https://medicalxpress.com/psychiatry-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Psychiatry Some of the symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy, may result from dysfunction of certain neurons in the brain and their ability to change their properties in response to experiences—a process called experience-dependent plasticity. In preclinical research published in Nature, a team led by investigators at Mass General Brigham identified genes involved in these neurons' plasticity and then demonstrated benefits of overexpressing one key gene. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-inhibitory-neuron-plasticity-reverse-neurodevelopmental.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:40:01 EDT news705766560 Leucovorin prescriptions for children spiked after federal officials claimed the drug was an effective treatment for autism during a September 2025 press conference, according to a new Michigan Medicine-led study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-leucovorin-prescriptions-children-federal-autism.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:00:03 EDT news705758342 Scientists at UCL have developed a framework for stress-testing how AI chatbots respond to vulnerable users, helping researchers identify weaknesses and test ways to make mental health interactions safer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-mental-health-emerge-ai-chatbot.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:40:04 EDT news705680701 The most comprehensive review to date has identified the most effective bipolar disorder treatments across different age groups and mood phases. It was published in The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-free-bipolar-disorder-treatments.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 14:40:05 EDT news705669781 Stress or trauma during childhood may leave people more vulnerable to mental health struggles and stress later in life. Scientists think one reason could be that early-life stress leaves lasting molecular bookmarks on DNA, without changing the genetic sequence itself. A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience digs deeper into the biology of chemical marks left behind by stress. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-adulthood-chemical-quietly-brain-stress.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:20:07 EDT news705658566 A research team led by Professor Ho Kyung Yoon of the Department of Psychiatry and Professor Do Young Kwon of the Department of Neurology at Korea University Ansan Hospital demonstrated that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) significantly improves depression and apathy in patients with Parkinson's disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-noninvasive-brain-parkinson-nonmotor-symptoms.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:40:07 EDT news705585335 For a long time, psychologists have described loneliness as the discomfort that comes from wanting more social connection than we feel we have, but there is more nuance to loneliness. Scientists are increasingly finding that loneliness is also linked to how we respond to negative emotions and how sensitive we become to signs of social threat. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-lonely-people-heartbeat-brains-differently.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:20:03 EDT news705585070 For decades, neuroscientists have been able to record which parts of the brain show increased electrical activity during a behavior, such as when we form a memory or make a decision. But scientists haven't been able to determine how those regions are communicating with and influencing one another, nor identify which regions serve as the main orchestrators. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ai-framework-decodes-brain-regions.html Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:40:03 EDT news705580621 The prefrontal cortex, a brain region long associated with learning more flexible behaviors, can sometimes block the ability to think outside the box, a new study in mice shows. The finding by biologists at Emory University was published in Science Advances. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-reveals-prefrontal-cortex-hinder-efficient.html Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:40:04 EDT news705377030 As temperatures on Earth continue to rise, some researchers have been trying to understand how climate change influences people's physical and mental health. Some past studies have found an association between warmer weather and the incidence of suicide and homicide. However, only a few studies have explored this association in tropical developing countries, where social inequalities might influence how people are affected by climate change. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-temperatures-linked-higher-homicide-suicide.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:40:06 EDT news705248535 Experiencing severe stress during childhood can make a person more vulnerable to anxiety, depression and other mood disorders when faced with hardships as an adult. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Princeton University have uncovered how trauma early in life can leave a lasting effect on the brain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-early-life-stress-scar-brain.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:00:03 EDT news705236461 In 1970, ketamine was approved as an anesthetic. It works by blocking receptors in the brain. Suicidal tendencies are among the dangers that accompany severe depression. Doctors have found that a low dose of ketamine, much lower than what is used for anesthesia, can quickly ease depression and suicidal thoughts. It often works within hours to a day, much faster than conventional antidepressants. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ketamine-triggers-morning-cortisol-surge.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:40:05 EDT news705235353 Researchers have shown that measurements taken from a person's fingertip could help identify physical patterns associated with stress, anxiety and depression. The international study, involving experts from Aston University, used a wearable device that shines light into the skin to measure blood flow through the smallest blood vessels as well as changes in the activity of the surrounding tissue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-wearable-fingertip-sensor-physical-patterns.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 18:00:02 EDT news705253742 The first randomized controlled trial in the U.K. has found that a single dose of psilocybin, the active compound found in "magic mushrooms," produced significant improvements in depression compared with a placebo. This is the first publicly funded randomized trial of its kind to deliver the treatment within an NHS setting in England, and it found promising results. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-dose-psilocybin-depression-results-uk.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:20:05 EDT news705229862 In iScience, scientists outline how they developed a method for generating personality assessment questionnaires with ChatGPT from any source text. To test the method, they applied it to both the DSM-5 and, as a deliberately unconventional example, an astrology textbook. Not only could ChatGPT be used to create and validate these questionnaires, but it could also accurately predict population-level responses before the surveys were administered. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-chatgpt-generate-personality-people-responses.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:00:05 EDT news705159362 The effects of stress, depression and inadequate health care in the Los Angeles County Jail—a blanket term widely used for the county's eight facilities—build up into lethal risk, a new study led by UCLA researchers has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-deaths-la-county-longer-stays.html Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:40:07 EDT news705229501 Psychedelic drugs are best known for altering perception and producing vivid hallucinations, but scientists are increasingly interested in what else they might do. A growing body of research suggests that these mind-altering substances could hold real promise as treatments for mental health conditions like depression, acting faster and requiring far fewer doses than standard antidepressants. Despite their promise, today's psychedelic treatments are often hampered by off-target effects that can cause unwanted side effects. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-psychedelic-candidate-gut-brain.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:01 EDT news705161781 A study led by the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) provides initial evidence that large language models can identify complex psychopathological findings in transcripts of psychiatric interviews with accuracy comparable to that of predominantly young clinicians. The study examined 10 language models and 108 practicing clinicians from three psychiatric clinics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-language-psychiatric-symptoms-accurately-early.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:40:02 EDT news705160741 AI companions are becoming increasingly popular, with millions of users forming deep connections with persona-based chatbots and simulated AI partners. But if you're considering leaning on an AI companion for emotional support, a study by researchers in the lab of Diyi Yang, an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department at Stanford, suggests you might want to think twice: As reported in Nature Human Behavior, the researchers found that opening up to chatbots about personal issues made some people feel worse, not better. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-ai-companions-worsen-loneliness-vulnerable.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:20:05 EDT news705154684 Mental health conditions are more common among autistic individuals than in the general population, but knowledge about how physical and mental health interact over time has been limited. In the new study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 2 million individuals born in Sweden between 1985 and 2004, including more than 58,000 people diagnosed with autism. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-childhood-physical-illnesses-linked-mental.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:00:04 EDT news705148185