Mental Health News
- How the Body Reacts to Grief, and What It Can Mean
April 4, 2024 — Fatigue, headaches, stomach pain, and a higher risk of heart disease: Although these things may not make you think of grief at first, many people who have a significant loss get these and other physical symptoms.
- FDA Opens the Door to Clinical Use of LSD
March 26, 2024 — Studies show benefits for people with high anxiety, depression, and PTSD, but there are questions about how these drugs might be used.
- Neuroticism Isn’t Funny and May Impact Your Health
January 22, 2024 — Research links the personality trait with a range of health problems, like heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Here’s why, and what you can do about it.
- Alone Time vs. Loneliness: What’s a Good Balance?
December 22, 2023 — What's a good balance between having "me time" – being alone – and loneliness, which is already at epidemic levels? Here's how to find the sweet spot.
- For Happier Holidays, Set Your Expectations – and Breathe
December 4, 2023 — Experts remind us to breathe and prioritize ourselves this holiday season.
- U.S. Life Expectancy Grows as Suicide Rates Hit Record: CDC
November 29, 2023 — New government data shows U.S. suicides hit another record high in 2022, but the numbers also contain good news about suicides among young people and about deaths in the U.S. overall.
- Soaring Use of Ketamine Creates a Health Care 'Wild West'
November 27, 2023 — The number of patients with a ketamine prescription rose more than fivefold from 2017 to 2022.
- Therapy Born on the Battlefield May Help Ease Anyone's PTSD
November 17, 2023 — Highly successful cognitive processing therapy helps female veterans overcome PTSD.
- Mediterranean Diet Linked to Fewer PTSD Symptoms: Study
October 23, 2023 — Following a Mediterranean diet may help people exposed to trauma limit how severe their posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms are, a new study suggests.
- Apple Watch Now Tracks Time Spent in the Sun
October 12, 2023 — Even though humans need sunlight for optimal health, less than 20% of people get outside every day for fun activities or relaxation, according to the 2021 General Social Survey. Now the same smartwatch that records your steps and sleep can also track your time in the sunshine.
- New Rankings List Nebraska as Top State for Mental Health
October 12, 2023 — The top state for mental health is Nebraska, according to new rankings based on things ranging from violent crime rates to air pollution. Rounding out the top five spots were Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island.
- Caring for Adult Children with Mental Illness: How to Help
September 27, 2023 — New research is showing that caring for a loved one with a mental illness exacts a tremendous toll.
- Suppress Negative Thoughts to Improve Mental Health, Study Says
September 21, 2023 — A new study suggests that suppressing negative thoughts may improve people’s mental health.
- Moderate Coffee Intake Lowers Risk of Anxiety, Depression
September 15, 2023 — People who drink two to three cups of coffee per day are the least likely to have anxiety or depression, compared to people who drink more or less of the popular beverage.
- Why Explosive Anger Isn't Just a 'Bad Attitude,' But a Symptom
August 31, 2023 — Raging drivers, violent airline passengers, irate customers – we dismiss them as jerks, but experts say a little-known psychological disorder could be at play.
- Is Hopefulness the Key to Better Mental and Physical Health?
August 23, 2023 — Recent surveys suggest that our hopefulness is sorely lagging, and in some populations more than others. Learning hopefulness is not only a good skill to have; it could be lifesaving.
- Suicides in U.S. Reached All-Time High in 2022: CDC
August 11, 2023 — In 2022, 49,449 people in the U.S. died by suicide. That’s the most suicides in a single year in U.S. history and marks a 2.6% increase over the prior year, according to new figures released by the CDC this week.
- Child Abuse Memories May Affect Mental Health More Than the Abuse
July 10, 2023 — A person’s memories of childhood abuse or neglect may have a stronger impact on subsequent mental health than the experience itself, says a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
- Loneliness Epidemic Tied to Cancer, Dementia, Other Diseases
July 6, 2023 — Loneliness, once considered a mere longing for connection, is gaining recognition from doctors and scientists as something much more dangerous: a risk for heart disease, dementia, certain cancers, and even death.
- Limiting Social Media Use in Youths Brings Challenges, Benefits
June 26, 2023 — Recent research shows that limiting social media use among teens can be challenging, but the benefits can be worth it.
- Suicide, Addiction, Abuse and Other Crises: Can ChatGPT Help?
