https://medicalxpress.com/psychiatry-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Psychiatry A new study from University Hospitals Connor Whole Health found that patients with mental health and/or substance use disorders who undergo surgery and receive music therapy are more medically complex and therefore may experience longer hospital stays compared to other patients receiving usual care. The findings from this study were recently published in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-surgical-patients-mental-health-conditions.html Mon, 18 May 2026 23:20:02 EDT news698331175 Experiencing abuse or neglect as a child can increase the risk of being victimized by a romantic partner in adulthood, by impacting personality and mental health development, finds a new study led by University College London (UCL) researchers. The paper is published in The Lancet Regional Health–Europe journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-childhood-maltreatment-domestic-abuse.html Mon, 18 May 2026 16:20:04 EDT news698333941 Teens may turn to marijuana use for many reasons: curiosity, stress relief, peer pressure, help with mental health, or for the positive feelings of being "high." However, there is a difference between casual use and reliance on cannabis to function. Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is the persistent use and reliance on marijuana despite it causing physical or social harm. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-gap-treatment-adolescent-cannabis-users.html Mon, 18 May 2026 16:00:08 EDT news698333522 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 Legendary 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus once stated golf was "90% mental and 10% physical." That's because, unlike most other ball sports, a golfer spends most of the time thinking about their game instead of actually playing it: the contact time a player has with the ball is minuscule compared to the time spent planning the next shot, or frustratedly replaying a previous wonky hit. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-yips-sport.html Sat, 16 May 2026 05:40:01 EDT news697972255 Growing up in disadvantaged communities can take a toll on children, with greater stress leading to mental health issues and delays in psychological development. But a decade's worth of research suggests there's an effective and nearly free remedy that may level the playing field with their advantaged counterparts: time in nature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-nature-benefit-psychological-disadvantaged-children.html Fri, 15 May 2026 12:40:01 EDT news698065261 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 Researchers are investigating whether existing dementia assessment methods may overlook signs of cognitive decline in autistic adults because many screening tools were developed around neurotypical populations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-dementia-autistic-adults.html Fri, 15 May 2026 08:29:54 EDT news698052542 A study published in the American Journal of Managed Care explores how integrating behavioral health care into primary care can improve outcomes and be cost-effective for adults with depression, anxiety and chronic pain who are on long-term opioid therapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-explore-behavioral-health-accessible.html Fri, 15 May 2026 05:22:38 EDT news698041321 Within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), 30% of hospitalizations for alcohol use disorder (AUD) result in medications for AUD (MAUD) initiation as an inpatient or within seven days of discharge, according to a study published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-medications-hospitalizations-alcohol-disorder-veterans.html Thu, 14 May 2026 22:40:01 EDT news697972096 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 Scientists in South Korea have developed experimental contact lenses designed to send electrical signals through the retina and into brain regions linked to mood. In mice, the technology appeared to improve depression-like behavior. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-depressed-mice-successfully-smart-contact.html Thu, 14 May 2026 13:44:17 EDT news697984922 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 A national study of kratom use in the U.S. found rising popularity among young adults, and it is linked to addiction and mental health issues, according to new research from the University of Michigan and Texas State University. This is the first known national study to examine the use patterns of kratom and its association with mental health and addiction, researchers say. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-energy-national-kratom.html Thu, 14 May 2026 11:57:55 EDT news697978621 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 Thinking about autism has evolved. Just three decades ago, autism was a relatively rare and clearly defined condition, diagnosed in people with limited verbal language and highly repetitive behavior. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-definition-autism-sight-greatest.html Thu, 14 May 2026 09:31:13 EDT news697969802 Treatment with semaglutide significantly improves measures of motivation in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), according to a study published April 29 in JAMA Psychiatry. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-semaglutide-major-depressive-disorder.html Wed, 13 May 2026 23:20:02 EDT news697903726 As a teenager, Rei Scott spent several weeks living out of a car with four family members and their dog. Each day, Scott worried about where they would spend the following night. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-wages-plates-heavy-toll-rethinking.html Wed, 13 May 2026 22:20:04 EDT news697875880 From relentless cycles of intrusive memories to loneliness and physical pain, a new study from the University of East Anglia reveals the struggles of refugees who entered the U.K. as unaccompanied minors. Researchers interviewed refugees who fled Afghanistan as children and endured family separation, human rights abuses, and violence. Their stories show years of silent suffering, human resilience, and the need for social connection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-refugees-reveal-hidden-trauma-life.html Wed, 13 May 2026 19:00:02 EDT news697904481 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 About 70,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year—about 14% fewer than the previous year, according to preliminary government data. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-overdose-deaths-fell-policy-drug.html Wed, 13 May 2026 16:20:01 EDT news697905309 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 A new study has found that a widely used depression screening questionnaire is accurate for people with and without chronic pain, debunking a common misconception that the screening inflates depression scores for people with chronic pain. Some clinicians and researchers had believed a person with chronic pain might score higher on the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) because they can't sleep or experience fatigue, which are symptoms of both pain and depression. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-validates-accuracy-depression-screening-people.html Wed, 13 May 2026 15:38:54 EDT news697904941 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 While social and economic factors are often viewed as primary drivers of health, a new analysis in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) suggests that the relationship between societal position and physical well-being is more complex than previously understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-health-paradox-explores-factors-white.html Wed, 13 May 2026 14:44:39 EDT news697902242 Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adolescents experienced depression between 2021 and 2023, and those teens were significantly more likely to use substances such as alcohol, marijuana and opioids, according to a new national study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-teen-depression-linked-higher-substance.html Wed, 13 May 2026 12:50:09 EDT news697895341