HealthDay (12/8, Gotkine) reports a study found that “for sexual minority youth, identity disclosure is associated with an increased risk for suicide intention, plan, and attempt.” Study results indicate that “identity disclosure to a family member was associated with a within-person increased risk for suicide intention, plan, and attempt (8, 10, and 6 percentage points, respectively). Increased risks for suicide intention, plan, and attempt were also seen in association with identity disclosure to a friend (10, 12, and 6 percentage points, respectively).” According to researchers, “these increases in suicide risk occurred around the timing of identity disclosure; in subsequent years, they increased in magnitude.” The study was published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “‘Coming Out’ Linked to Increased Suicide Risk in Sexual Minority Youth,”Elana Gotkine , HealthDay, December 8, 2025

The New York Times (12/8, Barry) reports, “A study of nearly 200,000 California schoolchildren found that their mental health had improved significantly after schools reopened for in-person learning in 2021, evidence that its authors said shows that the risks of prolonged shutdowns were greater than policymakers understood at the time.” Researchers found that “nine months after schools reopened, the probability that a child would be seen by a [healthcare professional] for a mental health condition was reduced by 43 percent.” Additionally, “spending on mental health medications decreased by 7.5 percent, and spending on other treatments, like therapy, decreased by 10.6 percent.” The improvements were said to be more striking among girls. The study was published in Epidemiology

The Washington Post (12/8, Malhi) adds that return to in-person schooling during the pandemic was “associated with significant declines in diagnoses of anxiety, depression and other conditions.”

The American Journal of Managed Care (12/8, Shaw) also provides coverage.

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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

The Hill (12/5, Cochran) reported that a federal appeals court on Thursday halted an effort by the Administration “to block grants to hire more school mental health workers. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration’s appeal of a district court decision to restore grants given by the Biden administration to hire more counselors and social workers, particularly in low-income and rural schools.” The appeals court ruled the Administration “has not shown a strong likelihood of success and noted the district court is likely to reach a final decision soon.”

Related Links:

— “Court blocks Trump administration effort to halt school mental health worker grants,”Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, December 5, 2025

Modern Healthcare (12/5, Early, Subscription Publication) reported that states are “taking matters into their own hands as health insurance exchange customers confront huge rate hikes and shrinking federal aid.” So far, proposed initiatives “include state-funded premium ‘wraparound’ subsidies, reinsurance programs, new benefit designs and intensified consumer outreach. These states are striving to reduce the coverage losses and risk pool deterioration expected because of skyrocketing premiums. The open enrollment period began Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 15 in most states.”

Related Links:

— “States get creative as exchange subsidies expiration looms,”Bridget Early, Modern Healthcare, December 5, 2025

Psychiatric News (12/5) reported a study suggests that “compared with people who don’t play video games, individuals who engage in recreational gaming showed enhanced attention-related performance in cognitive tests, while those at risk of gaming disorders had reduced working memory.” Researchers observed that “compared with non-gamers, those at risk of gaming disorders performed worse on two tasks (Digit Span and Counting Span) designed to assess working memory capacity.” Furthermore, participants “in the gaming disorder risk group also had a higher number of incorrect responses compared with the recreational gamer group in the 1-back task, which assesses the ability to adapt to new information – suggesting more impulsive response tendencies.” However, gamers “showed enhanced response readiness and attentional control compared with non-gamers, as evidenced by their higher accuracy in the Go/No-Go task, which assesses inhibitory control.” The study was published in Computers in Human Behavior.

Related Links:

— “Gaming Disorders Linked to Cognitive Impairment—but Recreational Gaming May Offer Benefit, Psychiatric News, December 5, 2025

Forbes (12/4, Japsen) reports that a new KFF survey found that “one in four” Affordable Care Act “enrollees will ‘very likely go without’ coverage next year if tax credits aren’t extended and premiums doubled for those who buy individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act.” KFF said in its 21-page analysis of the survey results, “When asked what they would do if the amount they pay for health insurance each month doubled, one in three enrollees (32%) say they are very likely to shop for a lower-premium plan (with higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs) and one in four (25%) say they would be very likely to go uninsured.” If the survey results are accurate, “the nation’s uninsured would rise by more than 5 million.”

