Mental Health

Psychotic-like experiences, circadian disturbances, poorer social function and manic-like experiences were linked to illness progression in a longitudinal cohort study of youth who presented to early intervention services for psychiatric disorders.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, issued an advisory to raise awareness — especially among pregnant women and youth — of the harms associated with marijuana use.

Methylphenidate — a drug used to treat ADHD — may affect specific tracts in brain white matter in boys with the disorder, according to findings from a randomized control trial conducted in the Netherlands. The results published in Radiology suggest that the effects are age dependent.

As a young medical student, I learned how tiny organisms could wreak great havoc in this world — which exposed me to the world of ID early in my medical career. I attended medical school with the goal of understanding and conquering them. During my ID rotation, I cared for a patient who had fever, vague symptoms and a rash that was biopsied. They called us, the ID service, hoping that we could offer answers. This role of a detective, collaborator, thinker and doctor is what still appeals to me the most about the practice of ID. I was in awe of the ID specialists who ascertained the etiology as secondary syphilis and treated this patient with penicillin — and I hoped someday to emulate them. Intriguing cases like this sparked my interest in this field, which only grew stronger in the years to come.

Findings from a prospective, multicenter birth cohort study published in JAMA Pediatrics suggested that maternal exposure to fluorinated water during pregnancy is associated with a decrease the IQ scores of children.

Adding fluoxetine to cognitive behavioral therapy failed to further decrease depressive symptoms in youth with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder, according to findings published in Lancet Psychiatry.

Gender minority college students have two to four times the prevalence of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-injury and suicidality compared with cisgender students, according to a large national study published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Researchers found overlap between ADHD and hypomanic symptoms across childhood and adolescence, which appears to reflect a genetic link between these phenotypes, according to findings from a Swedish twin cohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Although very frequent use of social media may compromise the mental health and well-being of teenaged girls in England, these effects were largely mediated by cyberbullying, sleep and physical activity, longitudinal study findings published in Lancet Child & Adolescent Health revealed.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently issued its first draft recommendation that specifically encouraged primary care clinicians to screen all adults for illicit drug use, including nonmedical uses of prescription drugs.