Psychiatric News (1/20) reports a study found there is “no significant association between the presence of a recovery residence for people with substance use disorder (SUD) and nearby property values.” The researchers used “publicly available data from census tracts in Texas” to determine that “the median home value was between $12,000 and $39,000 higher on tracts with a recovery residence compared with nearby tracts without a recovery residence, depending on the comparison method used.” Additionally, “tracts with recovery residences also had a slightly higher mean number of housing units, higher Social Vulnerability Index scores, and larger total population sizes.” With that said, the researchers noted the “study focused on Texas and may not be generalizable to other states with different housing markets or policy environments.” The study was published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

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— “Recovery Residences Do Not Affect Property Values, Psychiatric News, January 20, 2026

The New York Times (1/20, Branch) reports San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge “has been the site of more than 2,000 confirmed suicide leaps since its completion in 1937.” Starting in 2018, workers began assembling “a complicated, miles-long series of stainless-steel nets” on both sides of the bridge to act as a “suicide deterrent system.” In 2024, “as the final pieces of the net were installed and tweaks were made, there were eight. In 2025, the first full year with the nets in place, there were four, and none between June and December. That annual total is surely among the fewest ever recorded at the bridge, and seven months might be the longest stretch without a suicide at the bridge, though early records are sparse.”

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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (1/16) reported, “Individuals who have suffered a traumatic injury have a nine-fold higher risk of suicide at two years post-injury compared to those in the general population, according to a study.” This “discrepancy suggests that patients with traumatic injuries should receive more comprehensive follow-up after discharge, the study’s researchers said.” The investigators said, “We found that many patients with suicide had post discharge visits with mental health problems, allowing health care professionals an opportunity to possibly intervene. … Some health care professionals suggest viewing traumatic injury as a chronic medical condition to facilitate a more holistic approach.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Traumatic Injury Significantly Increases Suicide Risk, Study Shows, Psychiatric News, January 16, 2026

The New York Times (1/16, Ghorayshi) reports that a “scientific review of 43 studies on acetaminophen use during pregnancy concluded that there was no evidence that the painkiller increased the risk of autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders.” Prior studies “have examined a possible link between acetaminophen in pregnancy and a risk of neurodevelopmental disorders have produced conflicting data, with some finding no connection and others finding small increases in risk.” However, Dr. Asma Khalil, a professor of obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine at St. George’s Hospital, University of London, and the lead author of the review published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health, said, “We found no clinically important increase in the risk of autism, A.D.H.D. or intellectual disability.” Khalil reiterated that acetaminophen remains “the first-line treatment that we would recommend if the pregnant women have pain or fever in pregnancy.”

The AP (1/16, Ungar) reported the research review “looked at 43 studies and concluded that the most rigorous ones, such as those that compare siblings, provide strong evidence that taking the drug…does not cause autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities.”

NBC News (1/16, Bendix) added that the “authors said they undertook the research, in part, to clear up confusion after” the President and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “announced in September that women should avoid Tylenol during pregnancy due to what they described as a link to autism.”

Also reporting were Reuters (1/17, Rigby), CNN (1/16, Howard), and MedPage Today (1/16, George).

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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

NBC News (1/15, Lovelace, Lebowitz ) reports the Department of Health and Human Services “is reinstating $2 billion in funds to address substance abuse and mental health after the department said it would cancel funds the day before.” Wednesday’s reinstatement came “after groups were informed Tuesday of the funding cuts, which were associated with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.” The initial cancellation “prompted pushback from physicians and behavioral health advocates.”

NPR (1/15, Mann ) adds that an Administration official “confirmed to NPR that the cuts, first announced by” SAMHSA, “were being reversed. They asked not to be identified because they didn’t have permission to speak publicly about the decision. They said all of the roughly 2,000 organizations affected by the whiplash series of events were being notified that full funding would be restored.”

The AP (1/15, Swenson) reports the reversal “builds on what program directors say has become a pattern of uncertainty from this administration, which has repeatedly canceled millions of dollars in federal funding without notice and at times reversed course in decisions about what will and won’t be covered.”