Related Links:

— “1 In 4 Obamacare Enrollees May Drop Coverage If Tax Credits Go Away, Poll Says,”Bruce Japsen, Forbes, December 4, 2025

Psychiatric News (12/4) reports a study found that “children born extremely premature demonstrate increasing levels of autistic social traits (ASTs) from ages 10 to 17 – with no differences between sexes.” The research team “evaluated AST scores for 527 extremely premature youth (52% female) at ages 10 and 17 using the parent-reported Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). SRS scores increased an average of 19 raw points between the two assessments, pushing standardized SRS scores from the ‘normal’ range at age 10 to ‘mild concern’ at age 17.” They noted that “nearly 70% of youth exhibited significant increases in ASTs between 10 and 17, while just 8% saw decreasing ASTs. At age 17, youth who experienced greater increases in ASTs reported worse self-esteem and overall health.” The study was published in the Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Youth Born Extremely Premature Show Increasing Signs of Autistic Social Traits Over Time, Psychiatric News, December 4, 2025

Reuters (12/3, Singh, Catchpole, Stapleton, Brock, Oladipo, Barrington, Kalra, Ganapavaram) interviewed “at least 24 commercial pilots at U.S. and foreign carriers who said that they were reluctant to disclose mental health issues – even minor or treatable ones – fearing immediate grounding and a lengthy, costly medical review that could end their careers.” The pilots “cited multiple reasons for not coming forward with mental health challenges, including airline policies, regulatory requirements and social stigma.” In most professions, “individuals can seek medical or psychological treatment without involving employers or regulators, such as the Federal Aviation Administration.” However, “aviation operates under stricter standards: pilots must meet rigorous physical and psychological criteria to maintain their FAA medical certification, in some cases undergoing medical exams every six months. Pilots who report anxiety or depression may be grounded.” In a statement, the FAA “said…that it is committed to prioritizing the mental health of pilots and is continually updating its approach based on the best medical science available.”

Related Links:

— “‘If you aren’t lying, you aren’t flying.’ Airline pilots hide mental health struggles,” Rajesh Kumar Singh, Reuters , December 3, 2025

HealthDay (12/3, Thompson) reports a study found that individuals “who land in the hospital due to hallucinogens are six times more likely to be diagnosed with mania within a few years.” The research team “analyzed records of nearly 7,300 patients treated in a hospital or ER for hallucinogen use, comparing them to more than 78,000 people hospitalized for other causes. Those treated for hallucinogen use had a six-fold higher risk of needing treatment for mania within the next three years, researchers found. They also were four times more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, results show.” Overall, researchers believe “hallucinogen use likely exposes a greater risk of mood disorders that already existed in these patients, rather than the psychedelics directly causing later manic episodes.” The study was published in PLOS Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Patients Who Are Hospitalized For Hallucinogen Use Are More Likely To Be Diagnosed With Mania, Bipolar Disorder Within A Few Years, Study Suggests,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 3, 2025

MedPage Today (12/3, Monaco) reports a study found that “low-dose semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) improved glycemic control and weight outcomes in a randomized trial of adults whose schizophrenia was being treated with the second-generation antipsychotics clozapine or olanzapine.” According to researchers, “the 73 randomized study participants all had early-stage metabolic abnormalities, and a once-weekly 1-mg dose of semaglutide significantly reduced HbA1c compared with placebo at week 26.” Furthermore, “more than 40% of the patients assigned to semaglutide achieved a low-risk HbA1c at that point versus 3% of those on placebo.” The researchers noted that after 26 weeks, “the semaglutide group also achieved significant reductions versus the placebo group in body weight (mean difference -20.3 lb), waist circumference (-7.0 cm), and fat mass (-13.4 lb).” The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)