https://medicalxpress.com/psychiatry-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Psychiatry Researchers at Cincinnati Children's, working with collaborators at University College London and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have identified a practical, data-centered strategy to reduce bias in artificial intelligence (AI) systems used in children's mental health care. The findings, published in Communications Medicine, address growing concern that AI tools designed to assist clinicians may not perform equally well across patient groups. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-method-advances-efforts-bias-ai.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:40:01 EDT news695486823 Drug trials generally involve comparing a treatment with a nonactive, placebo version, an approach called "blinding" because patients must be "blind" as to which they've received for the trial to work. Canadian researchers say this is a huge issue for studies of psychedelic therapies because it's fairly obvious to patients whether they've been given a psychedelic or a placebo. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-psychedelic-mental-health-trials-reliable.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:40:07 EDT news695483130 On March 25, a California trial awarded $6 million to a plaintiff who argued that the addictive qualities of social media had caused her harm. Google and Meta, which were the companies that were found liable, disagree with the verdict and intend to appeal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-jury-sharpens-heavy-social-media.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:20:01 EDT news695468864 A new Yale study shows how the timing of depression in mothers and fathers affects mental health in their adult children. This includes influences on depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-parental-depression-adult-children-mental.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:40:01 EDT news695401980 A research team led by Professor Hyun Ghang Jeong from the Department of Psychiatry at Korea University College of Medicine (Korea University Guro Hospital), in collaboration with the research team at Geovision Inc., has published the results of a large-scale validation study investigating the feasibility of early detection of self-harm behavior using artificial intelligence (AI) in psychiatric wards. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-early-behavior-psychiatric-wards.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:40:09 EDT news695398921 Loneliness affects the memory of older adults but does not speed up mental decline over time, suggests data from a major European study tracking more than 10,000 people over seven years. Participants who reported high levels of loneliness performed worse on memory tests at the start of the research period. However, the ability of lonely people to recall information declined at a similar rate over the time course monitored as that of participants who did not feel alone. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-loneliness-memory-early-doesnt-brain.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 01:00:01 EDT news695281525 Scientists from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, have uncovered how different brain regions work together to enable self-control—the ability to suppress impulsive behaviors and wait for the right moment to act. Their findings advance the understanding of conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and addiction, and could lead to more effective management of these disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-scientists-uncover-brain-circuits-impulsivity.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:40:03 EDT news695312103 Challenging the classic view, two cognitive scientists argue in a new review that categorization is not a late, specialized stage of sensory processing. Instead, it is a core function operating at every level, anticipating bodily needs and motor plans. Categories are thus not fixed prototypes stored in "higher" areas of the cortex, but dynamically constructed from prior experience throughout all of sensory processing. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-rethinking-brains-categories-world.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:30:02 EDT news695304913 New research shows that the threat response in the brain's amygdala (which processes emotions) is linked to different patterns of drinking by sex. In young males, heightened amygdala reactivity was linked to increased depressive symptoms, which in turn predicted heavier alcohol consumption. In young females, no such pathway existed. Instead, greater amygdala reactivity was associated with lower levels of problematic drinking. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-reactive-amygdala-heavier-young-men.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:20:03 EDT news695305675 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition estimated to affect approximately 1 in 100 children worldwide. This condition is characterized by differences in how people communicate and interact with others, as well as restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-neuroinflammation-triggers-autism-regression-mouse.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:30:01 EDT news695304832 A new study, published in JAMA Network Open, reveals that school-age children and adolescents with medically diagnosed traumatic brain injury (TBI) have significantly higher rates of anxiety/depression, and strong family support and resilience helps alleviate some of it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-impact-traumatic-brain-injury-children.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:00:15 EDT news695293201 Researchers analyzed data from tens of thousands of people who used low-cost mobile breathalyzers to test their blood-alcohol concentration when drinking. The analysis revealed that the repeated use of these devices corresponded to changes in drinking behavior and improved accuracy of self-assessments of blood-alcohol levels. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-people-mobile-app-breathalyzers-behavior.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:00:06 EDT news695280962 Your morning cup of coffee may be more than just a pick-me-up. It may also be a simple boost for your mental well-being. In a recent study, researchers from Fudan University, China, wanted to find out whether the amount of coffee a person drinks each day and the type they choose have any bearing on their risk of developing stress and mood disorders over time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-coffee-sweet-mental-health.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:00:01 EDT news695033124 A new UCLA-led study of suicides in the U.S. has found that current national reporting on these deaths underestimates the extent of "emotional dysregulation," the emotional distress that occurs before suicide, which could provide a method to prevent future deaths. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-scans-suicide-emotional-distress.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:20:01 EDT news695040961 For decades, "mental well-being" has been one of the most used, but least agreed upon, terms in mental health. Now, a landmark study led by Adelaide University and Be Well Co has brought alignment to one of mental health's most fundamental questions—what does it actually mean to be well? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-blocks-good-mental-health.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:20:06 EDT news695031842