HealthDay (3/16, Thompson) reports a study found that “loneliness and social isolation are both linked to the cognitive decline a woman feels as she begins to transition into menopause,” and that “women experiencing both loneliness and social isolation are at greatest risk for brain decline.” According to the study, “moderate to severe loneliness combined with social isolation increased a woman’s risk of cognitive decline by eightfold, while mild loneliness nearly tripled her risk in combination with social isolation.” Researchers speculated that “loneliness might affect brain health by promoting inflammation related to anxiety or depression,” and that “social isolation might reduce the amount of brain stimulation a person receives.” The study was published in Menopause.

Related Links:

— “Loneliness, Social Isolation Impact Brain Health Among Women Entering Menopause,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, March 16, 2026

MedPage Today (3/16, Robertson) reports a study found that “extended-release buprenorphine was an effective treatment for pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) and safe for their babies.” Researchers observed that “women randomized to weekly, injectable extended-release buprenorphine had higher rates of abstinence from illicit opioids than those in the sublingual buprenorphine group (82.5% vs 72.6%).” Furthermore, “those taking extended-release buprenorphine also had fewer serious adverse events during pregnancy (8.7% vs 26.8%) and during the postpartum period (6% vs 18.6%). While rates of nonserious AEs did not differ between groups, more were considered related to extended-release buprenorphine during pregnancy (26.1% vs 7%),” although they “were mostly mild.” The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

CNN (3/16, LaMotte) reports, “Using medical or recreational marijuana to ease symptoms of numerous mental health conditions doesn’t work, according to two new analyses of existing gold-standard research.” One study, published in Lancet Psychiatry, “analyzed results from 54 randomized controlled trials published between 1980 and 2025.” Meanwhile, “a recent JAMA paper…also explored the effectiveness of natural and synthetic forms of CBD and THC on mental health conditions.”

Related Links:

— “Scientists say marijuana doesn’t ease anxiety or other mental health conditions,”Sandee LaMotte, CNN, March 16, 2026

HealthDay (3/13, Solomon) reported a systemic review and meta-analysis of 153 studies found that “digital media use is consistently associated with risks to child and adolescent mental health and development globally.” The researchers observed that “social media use was associated with higher depression, externalizing and internalizing behaviors, self-injurious thoughts, problematic internet use, and substance use. There were also negative associations with lower academic achievement, poorer self-perception, and less positive development.” Additionally, “there was an association between video gaming and higher aggression and externalizing behaviors and higher attention/executive functioning. Digital device use and messaging/communication media were associated with depression.” The review was published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Digital Media Tied to Risks for Child, Adolescent Mental Health and Development,”Lori Solomon, HealthDay, March 13, 2026

The AP (3/12, Huamani, Ortutay) reports that closing statements began Thursday in the trial on whether Meta and YouTube “should be liable for harms caused to children using their platforms.” The case, “along with two others, has been selected as a bellwether trial, meaning its outcome could impact how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies are likely to play out.”

Related Links:

— “Lawyers in landmark social media addiction trial make final appeals to the jury,”Kaitlyn Huamani And Barbara Ortutay, AP, March 12, 2026

Psychiatric News (3/12) reports a study found that “children and teenagers who have been exposed to trauma are very likely to experience clinically significant symptoms of depression in the aftermath of the trauma, with many of them continuing to experience symptoms a year later.” The research team “pooled data on 2,006 trauma-exposed youth ages 7 to 18 across four countries who completed measures of depression symptoms across acute- (>24 hours to 1 month), short- (>1 to 3 months), intermediate- (>3 to 6 months), and/or long-term (>6 to 12 months) windows.” They observed the “prevalence of children who likely had ‘clinically significant depression’ was 38.7% in the acute-, 57.9% in the short-, 47.1% in the intermediate-, and 41.8% in the long-term window.” The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Youth Exposed to Trauma Often Have Long-Lasting Symptoms of Depression, Psychiatric News, March 12, 2026

HealthDay (3/11, Thompson) reports a study found that “children were more likely to eat healthy and not gain weight if their parents participated in training to help manage stress.” The investigators “recruited 114 parents with overweight or obese children ages 2 to 5 and assigned them to one of two groups. One group underwent a mindfulness training program focused on managing stress and avoiding unhealthy behaviors along with education on healthy nutrition and physical activity. The second group only got the education on eating right and exercising.” Study results showed that “only the mindfulness group experienced lower parental stress, improved positive parenting and less unhealthy eating among their children by three months after the classes ended. On the other hand, children in the control group had a six-fold higher risk of overweight or obesity within three months of the classes.” The study was published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Lowering Parents’ Stress Can Reduce Risk Of Childhood Obesity,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay , March 11, 2026

HealthDay (3/11, Gotkine) reports a study found that “genetic factors influence suicide attempt risk, but they do not account for observed sex differences.” The researchers observed that “compared with men, women more often had suicide attempts (3.3 versus 2.6 percent). Risk aggregated within families in both sexes (odds ratios ranging from 1.6 to 3.4 across relative types), with higher risk in first- than second-degree relatives.” They noted that “stronger familial aggregation was seen in women than men and in same-sex first-degree relatives than in cross-sex pairs.” Furthermore, “moderate-to-high pedigree genetic correlations were seen for suicide attempts with psychiatric disorders, which were strongest with substance use disorders; no significant sex differences were seen. High genetic correlation was seen between female and male suicide attempts (0.85), suggesting a considerable genetic overlap.” The study was published in BMJ Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Moderate Heritable Component Identified for Suicide Attempts,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay , March 11, 2026

HealthDay (3/11, Neff) reports a study found that among US college students, “depression is not only becoming more common but is also hitting certain groups much harder than others. The study, led by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, tracked health survey data collected from more than 560,000 U.S. college students from 2007 to 2022.” The researchers observed that “the average score on a standard questionnaire that doctors use to measure the severity of depression has climbed every single year. The steepest increases were reported from 2016 onward, with recent averages a clinical concern, researchers said.” They found that “over the 15-year period, reported thoughts of suicide surged by nearly 154%. Other major issues reported included restlessness, which jumped by nearly 80%, and trouble concentrating, which rose more than 77%.” The studywas published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “15-Year Study Shows Sharp Rise in Depression Among U.S. College Students,”Deanna Neff, HealthDay , March 11, 2026

The AP (3/10, Perrone) reports that on Tuesday, the FDA “approved a generic medication for a rare brain disorder, while walking back statements by” the President “and other administration officials that the drug showed great promise for people with autism.” The FDA “said it approved leucovorin for children and adults with a genetic condition that limits delivery of folate, a form of vitamin B, to the brain.” It is “a major step back from comments made at a White House news conference in September, when” the President “and FDA commissioner Marty Makary announced the drug was under review to benefit patients with autism, some of whom have a form of the vitamin brain deficiency.” Senior agency “officials told reporters Monday that their review was narrowed to focus on the strongest evidence, which only supported the drug’s use by patients with the rare mutation that impacts folate levels in the brain.”

CNN (3/10, Goodman) reports that Tuesday’s “update on leucovorin may hit some families of children with autism especially hard.” In the months since the September briefing, “leucovorin prescriptions surged, making the drug hard to find.”

Related Links:

— “FDA finds little evidence that a drug touted by Trump can help people with autism,”Matthew Perrone , AP, March 10, 2026