calls to the hotline correlating with reduced suicide deaths.
Medical professionals and patients on social media are increasingly reporting a phenomenon called 'Ozempic personality,' characterized by emotional flattening and reduced ability to experience joy while taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss.
Google updated its Gemini AI assistant to more effectively direct users to mental health resources during moments of crisis, following a wrongful death lawsuit alleging its chatbot contributed to a user's distress.
Research from Emory University and University of Iowa demonstrates that noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can calm the brain's fear center and significantly reduce PTSD symptoms, offering a non-surgical, non-medication treatment option.
Kratom-related poisonings have increased by 1,200% over the past decade, with proposals to ban or regulate the plant-based substance making headlines across the United States as lawmakers and regulators grapple with safety concerns.