June 14, 2023 — More people facing crises such as suicidal feelings, addiction, or abuse are choosing artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT for help. But are they really helpful? A new study offers some insight.
- Could Smartwatches Solve the Mental Health Crisis?
June 13, 2023 — Mount Sinai researchers used smartwatches to assess people’s resilience and well-being, the latest advance in a slowly growing field studying wearables for monitoring mental health.
- Amid Therapy Waitlists, New AI Coach May Be Quicker Option
May 25, 2023 — Researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago and their colleagues have found that their AI app appears to be useful in treating anxiety and depression.
- Mental Health Issues for Adolescents Spiked During Pandemic
May 24, 2023 — During the COVID-19 pandemic, young people experienced spikes in mental health difficulties, with girls taking a harder hit, particularly adolescents developing eating disorders, according to a report this week in JAMA Network.
- Surgeon General Issues ‘Urgent’ Social Media Warning for Kids
May 23, 2023 — Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, called on policymakers and technology companies to fund more research and make social media safer.
- Swallowed Razors, Magnets, and More: New Advice for Doctors
May 22, 2023 — Two new studies suggest that even when a person swallows something as potentially harmful as a razor blade or a magnet, a doctor's best course of action may be to let nature takes it course.
- Early-Life Smartphone Use Tied to Poorer Mental Health in Gen Z
May 18, 2023 — A new report by Sapien Labs published this week used global data from 27,969 “Gen Z” young adults (ages 18-24) to focus on the possible relationship between childhood smartphone use and current mental health.
- Youth Mental Health Crisis Shows Improvement
May 12, 2023 — New CDC data suggests that the teen mental health crisis is improving, with year-over-year mental health emergency room visits declining significantly from 2021 to 2022.
- Experts Issue New Guidelines on Teen Social Media Use
May 9, 2023 — Just as a teenager must be trained to drive a car before getting a driver’s license, young people should be trained in how to safely use social media, says the top U.S. organization for therapists and psychologists.
- Suicide Rate in 2021 Marked a 20-Year Record: CDC
April 13, 2023 — During the first full year of the pandemic, the U.S. suicide rate increased more than in any year in the previous two decades, a new analysis from the CDC shows.
- What Is 'Rust Out' and What Can You Do About It?
March 8, 2023 — What to know about "rust out" -- which can lead to burnout -- and what you can do about it.
- Exercise Is Top Treatment for Depression, Anxiety: Study
February 27, 2023 — Exercise can be more effective than therapy or medication when treating depression and anxiety, according to researchers in Australia.
- Student Mental Health Week Focuses on Rates of Stress, Anxiety
February 8, 2023 — A recent study showed that nearly one-third of students worldwide said their mental health has worsened since returning to campus following the COVID-19 lockdowns.
- New Mental Health Crisis Hotline Sees Surge in Calls
January 23, 2023 — A national suicide and crisis hotline has been serving many more people since the call-in number switched to 988 last summer.
- Medical Gaslighting: When the Doctor Dismisses Your Concerns
January 20, 2023 — Having one’s symptoms dismissed by a health care professional is sometimes called “medical gaslighting." Here's what to know about it.
- Powering Down Cellphone Use in Middle Schools
January 11, 2023 — What some middle schools are doing to decrease phone usage among students.
- Young People Break Generational Norms Around Colorism
December 15, 2022 — Young people are breaking generational thought patterns surrounding colorism despite making older generations “uncomfortable,” according to mental health professionals.
- Your (Afro-Textured) Hair Is Beautiful: The Trauma of Texturism
December 1, 2022 — In our new docu-series “Color by WebMD: WebMD’s Exploration of Race and Mental Health,” we’ll be diving into texturism and its impact on many Black and Latino people. We’ll also look at ways to gain more appreciation for your naturally beautiful coils and curls.
- Mental and Emotional Effects of Colorism Are Often Hidden
November 14, 2022 — In our new docuseries, “Color by WebMD: WebMD’s Exploration of Race and Mental Health,” we look more into the mental health implications of experiencing colorism, often from those closest to you, as well as how to overcome the trauma that can come along with these painful encounters.
- Colorism: How Skin Color, Race Create a Toxic Mix for Health
November 2, 2022 — In our new docu-series, “Color by WebMD: WebMD’s Exploration of Race and Mental Health,” we’ll start off addressing colorism – the silent nemesis of people of color – and the costly mental health effects of dealing with this phenomenon.