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.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

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.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (2/13, Thompson) reported a study found that “depression, sleep problems, ADHD, substance use, suicidal behaviors and conduct problems all were more likely among 11- to 12-year-olds with problematic digital habits.” The researchers “analyzed data from more than 8,000 children participating in an ongoing federally funded study of teenage development.” Study results “showed that problematic mobile phone, social media and video game use is associated with depression, ADHD, conduct problems, suicidal behavior and sleep problems. Tweens addicted to their mobile phones or social media also were more likely to drink, smoke or use weed, researchers found.” The study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Tween Screen Addiction Linked To Mental Health Problems, Substance Use,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay , February 13, 2026

Oncology Nurse Advisor (2/12, Garlapow) reports a systematic review of 30 studies found that “alienation is a profound and multidimensional consequence of childhood and adolescent cancer that warrants clinical recognition alongside physical morbidity.” The review included data “derived from 980 respondents aged 1 to 29 years and encompassed diverse cancer types, most commonly leukemia, lymphoma, central nervous system tumors, sarcoma, and other solid tumors.” The meta-aggregation yielded 4 synthesized findings and 13 categories: environmental alienation, self-alienation, interpersonal alienation, and social alienation. Researchers concluded that pediatric healthcare professionals “should adopt a person-centered approach that values the ‘voices’ of children and adolescents, supports the rebuilding of social connections and the continuity of identity, and promotes meaningful societal participation during and beyond cancer treatment.” The review was published in the Journal of Adolescence.

Related Links:

— “Addressing Alienation Can Improve Psychosocial Outcomes in Pediatric Cancer,”Megan Garlapow, PhD, Oncology Nurse Advisor, February 12, 2026

HealthDay (2/12, Thompson) reports a study presented at The Pregnancy Meeting suggests that “pregnant women who quit their antidepressants are nearly twice as likely to experience a mental health emergency compared to those who keep taking their meds.” The researchers “tracked insurance health records for nearly 4,000 women who gave birth in 2023 and 2024. All were diagnosed with depression or anxiety prior to pregnancy.” They found that “of those patients, 37% entered pregnancy with a prescription for an antidepressant. About 18% had no prescription fills during their pregnancy, and 65% had a gap of more than 60 days in fills.” Study results indicated that “women who quit their antidepressants had nearly double the risk for a mental health problem such as suicidal thoughts, substance overdose or psychosis. The risk peaked in the first and ninth months of pregnancy, researchers found.”

Related Links:

— “Antidepressant Discontinuation By Pregnant Patients Linked To Higher Mental Health Emergency Risk, Study Suggests,”Dennis Thompson , HealthDay , February 12, 2026