HealthDay (2/26, Thompson) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis of 71 studies found that “disasters and violent events echo in the minds of people for years afterward, contributing to mental illness that can surface as much as a decade later.” According to researchers, “more than 1 in 5 survivors (22%) will develop a mental health problem after living through their ordeal.” The illnesses “tend to occur in two peaks – one within the first few months of a disaster and another about a decade later, researchers found. The results contradict the general view that survivors can be expected to leave the past behind as they grow older.” Researchers noted that “depression was the most common mental health problem linked to disasters, affecting about 30% of survivors.” The review was published in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Disasters Can Affect Mental Health A Decade Later, Review Finds,”HealthDay, Dennis Thompson, February 26, 2026

HealthDay (2/25, Thompson) reports, “Middle-aged people who eat healthy have a lower risk of brain decline in old age, researchers” found. Investigators found that “the heart-healthy Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet provided the best protection for brain health, but results showed that eating patterns aimed at lowering blood sugar or inflammation also lowered risk of cognitive decline.” The findingswere published in JAMA Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Eating Healthy In Middle Age Can Lower Risk of Brain Decline, Study Finds,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, February 25, 2026

Psychiatric News (2/25) reports a study found that “increasing nonmedical use of ketamine has brought with it a dramatic increase in patient complications, including ketamine use disorders, uropathy, and rare but life-threatening infection of the bile ducts.” For the study, “researchers identified 411 ketamine-related complications reported by health care professionals in France to the French Addictovigilance Network from 2019 through 2023.” They observed that “ketamine-related complications increased 16-fold, from 13 cases in 2019 to 214 in 2023. The most frequent complications were substance use disorders (33% of cases), psychiatric disorders (30%), and neurological disorders (23%), such as seizures, abnormal movements, or paresthesia.” In addition, “about 9% of patients experienced urinary tract or kidney disorders caused by ketamine use, and several required surgical treatments, including cystectomy and bladder reconstruction; 2% had biliary disorders.” The study was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

Related Links:

— “With Rise of Nonmedical Ketamine Use, Serious Complications Follow, Psychiatric News, February 25, 2026

The Hill (2/24, Davis) reports a new Pew Research Center survey found that 64% of U.S. teens “indicated they use AI chatbots,” with about 3 in 10 saying they use the services daily. Meanwhile, “parents of these polled teenagers underestimated such usage in the survey, with only 51% of parents saying that their child uses AI chatbots. Over a quarter said they were “unsure,” 18% said their teen did not use these chatbots and 4% said they had not heard about AI chatbots. Additionally, only 4 out of 10 parents said they have talked with their child about using these services.” Other survey results indicate that most teens “said that they use these chatbots to search for information and to assist with homework assignments. A small portion of respondents, 12%, said that they rely on AI for emotional support or advice.”

Related Links:

— “Parents are underestimating their teens’ use of AI chatbots: Survey,”Sarah Davis , The Hill , February 24, 2026

MedPage Today (2/24, Rudd) reports a study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections 2026 found that “people with HIV didn’t have a significant rise in depressive symptoms after starting semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) for diabetes or weight loss.” Researchers observed that “after a median 9.4 months of follow-up, the mean change in depressive symptom scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was -0.1 after participants initiated the drug.” They noted that “scores on the PHQ-9 increased 1.2 for those with no or minimal depression symptoms at baseline and declined by 4.7 points among those with moderately severe to severe symptoms.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (2/23) reports a study found that “adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) experience higher rates of mental health conditions, more frequent and severe symptoms, greater psychiatric medication use, and more cost-related barriers to treatment compared with those without such disabilities.” The researchers “pooled data from the 2021-2023 U.S. National Health Interview Surveys, which included 796 adults with IDDs and 43,682 adults without IDDs.” They observed that “adults with IDDs were nearly 10 times more likely to report experiencing anxiety every day and nearly 18 times more likely to report daily depression compared with those without IDDs.” Researchers also noted that “42% of adults with IDDs took prescription medications for anxiety and 38% took prescription medications for depression compared with 9% and 6%, respectively, of those without IDDs.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Adults With IDDs Have Higher Rates of Anxiety, Depression, Psychiatric News, February 23, 2026

HealthDay (2/23, Thompson) reports a study suggests that “teens who use weed are twice as likely to develop psychotic or bipolar disorders,” and are also “more likely to have depression and anxiety.” Researchers stated in background notes that “more than 10% of 12- to 17-year-olds in the U.S. have used weed within the past year,” and that “by their senior year in high school, about 26% of U.S. teenagers have tried it.” Furthermore, “today’s weed has THC levels that exceed 20%, far higher than in previous decades.” For the study, “researchers analyzed health records of more than 463,000 teens aged 13 to 17 who were screened for past-year weed use at Kaiser Permanente Northern California between 2016 and 2023.” Tracking the teens through age 26, researchers observed “that weed use was associated with a doubled risk of psychotic and bipolar disorders; a 34% increased risk of depression; and a 24% increased risk of anxiety.” The study was published in JAMA Health Forum.

Related Links:

— “Teens Using Weed Have Doubled Risk For Psychosis, Bipolar Disorder,”Dennis Thompson , HealthDay , February 23, 2026

Psychiatric News (2/20) reported a study found that “the cannabis derivative cannabinol (CBN) reduced the time needed to fall asleep in a small sample of individuals with insomnia but didn’t significantly reduce time spent awake after initial sleep onset.” Researchers observed that for study participants with a diagnosed insomnia disorder, “CBN 300mg and 30mg reduced wake after sleep onset by six and four minutes, respectively, but researchers said neither change was statistically or clinically significant. CBN 300mg halved average sleep onset time from 14 minutes to seven – a meaningful reduction similar to those reported in studies of melatonin or prescription sleep aids.” Furthermore, they noted that “CBN 300mg also increased time spent in N2 sleep (the transition from light sleep to deep sleep) and increased participants’ subjective sleep quality.” The study was published in the Journal of Sleep Research.

Related Links:

— “Cannabinol Fails to Reduce Nighttime Waking but Provides Other Sleep Benefits, Psychiatric News, February 20, 2026

Healio (2/20, Feliciano) reported a systematic review and meta-analysis of 110 studies found that “about 70% of individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder reported experiencing aggressive obsessions during their lifetime.” The researchers observed that “among patients with OCD, 70.3% reported experiencing aggressive obsessions during their lifetime and 52.6% experienced them within the last week. For 28% of patients, aggressive obsessions were their primary and most distressing symptom.” They noted that “patients with early-onset OCD were 1.17 times more likely to report aggressive symptoms than those with late-onset OCD. Prevalence was also higher among patients who experienced suicidal ideation, who were 1.98 times more likely to report aggressive symptoms.” The reviewwas published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Related Links:

— “Most adults with OCD experience aggressive obsessions,”Octavia Feliciano, Healio, February 20, 2026

Healio (2/20, Feliciano) reported a systematic review and meta-analysis of 110 studies found that “about 70% of individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder reported experiencing aggressive obsessions during their lifetime.” The researchers observed that “among patients with OCD, 70.3% reported experiencing aggressive obsessions during their lifetime and 52.6% experienced them within the last week. For 28% of patients, aggressive obsessions were their primary and most distressing symptom.” They noted that “patients with early-onset OCD were 1.17 times more likely to report aggressive symptoms than those with late-onset OCD. Prevalence was also higher among patients who experienced suicidal ideation, who were 1.98 times more likely to report aggressive symptoms.” The reviewwas published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Related Links:

— “Most adults with OCD experience aggressive obsessions,”Octavia Feliciano, Healio, February 20, 2026