https://medicalxpress.com/mental-health-news/ en-us Latest health news and information about Psychology and Mental Health Behavioral therapy is just as effective as medication for Tourette syndrome. This is the finding of doctoral research conducted by clinical psychologist Jolande van de Griendt, who will receive her Ph.D. from Radboud University on July 3, 2026. "Medication is still often the first step in treating a tic disorder. But for many people, it's a great relief to be able to do something about their symptoms without taking pills." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-behavioral-therapy-effective-medication-tourette.html Sat, 27 Jun 2026 18:30:01 EDT news701691310 Multiple sclerosis (MS) can have a substantial impact on many aspects of life beyond physical health, with 51% of people reporting that the disease affects their social life and 48% reporting that it affects their work, according to new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-multiple-sclerosis-impacts-daily-life.html Sat, 27 Jun 2026 18:10:05 EDT news701696522 In a recent episode of British sitcom Amandaland, Anne Flynn turns to ChatGPT for help talking to her teenage son about sex. The episode frames this as "The Chat": the awkward parent-child conversation many adults dread. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-danger-ai-mental-health-therapy.html Sat, 27 Jun 2026 17:00:05 EDT news701440305 Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, a loss of interest in everyday activities, altered sleeping and/or eating patterns, low energy, and difficulty concentrating on tasks. While it is one of the most widespread mental health disorders worldwide, its unique neural and brain-related signatures have not yet been fully uncovered. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-large-mri-analysis-uncovers-brain.html Sat, 27 Jun 2026 12:00:04 EDT news701432478 We often feel that we are "on the same wavelength" with one another, but can science identify and engineer this phenomenon? Studies by a team of neuroscience researchers suggest that it's possible—a connectivity that is both beneficial and can be enhanced for therapeutic and other purposes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-wavelength-cautious.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:00:04 EDT news701601301 Ding—that's an all-too-familiar sound, designed to instantly capture your attention. The average adult receives at least 46 push notifications a day from their smartphone—roughly one every 20 minutes during waking hours. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-struggle-pay-attention-tweak-life.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 08:20:02 EDT news701673602 Exposure to common air pollutants during early pregnancy may increase the likelihood of persistent depressive symptoms throughout pregnancy, according to a new study led by Tracy Bastain and co-authored by Carrie Breton, who recently joined Bursky School of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-early-pregnancy-air-pollution-exposure.html Fri, 26 Jun 2026 08:00:06 EDT news701673361 Greater concussion symptom history is associated with increased odds of tinnitus, and associations with cognition, depression, and anxiety are larger among those with tinnitus, according to a study published online June 19 inSports Medicine Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-concussion-symptom-history-linked-odds.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 23:00:03 EDT news701611800 We have all heard it: "It's just in your head." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-blood-youre-stressed.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:00:03 EDT news701611141 Journaling about one's identities from childhood through early adulthood may offer an accessible, low-cost way to help young adults struggling with depression, according to new Cornell psychology research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-simple-depression-young-adults.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:00:07 EDT news701607241 Chronic psychological stress can help tumors evade immune attack through a chain of molecular events involving gut bacteria and viruses within those bacteria, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings unveil a new layer of cancer biology, along with potential therapeutic opportunities. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-stress-linked-gut-viruses-tumors.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:40:06 EDT news701609165 Young people from the lower-income countries most vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis, including the toll it takes on their mental health, are being "overlooked" because their lack of internet access prevents them from taking part in research and accessing online support, a new study has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-climate-anxious-youth-poorer-countries.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:20:01 EDT news701606041 Imagine you're 6 years old and in the back seat of your parents' car on a road trip. Your mum decides to stop for breakfast food at lunchtime and pulls into a quiet roadhouse where other travelers eat apple pie and drink cola with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-remaking-memory.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:40:10 EDT news701593261 Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition characterized by abdominal pain, bloating and changes in bowel movements, estimated to affect between 10% and 15% of people worldwide. Past studies suggest that in many cases this condition is accompanied by anxiety, an emotional state marked by worry, fear and/or overthinking about specific life events. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-species-gut-bacteria-ease-anxiety.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:00:02 EDT news701522887 On a busy hospital ward, a nurse says "wonderful, wonderful" as a patient with dementia completes a task. It sounds simple, but moments like this can play an important role in how care gets done. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-dementia.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:00:01 EDT news701525876 More than a third of psychologists report having patients who use artificial intelligence as an additional source of mental health support. As more people turn to AI for advice, companionship and help navigating difficult situations, researchers are working to understand what these rapidly evolving systems can—and cannot—do when it comes to human health and well-being. