https://medicalxpress.com/psychiatry-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Psychiatry A new study shows that gambling is common among Swedish junior elite soccer players, including underage players. The prevalence of gambling problems is considerably higher than in the general population, while awareness of clubs' gambling policies is low. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-high-prevalence-gambling-problems-young.html Mon, 18 May 2026 12:00:51 EDT news698324401 A new study led by researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston University, Boston Medical Center, UMass Chan Medical School, and Brown University finds that children's mental health concerns are appearing more often during routine visits with primary care doctors. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study shows a steady rise over the past decade, with especially large increases in visits related to anxiety. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-primary-children-mental-health-surge.html Mon, 18 May 2026 11:00:12 EDT news698071921 Researchers from the University of California San Diego found that prescriptions for leucovorin, a drug sometimes used off-label for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), rose sharply among children after widespread media attention and public statements from White House officials. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-autism-drug-suddenly-limited-large.html Mon, 18 May 2026 11:00:05 EDT news698058121 Chronic abdominal pain affects an estimated 10%–15% of children and is a leading cause of school absence and daily disruption for families. For many children, the experience does more than hurt—it teaches them something potentially harmful: that their bodies cannot be trusted. A new study by researchers at Duke University challenges that assumption, suggesting that how children learn to relate to their bodies may be just as important as how their symptoms are treated. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-kids-chronic-stomach-pain-relief.html Mon, 18 May 2026 08:40:04 EDT news698310021 A single dose of the psychedelic substance psilocybin can provide rapid relief from depressive symptoms—within just a few days. This is shown by the first randomized, double-blind study in Sweden of psilocybin for depression. The effect persisted for over three months, according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-dose-psilocybin-rapid-relief-depression.html Fri, 15 May 2026 11:00:01 EDT news697967731 Researchers have identified the best dosage for each ADHD medication using data from thousands of people with the condition. The new study published in The Lancet Psychiatry provides the most comprehensive view of dosage effects for five commonly used medications for ADHD. The study is titled "Pharmacological interventions for ADHD: a systematic review and dose-effect network meta-analysis." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-adhd-medications-dosage-sweet-gain.html Fri, 15 May 2026 09:13:49 EDT news698055182 Current evidence does not support a causal link between the use of almost all antidepressants during pregnancy and an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in children, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-antidepressant-pregnancy-autism-adhd-link.html Thu, 14 May 2026 18:30:02 EDT news697975365 Making healthy meals more convenient through meal delivery services could improve depressive symptoms by removing some of the daily burdens that often accompany depression, according to a new University of Michigan study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-dinner-door-convenient-healthy-meals.html Thu, 14 May 2026 12:42:38 EDT news697981321 Materials scientists have designed brain-stimulating contact lenses that are as effective as Prozac at treating depression in mice. The soft, transparent contact lenses have in-built electrodes that deliver mild electrical signals to the brain via the retina to stimulate specific brain regions associated with depression. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-contact-lenses-depression-mice-effectively.html Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:06 EDT news697885681 Broken or disrupted circuits in the brain contribute to many neurological disorders. A new custom-built biological "wire" developed at Duke University School of Medicine points the way toward a new treatment approach—bypassing broken brain connections, rather than relying on long-term medication or external stimulation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-brain-bypass-rewires-specific-circuits.html Wed, 13 May 2026 16:47:40 EDT news697909621 Research has found that children with higher genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia show decreases in frontal cortical surface area during early adolescence, in contrast to the regional expansion observed in children with low genetic susceptibility. This suggests that individuals with high genetic liability for schizophrenia may already show deviations in their neurodevelopmental trajectories before symptoms typically appear in young adulthood. The findings from the new study in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, provide critical insights for refining developmental models of schizophrenia and for informing the timing of preventive interventions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-genetic-schizophrenia-manifests-early-adolescence.html Wed, 13 May 2026 15:40:10 EDT news697903876 New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London has highlighted the distinct and shared molecular pathways linking cannabis use disorder (CUD) and psychosis, offering the potential for identifying those at risk, as well as targeted interventions for cannabis-related psychosis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-genetic-link-cannabis-psychosis.html Wed, 13 May 2026 15:06:14 EDT news697903502 A long-overlooked stretch of the human genome appears to play a distinct role in shaping the social and stereotypic repetitive behaviors that define autism spectrum disorder (ASD), without affecting learning or other cognitive abilities, according to a study published in Nature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-coding-gene-linked-core-social.html Wed, 13 May 2026 11:00:26 EDT news697823101 An analysis of biological clocks throughout the human body suggests that too few hours of sleep—and too many—may speed aging in the brain, heart, lung, and immune system and is associated with a wide range of diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-faster-aging.html Wed, 13 May 2026 11:00:17 EDT news697883187 A new multisite study published in Nature Mental Health found that using cannabis and tobacco together increases the risk of developing psychotic disorders like schizophrenia among those considered high risk. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-cannabis-tobacco-psychosis-chances-high.html Wed, 13 May 2026 08:36:02 EDT news697880101 Inside a deep brain stimulation program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), researchers have discovered a brain signal that predicts when a child is about to lose attention—and that a brief, targeted intervention in response to that signal can restore their focus. Their study, published in Nature Neuroscience, represents the first time this approach for attention control has been studied in people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-real-brain-attention-lapses-kids.html Wed, 13 May 2026 05:00:11 EDT news697821722 Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder that causes confused thinking, severe memory problems, and hallucinations. It affects about 23 million people worldwide, with cognitive dysfunction present in over 80% of patients. A research group led by scientists from Nagoya University in Japan has tested a drug used to treat an immune disease to see if it could reduce schizophrenia-related symptoms in mice. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-drug-memory-decision-issues-affecting.html Tue, 12 May 2026 18:00:01 EDT news697820102 The loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities, which is experienced in everyday life and can be very distressing, is a core symptom of major depression. However, it has remained unclear exactly how anhedonia, also known as a pleasure deficit, manifests itself. Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), the University of Bonn, and the University Hospital Tübingen have found that people with depression do not perceive food as less rewarding when they actually consume it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-depression-blunts-food-enjoyment.html Tue, 12 May 2026 17:00:06 EDT news697817282