Healio (3/24, Volansky) reports, “Risks for anxiety and depression increased among former college athletes with three or more lifetime concussions, according to” research. Investigators came to this conclusion after conducting a study “that included 3,910 former collegiate athletes (median age, 25 years; 48.64% women; 75.45% white) who completed a baseline evaluation at the start of their collegiate athletic careers between 2018 and 2021 and were evaluated again within 5 years of graduation, with 77.42% reporting no concussions prior to their collegiate career.” The findings were published in Neurology.

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— “Lifetime concussion history linked to depression, anxiety in former college athletes,”Rob Volansky, Healio, March 24, 2026

Psychiatric News (3/24) reports a study found that “endometriosis may significantly increase the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and vice versa in premenopausal women.” In one analysis, researchers observed that “women with endometriosis had a 39% increased risk of MDD compared with those without endometriosis. In the parallel analysis, women with MDD had a 30% increased risk of endometriosis compared with those without MDD.” According to researchers, “metabolic biomarkers linked with triglyceride levels, insulin resistance, and liver function partially explained the bidirectional association between endometriosis and MDD.” They concluded, “These findings underscore the importance of considering mental health in the management of endometriosis and vice versa.” The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

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— “Endometriosis and Major Depressive Disorder Are Linked to One Another, Psychiatric News , March 24, 2026

MedPage Today (3/23, Henderson) reports a study found that “a sharp increase in the number of young people hospitalized with eating disorders immediately after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had returned to pre-pandemic levels.” Researchers observed that “eating disorder-related hospital discharges among 8- to 25-year-olds increased by 30.9 per month through the first year of the pandemic to a peak of about 600 per month across 41 hospitals.” They noted that after April 2021, “eating disorder-related hospitalizations remained stable or modestly declined before a sharp drop in October 2024 put the pattern and volume of patients back to a level statistically indistinguishable from the pre-pandemic period, averaging in the range of roughly 350 per month through June 2025.” The studywas discussed in a JAMA Pediatrics research letter.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (3/23) reports a survey study found that “about half of adults have used apps to monitor their sleep, and while feedback is generally positive, adults with insomnia report that these apps can increase sleep-related anxiety.” The results showed that “among 1,002 adults in Norway (51% male) who completed an online questionnaire on sleep habits, 46% reported using sleep apps; app use was more prevalent in women and adults under 50.” They noted that “only 15% of respondents believed the app improved their sleep quality; about 2% believed the app worsened sleep.” Furthermore, “adults with insomnia were not more likely to use sleep apps than those without. However, adults with insomnia who used apps were more likely to report being worried about their sleep or that something was wrong with their sleep.” The study was published in Frontiers in Psychology.

Related Links:

— “Sleep Tracking Apps May Increase Stress for Adults With Insomnia, Psychiatric News, March 23, 2026

HealthDay (3/20, Neff) reported a study suggests “that the very patients who could benefit from ADHD medication the most – those also struggling with drug or alcohol addiction – are the least likely to receive it.” For the study, researchers “analyzed the health records of more than 1.2 million people between 15 and 25 years of age with ADHD.” They observed that when young adults with ADHD and a substance use disorder “stayed on their ADHD medication, they saw a 30% reduction in their risk of death over five years. These patients also had fewer accidental overdoses and were less likely to harbor thoughts of self-harm.” The study “noted that patients on stimulants had a 4% lower rate of suicide attempts compared to those on non-stimulant alternatives.” Despite these benefits, “the study pointed to hesitation on the part of some doctors because some ADHD meds, particularly central nervous system stimulants, are controlled substances.” The study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

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— “Some Patients With ADHD and Addiction History Missing Out,”Deanna Neff, HealthDay, March 20, 2026

Psychiatric News (3/20) reported a study found that “young women are far more likely to seek psychotherapy for depression and anxiety than young men,” but the “gender gap narrows among older adults, with more men over 50 seeking psychotherapy for depression than women of the same age.” Researchers observed that “among adults with depression, women were significantly more likely than men to receive psychotherapy (43% vs 34%). The female gender gap was widest among young adults ages 18 to 25 at 22%; the gap shrank to 12% among adults ages 26 to 49 and reversed for adults 50 and older, with 1% more men seeking psychotherapy for depression in this age group.” Regarding adults with daily anxiety, “36% of women received psychotherapy overall compared with 27% of men. The female gender gap narrowed from 13% among 18- to 25-year-olds to 12% among 26- to 49-year-olds and 4% among those 50 and older.” The studywas published in The American Journal of Psychotherapy.

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— “Psychotherapy Significantly More Common Among Women—Until They Turn 50, Psychiatric News, March 20, 2026

MedPage Today (3/18, Monaco) reports a study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that “psilocybin plus psychotherapy showed limited efficacy for easing depressive symptoms in individuals with treatment-resistant depression.” According to researchers, “after withdrawal from antidepressants, 17% and 12.5% of patients who received one dose of 25 mg and 5 mg psilocybin, respectively, achieved at least a 50% reduction in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-17 (HAMD17) at week 6 compared with 10.6% of controls who received placebo in the form of nicotinamide.” They noted that “for 25 mg psilocybin vs nicotinamide, the adjusted was OR 1.73. Because the first hierarchical comparison was nonsignificant, no further formal testing was performed.” Furthermore, a systematic review and meta-analysis, also published in JAMA Psychiatry, concluded that “psychedelic-assisted therapy was no more effective than open-label treatment with traditional antidepressants.”

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The AP (3/19, Swenson) reports a new survey from KFF found that about 8 in 10 Americans “who re-enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage say their health care costs are higher this year, including about half who say their costs are ‘a lot’ higher.” Of the 1,117 Americans surveyed “who had ACA marketplace coverage in 2025, including those who dropped coverage or changed plans, about 55% said they’re planning to deal with health care costs by cutting spending on food and other basic household needs.” Although about 7 in 10 enrollees “stayed on ACA health insurance,” that figure includes “about 3 in 10 who changed plans within the marketplace.” Furthermore, the poll shows that “about 1 in 10 of last year’s enrollees said they dropped coverage altogether and are now uninsured.” According to the AP, a “main reason for increased costs was the Dec. 31expiration of enhanced tax credits that had offset premiums for most enrollees.”

Related Links:

— “What Americans are giving up to afford ACA health insurance, according to a new poll,”Ali Swenson , AP, March 19, 2026

The Washington Post (3/19, Rowland) says a new HHS OIG report (PDF) released Thursday states that “many U.S. nursing homes are creating phony schizophrenia diagnoses to hide their use of dangerous antipsychotic drugs to subdue dementia patients.” The Post explains that a “diagnosis of schizophrenia allows nursing homes to avoid reporting use of the drugs and artificially improve quality-Star ratings on the government’s Medicare consumer website.” The OIG report said, “We found that nursing homes inappropriately diagnosed schizophrenia to mask their misuse of antipsychotic drugs, artificially inflate their Star rating, and skirt established safeguards meant to protect residents.” The OIG’s findings also “come as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services…is considering relaxing its reporting standards for antipsychotic use.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (3/17, Pearson) reports “a new survey suggests many teens are” being “pressured into sending” sexual images, “and often with someone they are dating.” The survey “included more than 6,200 18- to 28-year-olds who were asked about incidents of image-based sexual harassment they experienced before turning 18.” The survey “looked at who tended to pressure adolescents into sharing sexual images of themselves, whether they complied and the emotional fallout of those decisions.” Over 90% “of those who said they had received a coercive request for a sexual photo were women, and more than half complied.” They were much “more likely to do so at the request of a dating partner, rather than a stranger or someone they knew online only.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)