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

HealthDay (2/19, Neff) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis of nine studies “identified a troubling link between high-sugar drinks and increased anxiety symptoms in young people. Researchers reviewed studies published over the last 25 years, looking for patterns in how a teenager’s diet affects their mind. The beverages analyzed included soda, energy drinks, sweetened juices, flavored milks and even sugary teas and coffees.” The results showed that “the more sugary drinks a teenager consumed, the more likely they were to report symptoms of anxiety. In fact, a meta-analysis of the data linked high sugar intake to 34% higher odds of having an anxiety disorder.” The researchers “emphasized that their findings show an association between sugary drinks and anxiety rather than a direct cause-and-effect.” The review was published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.

Related Links:

— “Sweetened Drinks Linked to Higher Anxiety in Teens,”Deanna Neff, HealthDay , February 19, 2026

Healio (2/19, Leiser) reports, “Certain social determinants and psychological factors may elevate a person’s risk for new persistent opioid use after surgery, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Researchers found that “enrollment in Medicaid and preoperative use of benzodiazepines – widely prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, insomnia and seizures – both correlated with 77% higher odds for new persistent opioid use.” People “with mood disorders and anxiety also exhibited elevated risk.” The findings were published in Pain Medicine.

Related Links:

— “‘Valuable insights’: 4 factors may raise risk for new persistent opioid use after surgery,”Mark Leiser, Healio, February 19, 2026

HealthDay (2/18, Thompson) reports an evidence review of 23 studies found that “pain during pregnancy and after delivery can significantly increase a woman’s risk of postpartum depression.” The researchers “crafted a list of factors that can increase women’s risk of pain and postpartum depression,” including mental health during pregnancy (such as depression and anxiety); delivery method (especially Cesarean); pain management practices; discrimination toward racial and ethnic minorities; and overall neglect of pain. The review was published in Current Psychiatry Reports.

Related Links:

— “Pain Drives Postpartum Depression, Review Finds,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, February 18, 2026

Psychiatric News (2/17) reports a study found that “individuals with severe alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) who take alcohol use disorder (AUD) medications have higher survival rates over three years.” The researchers “assessed the survival rates of 1,309 patients (76% male) with severe ALD who were referred to a tertiary medical center for a liver transplant evaluation.” They observed that “individuals who used AUD medications for at least three months had a 6.6% higher one-year survival rate and an 18.5% higher three-year survival rate compared with those who used AUD medications for three months or less.” They also noted that “as medication duration increased, mortality decreased: Just 12.6% of patients with more than six months of AUD medication use died during follow-up, compared with 34.7% of those with no medication use.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “AUD Medications May Improve Survival in Patients With Severe Liver Disease, Psychiatric News, February 17, 2026

AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH, writes in STAT (2/17, Subscription Publication), “On Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms, highly respected doctors are endorsing a wide variety of medical products — and racking up millions of views in the process.” But “there’s just one problem. The videos aren’t authentic. They’re the work of scammers, who use artificial intelligence to clone the faces and voices of real, credentialed physicians without their knowledge or consent.” He argues, “Unless regulators crack down on these deepfakes, the videos threaten to steer even more patients toward wasteful, potentially dangerous purchases — while further undermining the public’s already faltering trust in medical institutions.” Whyte concludes, “Patients deserve to trust that medical advice comes from a real, qualified professional acting in their best interest. Federal action is necessary to protect both patients and doctors — and prevent new technologies from eroding the time-tested foundations of medical care.”

Related Links:

— “AMA CEO: Deepfake doctors are a threat to public health,”John Whyte , STAT, February 17, 2026

MedPage Today (2/13, George) reported, “A lifetime enriched with intellectually stimulating activities – including reading, writing, or frequently visiting museums – was associated with lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease dementia and mild cognitive impairment in late life, longitudinal research showed.” Researchers found that “over nearly 8 years of follow-up, each 1-point increase in lifetime cognitive enrichment correlated with a 38% lower risk of Alzheimer’s dementia,” while “the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment also was reduced by 33%.” The findings were published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)