Related Links:

— “HHS quickly reverses $2 billion in mental health and substance abuse cuts after pushback,”Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Megan Lebowitz , NBC News, January 15, 2026

The AP (1/14, Stobbe) reports new federal data released Wednesday show “that overdose deaths have been falling for more than two years – the longest drop in decades – but also that the decline was slowing.” According to CDC data, “an estimated 73,000 people died from overdoses in the 12-month period that ended August 2025, down about 21% from the 92,000 in the previous 12-month period.” CDC officials also “reported that deaths were down in all states except Arizona, Hawaii, Kansas, New Mexico and North Dakota. But they noted it’s likely that not all overdose deaths have been reported yet in every state, and additional data in the future might affect that state count.” Researchers cannot yet “say with confidence why deaths have gone down,” but possible explanations include “increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, expanded addiction treatment, shifts in how people use drugs, and the growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money.”

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— “US overdose deaths fell through most of 2025, federal data reveals,”Mike Stobbe , AP, January 14, 2026

The New York Times (1/13, Abelson, Sanger-Katz) says some “1.4 million fewer people have enrolled in [ACA] coverage this year in the face of soaring premiums, according to an early report, following the expiration of the enhanced subsidies that helped lower the cost of health insurance for millions of Americans.” Data released “by the federal government on Monday indicated that 22.8 million Americans had enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans starting Jan. 1, down from 24.2 million enrolled through the end of the sign-up period last year. They are the first official figures showing the effects of the change in policy.” These “new data covered sign-ups through Jan. 3. People can still enroll through Thursday.”

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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (1/13, Solomon) reports a study found that “weekend catch-up sleep (WCS) may reduce the incidence of daily depressive symptoms in late adolescents and young adults.” The researchers observed “that participants with WCS had 41 percent lower odds of daily depressive symptoms versus those without WCS. Results were similar from causal inference and traditional multivariate regression models. A twofold greater benefit on depressive symptoms was seen for both healthy weekday sleep duration and an optimal time.” The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

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— “Weekend Catch-Up Sleep Tied to Fewer Depressive Symptoms in Teens,”Mark Arredondo, HealthDay, January 13, 2026

NBC News (1/12, Lovelace Jr.) reports, “As open enrollment for Affordable Care Act insurance comes to an end, people are moving to cheaper plans or dropping their coverage entirely, according to state and federal data.” In 2025, “Congress failed to extend enhanced tax credits for [ACA] customers,” leading to “soaring monthly premiums across the U.S.” On Monday, CMS “released datashowing that nationally, sign-ups are down more than 800,000 from last year.” According to NBC News, “fewer new enrollees are signing up and fewer people are renewing their coverage.” In “Idaho, Massachusetts and Virginia, state health officials say roughly twice as many people have dropped their coverage for 2026 compared with the same point last year.” Meanwhile, “in Pennsylvania, terminations have more than tripled, to above 70,000, officials say, and are still growing.”

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— “ACA sign-ups fall as higher premiums push people off plans,” Berkeley Lovelace Jr. , NBC News, January 12, 2026

Healio (1/12, Rhoades) reports, “Certain depressive symptoms experienced during midlife were tied to a greater risk for dementia, with some increasing the risk by around 50%, according to recently published data.” One study author said the results “show that dementia risk is linked to a handful of depressive symptoms rather than depression as a whole. … This symptom-level approach gives us a much clearer picture of who may be more vulnerable decades before dementia develops.” “Six depressive symptoms emerged as robust midlife indicators of increased dementia risk: Losing confidence in myself” , “Not able to face up to problems” , “Not feeling warmth and affection for others”, “Nervous and strung-up all the time”, “Not satisfied with the way tasks are carried out”, and “Difficulties concentrating” . Associations were independent of established dementia risk factors, including APOEε4 status, cardiometabolic conditions,”

Related Links:

— “Six depressive symptoms during midlife raise dementia risk,”Andrew (Drew) Rhoades , Healio , January 12, 2026