The Washington Post (1/6, Johnson) reports a new study shows that “the stimulants Ritalin and Adderall…don’t act on the brain’s attention circuitry as had long been assumed.” Rather, the ADHD medications “primarily target the brain’s reward and wakefulness centers.” The research team “compared images of children who took prescription stimulants on the day of their scan with those of children who did not take stimulants. By studying the connections that allow different regions of the brain to communicate with one another, the scientists discovered that stimulants were promoting increased activity in the wakefulness and reward regions, but not in the attention ones.” The study “supports an increasing body of research that has pointed toward lack of proper sleep as a contributor to ADHD.” The study was published in Cell.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

HIT Consultant (1/5, Pennic) reports, “The AMA is urging Congress to pass permanent authorization of Medicare telehealth services before the current waiver expires on January 30, 2026.” According to HIT Consultant, “This advocacy follows a ‘tumultuous’ 2025 in which a 43-day government shutdown caused a 24% national drop in fee-for-service telemedicine visits, demonstrating the extreme sensitivity of patient access to legislative lapses.” In a recent statement, AMA President Bobby Mukkamala, MD, said, “Since the COVID-19 public health emergency, Congress has repeatedly extended telehealth flexibilities for Medicare patients-often at the last moment-creating uncertainty for millions of patients and their physicians.” Dr. Mukkamala added, “As the current waiver deadline approaches, Congress must finally act decisively to prevent a disruptive and abrupt halt to the expanded telehealth services that have improved care continuity, chronic disease management, and access for rural and underserved communities.”

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— “AMA’s Strategic Push for Permanent Medicare Telehealth Reform,”Fred Pennic , HIT Consultant, January 5, 2026

Psychiatric News (1/5) reports a study found that “young people living in one of four states with flavoring bans for e-cigarettes were only half as likely as peers in other states without such bans to start vaping.” The research team “analyzed responses to the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study from four states that implemented sales bans for all flavored e-cigarettes – Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York – and compared them to 36 states without bans.” They observed that “among young adults (ages 18 to 24), e-cigarette flavor bans were associated with a more than 50% decrease in starting vaping from the pre-ban rate (6.05 percentage point decrease in initiation). However, no significant change was observed among adolescents (ages 12 to 17) or adults age ≥25 years.” Furthermore, they noted “flavor bans didn’t reduce initiation among disadvantaged subpopulations.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

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— “States Banning Flavored E-Cigarettes Reduced Initiation by Young Adults, Psychiatric News , January 5, 2026

CNN (1/5, Alaimo) reports a study found that American 13- to 18-year-olds “spend an average of 70 minutes of their school days on their phones.” Prior research “shows that’s merely one slice of the 8 ½ hours teens spend daily on screen-based entertainment.” According to the study, “the teens spent most of their phone time during the school day on social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat,” and they “spent an average of nearly 15 minutes of each school day on gaming apps and almost 15 minutes on video apps such as YouTube.” More schools are enacting policies to restrict phone use, but “the study suggested teens are finding ways to evade the rules.” Notably, the “study only tracked Android users, so it’s possible iPhone users have different phone use habits.” The study was discussed in a JAMA research letter.

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— “Kids are spending a lot of their school days on their phones,”Kara Alaimo, CNN, January 5, 2026

Psychiatric News (1/2) reported the APA’s latest Healthy Minds Poll shows that “38% of adults say they plan to make a mental health-related New Year’s resolution, up 5% from the previous year’s survey.” Overall, 82% of respondents “planned to make at least one New Year’s resolution for 2026. Resolutions centered on physical fitness (44%), financial goals (42%), and mental health (38%) were the top areas of focus. Younger adults ages 18 to 34 (58%) and 35 to 44 (51%) were much more likely to plan a mental health resolution than adults 45 to 64 (32%) and 65+ (11%).” Additionally, “22% of U.S. adults rated their mental health as excellent in 2025, while 41% rated it as good, 28% as fair, and 8% as poor.”

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— “Nearly 4 in 10 Americans Will Plan a Mental Health Resolution for 2026, Psychiatric News , January 2, 2026

MedPage Today (1/2, Monaco) reported a study found that “adding a daily fish oil supplement to psychotherapy showed no significant benefit over placebo for kids and teens with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder (MDD).” The researchers observed that “average Children’s Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) scores similarly improved by week 36 among youth who underwent standardized psychotherapy with an omega-3 fatty acid supplement or with placebo.” Furthermore, “depression remission (CDRS-R score ≤28 points) actually occurred more often by week 36 with placebo than with the omega-3 supplement (31.9% vs 41.1%), as did the proportion meeting response criteria (31.2% vs 39.1% with ≥30% reduction in CDRS-R scores) by week 12.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (2/4) reports Congress on Tuesday passed “a $1.2 trillion spending package for fiscal year 2026 that maintained or increased funding for several key mental health agencies, including the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).” The legislation funds most of the federal government through September 30 and “includes authorization and funding for several of APA’s advocacy priorities, including telehealth flexibilities, supporting health equity, and more.” Notably, the package extends “telehealth flexibilities – including waiving the requirement for Medicare patients to have an in-person visit within the past six months to begin” telehealth – for nearly two years, through December 31, 2027.

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— “Congress Passes Spending Package With Behavioral Health Investments, Psychiatric News , February 4, 2026

Healio (12/31, Buzby) reported a study found that “early-onset preeclampsia was associated with increased risk for delayed early-childhood development in the domain of problem-solving among preterm children.” The researchers observed that while “other domains of child development were affected by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and its subtypes, the relationships were not statistically significant.” They concluded, “In this cohort study, fetal exposure to early-onset preeclampsia was associated with a higher risk of a delay pattern in child development in the problem-solving domain. The findings were modified by preterm birth.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

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— “Early-onset preeclampsia may cause developmental delay in preterm children,”Scott Buzby, Healio, January 1, 2026

USA Today (1/1, Cross) reports that Gen Z is increasingly embracing sobriety, influenced by factors like mental health awareness, financial concerns, and marijuana legalization. Between 2001 and 2023, Gallup “reported an 11% dip in adults between the ages of 18-34 who had at least one alcoholic beverage within the past week.” Meanwhile, “for young adults who may be looking to prioritize their health come the new year, Dry January, in particular, provides a 30-day reset, in which folks may sleep better.” Social media and changing social norms also contribute to this trend. Notably, a 2022 survey conducted by New Frontier Data showed that “69% of adults between 18 and 24 said they preferred marijuana to alcohol.” A 2024 study by McKinsey & Company highlights “that 56% of Gen Zers consider fitness a ‘very high priority’ compared to 40% of other adults in the U.S.”

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— “Move over Dry January. Gen Z is already stepping away from alcohol.,”Greta Cross, USA TODAY, January 1, 2026

HealthDay (12/30, Gotkine) reports a study found that “in the past two decades, there were decreases in prescribing of some controlled medications to adolescents and young adults.” The researchers “examined nationwide trends in the prescribing of controlled medications to early adolescents (10 to 12 years), adolescents (13 to 17 years), and young adults (18 to 24 years and 25 to 29 years) enrolled in Medicaid from 2001 to 2019.” They observed that “the annual proportion prescribed any controlled medication peaked at 17.5, 20.6, and 34.1 and 47.0 percent in early adolescents (2003), adolescents (2009), and young adults aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 29 years (2010), respectively. The proportions decreased to 11.7, 12.6, and 16.2 and 23.9 percent, respectively, by 2019.” The researchers also highlighted “variation in trends by medication and age.” The study was published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

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— “Prescribing of Some Controlled Medications Decreased in Youth Over Past Two Decades,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, December 30, 2025