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ai-therapist-qa-expert.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 21:40:01 EDT news701516716 A new randomized clinical trial from investigators at Mass General Brigham's Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychiatry suggests that using personalized brain imaging to guide transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may improve outcomes for people with treatment-resistant depression. Results are published in JAMA Psychiatry. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-personalized-brain-imaging-outcomes-treatment.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:40:03 EDT news701531888 Different digital communication tools are associated with mental health in different ways among older adults in Canada, according to a new study published in PLOS Global Public Health by Hossam Ali-Hassan of York University, Canada, and colleagues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-social-media-linked-poorer-mental-1.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:00:15 EDT news701451901 A study of more than 60 countries shows those with faster declines in the social acceptability of intimate partner violence against women also tend to have had faster reductions in rates of such violence, as well as faster human development improvements. Irina Vartanova of the Institute for Futures Studies in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues present these findings in PLOS Global Public Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-declining-global-intimate-partner-violence.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:00:01 EDT news701446027 Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, found that a year after receiving their first smartphone at age 13, teens at 14 who spent significant time on their phones were more likely to experience depression, obesity and insufficient sleep. The study is published in JAMA Pediatrics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-age-limits-wont-smartphone.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:20:03 EDT news701524261 As the number of adolescents from immigrant families continues to rise, researchers say a pressing question is coming into focus: What does it mean for young people's mental health to grow up navigating life between cultures? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-immigrant-youths-worlds-collide-bicultural.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:40:07 EDT news701522282 First-time mothers in England who face care proceedings are 21 times more likely to die within 10 years of the birth than mothers of the same age who don't experience this, finds an analysis of family court proceedings, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ten-year-death-higher-mothers.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:30:07 EDT news701335802 Caring for a spouse with dementia is one of life's most demanding responsibilities. While the emotional toll is well documented, the physical effects of chronic caregiving stress can vary dramatically from one person to another. A new Rice University study suggests part of the reason may lie in personality. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-personality-caregiving-affects-health.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:00:06 EDT news701439422 With the rise of weight-loss drugs such as GLP-1 medications in recent years, the phrase "food noise" has taken off, particularly in conversations about health and wellness on social media. While thinking about food during the day is normal, food noise is often used to describe endless, looping thoughts about eating that are hard to ignore. Yet, there's no official definition for what constitutes food noise, and evidence of food noise is anecdotal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-food-noise-discussion-social-media.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:00:07 EDT news701438701 New Baycrest research reveals that the brain remembers what we see and what we hear in different ways. Visual memories tend to retain fine details, while auditory memories are more likely to preserve the overall meaning of an experience. The findings shed new light on how the brain reconstructs memories and could help inform future approaches to learning, aging and rehabilitation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-brain-sights-differently-reveals.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:20:08 EDT news701435522 When Maria Chiu began her Ph.D. at Northeastern University in 2023, she never expected to become her own research subject. She also didn't anticipate undergoing her fourth knee surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-recovering-injury-consuming-vr-recovery.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:00:13 EDT news701432742 The national survey of 2,100 bi+ people—which includes identities like bisexual, pansexual, queer and fluid—provides crucial information to inform better health policy and services. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-australia-bi-people-sexual-health.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:20:03 EDT news701430242 Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) have found that people living with chronic pain can protect their mental well-being by focusing on new, meaningful goals, rather than simply trying to let go of old ones. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-loss-purpose-goals-life-chronic.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 11:40:12 EDT news701429342 Laughter is a universal social signal that connects us with others, but the brain regions underlying laughter are not well understood, in part because it's hard to elicit genuine laughter in the lab. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-spontaneous-voluntary-laughter-brain-regions.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 11:00:04 EDT news701340361 Health experts warn that children's mental health in England has reached crisis levels, as a new report reveals children in the North are more likely to experience mental health difficulties than those in the South, according to a report led by the University of Manchester. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-children-mental-health-crisis-fueling.html Tue, 23 Jun 2026 11:00:02 EDT news701427482