The New York Times (1/26, Valentino-DeVries, Hill) reports, “Mental health workers across the country are navigating how to treat problems caused or exacerbated by A.I. chatbots, according to more than 100 therapists and psychiatrists who told The New York Times about their experiences.” Many mentioned the “positive effects of the bots,” such as “helping patients understand their diagnoses,” but they also raised alarms about the conversations that “deepened their patients’ feelings of isolation or anxiety. More than 30 described cases resulting in dangerous emergencies like psychosis or suicidal thoughts. One California psychiatrist who often evaluates people in the legal system said she had seen two cases of violent crimes influenced by A.I.” To date, Times reporters “have documented more than 50 cases of psychological crises linked to chatbot conversations since last year.”

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MedPage Today (1/26, George) reports, “Vaccination against herpes zoster (shingles) was tied to significantly less dementia risk, data from Canada’s network of primary care records showed.” Investigators found that “being eligible for a free live-attenuated zoster vaccine (Zostavax) was associated with reduced probability of a new dementia diagnosis by an absolute difference of 2.0 percentage points (95% CI 0.4-3.5, P=0.012) over 5.5 years.” The findings were published in Lancet Neurology.

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The Washington Post (1/26, Johnson) reports a new studypublished in JAMA Network Open shows that “nearly half of the mortality gap between Black and White adults can be traced to the cumulative toll of a lifetime of stress and heightened inflammation.” Researchers “tracked the prevalence of two proteins linked to inflammation in the body and tied it to enduring discrimination and related social challenges.” They observed that “decades of stress – childhood adversity, trauma, discrimination and economic hardship – were associated with higher levels of inflammation later in life, which correlated with earlier death.” Overall, the results bolster “the body of evidence showing that chronic stress takes a biological toll that shortens lives.”

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Psychiatric News (1/26) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis of 48 studies found that “teenagers in acute mental health crisis who receive intensive community care services (ICCS) as an alternative to hospitalization do as well or even slightly better on several psychological, social, and clinical measures outcomes.” Researchers observed that “ICCS were associated with a small but statistically significant improvement in overall psychosocial functioning relative to usual care (Hedges’ g of 0.15), as well as slight reductions in inpatient admission days, emotional and behavioral problems, and externalizing symptoms. ICCS were comparable with usual care when it came to internalizing symptoms, family cohesion, and cost.” They noted that “when compared solely against inpatient care, ICCS remained superior at improving psychosocial functioning (Hedges’ g of 0.25); all other outcomes were comparable.” The review was published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

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— “Intensive Community Services for Teens in Crisis Found Effective Alternative to Hospitalization, Psychiatric News, January 26, 2026

Psychiatric News (1/23) reported a study found that “individuals who quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes are less likely to relapse than those who used nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).” The research team “conducted a secondary analysis on a trial of 886 smokers, some who quit smoking with the help of NRT and some who quit by using e-cigarettes. Four weeks after starting their intervention, 45% of those in the e-cigarette arm reported abstinence (defined as not smoking in the past seven days) compared with 30% in the NRT arm.” Researchers observed that “participants in the e-cigarette arm who were abstinent at four weeks had a 22% lower risk of relapsing at 12 months than individuals in the NRT arm.” Furthermore, those “in the e-cigarette arm who were abstinent at six months had a 29% lower risk of relapsing at 12 months than those in the NRT arm.” The study was published in Addiction.

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— “Vaping May Reduce Cigarette Smoking Relapse, Psychiatric News, January 23, 2026

MedPage Today (1/23, Frieden) reported the American Psychiatric Association is suing New York-based health plan EmblemHealth “over its alleged use of ‘ghost networks’ that list mental health [professionals] that are not in their network or aren’t taking new patients.” The class action lawsuit, filed Dec. 30 in federal court, “alleges that the ghost network directory ‘constitutes unlawful deceptive acts and practices, false advertising, and violations of statutory and regulatory requirements,’” according to an APA press release. The networks “[harm] clinicians’ reputations by listing them in provider directories when they do not accept the plan’s insurance or do not practice at the locations where they are listed,” the release noted. The APA “seeks punitive damages and a jury trial.”

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Psychiatric News (1/22) reports a study found that “just one-quarter of intensive eating disorder treatment facilities – such as inpatient hospitals or residential programs – accept Medicaid,” while “more than 90% of these facilities accept private insurance.” For the study, “384 eating disorder centers offering intensive outpatient care, partial or full hospitalization, and/or residential treatment care were identified across 45 states and the District of Columbia. Of these, 101 (26.3%) located across 35 states accepted Medicaid. In contrast, 94% of eating disorder centers accepted private insurance, while 6% accepted no insurance. Medicaid acceptance was highest (64%) at treatment centers that offered inpatient care.” Notably, among treatment centers operated by one of six large chains, “just 13% accepted Medicaid.” The study was published in Psychiatric Services.

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— “Intensive Eating Disorder Treatment Out-of-Reach for Many Medicaid Beneficiaries , Psychiatric News , January 22, 2026

The Washington Post (1/22, Johnson) reports, “Obesity in midlife may cause vascular dementia later in life by raising blood pressure over decades and quietly damaging brain vessels, according to new research released Thursday.” The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found that “having a higher body mass index increases the risk of vascular dementia by roughly 50 to 60 percent.” An association between dementia and obesity “has long been the subject of study, and the new research strongly indicates there is indeed a link.”
        
ABC News (1/22, Cobern, Charles) reports the study provides “the strongest evidence to date showing a direct relationship between BMI and the increased risk of developing vascular dementia, a risk heavily influenced by elevated blood pressure.” Investigators “say these findings highlight how important reducing these risk factors are to help prevent this form of dementia and protect brain health.”

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HealthDay (1/21, Thompson) reports a study found that lesbian or bisexual women “had a 38% higher likelihood of alcohol being involved in their death by suicide compared to heterosexual women,” and were “more likely to be intoxicated at the time of their death.” The researchers “analyzed data collected by the federal National Violent Death Reporting System between 2013 and 2021. The data involved nearly 219,000 people who died by suicide, including 3,425 LGB people.” The results indicated “that LGB women had a 15% higher likelihood of detectable blood alcohol content following their death by suicide. They also were 17% more likely to be intoxicated when they” died by “suicide, researchers found.” Researchers noted they “found no similar association among gay or bisexual men when it comes to alcohol and suicide.” The study was discussed in a JAMA Network Open research letter.

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— “Alcohol Tied To Suicide Risk Among Lesbian, Bisexual Women,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 21, 2026

MedPage Today (1/21, Jeffrey) reports a survey study found that “regular use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) was associated with greater levels of depressive symptoms.” Researchers observed that “in sociodemographic-adjusted regression models, daily use of AI was associated with greater levels of depressive symptoms as measured by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, as was use multiple times per day, compared with no use.” They also found that greater AI use was “associated with a higher likelihood of reporting at least moderate depressive symptoms, that clinicians would typically refer for evaluation and treatment.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

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