Psychiatric News (7/15) reports that “taking metformin may help” adolescents with overweight or obesity “who take antipsychotic medications avoid the weight gain commonly associated with the drugs, according to researchers.” The investigators said, “Based on our assessment…of the risks and benefits of adding [metformin] to a brief healthy lifestyle intervention among youth with [bipolar disorder] who have overweight or obesity, clinicians should strongly consider prescribing [metformin] in conjunction with [second-generation antipsychotics].” The findings (PDF) were published by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

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— “Metformin May Curb Weight Gain in Youth Who Take Antipsychotics,Psychiatric News, July 15, 2025

HealthDay (7/10, Thompson ) reports a study found that “half of folks who say they always feel lonely (50%) have clinical depression, compared with just 10% of those who report never feeling lonely.” Researchers examined data “gathered between 2016 and 2023 as part of an annual government survey on health risks, involving more than 47,000 people. More than 80% of people surveyed reported some level of loneliness, but those with higher levels were more likely to suffer mentally and physically.” According to the results, “women had a higher likelihood of depression and poor mental health than men, across all levels of loneliness. On the other hand, Black people were less likely to suffer from depression and poor mental health because of loneliness than white individuals.” The study was published in PLOS One.

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— “Loneliness Preys On Mental, Physical Health,”
Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, July 10, 2025

MedPage Today (7/10, George ) reports a study found that “gabapentin (Neurontin) prescriptions for chronic low back pain were linked with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive impairment.” Researchers found that “among more than 52,000 adults with chronic back pain who were followed for 10 years, those who had six or more gabapentin prescriptions had a higher incidence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment than those not prescribed gabapentin.” Researchers observed no heightened risk among patients aged 18 to 34 who were prescribed gabapentin, “but dementia risk was more than double and mild cognitive impairment risk more than triple among those ages 35 to 49. A similar pattern emerged among those 50 to 64 years old.” The study was published in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (7/9, Blum) reports a recent study published in ACS Central Science found that the mist from popular vapes contains “such high levels of heavy metals that one researcher thought their machine had malfunctioned.” This follows other studies suggesting “vaping can affect the heart, lungs and brain.” Experts told The Times that “the liquids in e-cigarettes can release known carcinogens, like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, when heated. These and other chemicals can damage blood vessels, drive inflammation and contribute to cardiovascular disease risk.” Vaping can also lead to chronic inflammation in the airways and lungs, as well as exacerbating asthma and COPD symptoms. Research has also shown that “e-cigarettes are addictive. Dependence can be especially problematic for adolescents, whose brains are developing.”

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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

The New York Times (7/9, Barry) reports a systemic review and meta-analysis “found that a week after quitting antidepressants, patients reported symptoms like dizziness, nausea and vertigo,” but they mostly remained “below the threshold for clinically significant” withdrawal. Researchers criticized a 2019 UK study “that found that 56 percent of patients suffered from withdrawal symptoms” after discontinuing antidepressants for including “data from online surveys as a quantitative measure, for failing to control for the placebo effect, and for failing to distinguish between various types of antidepressants.” The new review, “based on 50 studies with more than 17,000 subjects,” found that “patients who had quit antidepressants were 5.5 times as likely to report dizziness, 6.4 times as likely to report vertigo and 3.1 times as likely to report nausea compared to placebo. But on average, the number of withdrawal symptoms had risen modestly, by only one compared with placebo, which is not considered clinically significant.” The review was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Psychiatric News (7/9) adds that “antidepressant discontinuation was not associated with greater depressive symptoms in the first two weeks compared with placebo, despite being measured in studies specifically examining major depressive disorder; this suggests that later presentation of depression symptoms is more likely to represent depression relapse, researchers wrote.”

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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

MedPage Today (7/8, Firth) reports a study found that “the odds of dying by firearm suicide were substantially lower for teens ages 15 to 20, but not for adults, when all firearms at home were locked.” In a study of 725 people who died by suicide, 83.6% died by firearms. Researchers observed that “adults who died by firearm suicide were no more likely than those who died by other suicide methods to have lived in a home with locked firearms or unloaded firearms.” However, “of decedents ages 15 to 20 years – classified as adolescents in this study – 26 of 43 (60.3%) who died by firearm suicide had lived in a home with unlocked firearms, but none of the seven adolescents who died by non-firearm suicide did.” Furthermore, “among adolescents living in homes in which all firearms were locked, the suicide method was not tied to whether any firearm was unloaded.” The studywas published in JAMA Network Open.

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NBC News (7/7, Cox) reports a study from the FDA’s Division of Applied Regulatory Science “suggests there are still ongoing questions about the safety of even low doses of cannabidiol, even as CBD capsules, gummies, edibles, oils and lotions have become increasingly omnipresent in the United States in recent years.” The researchers “carried out a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial last year to assess how low-dose CBD affects liver function in a group of healthy middle-aged men and women.” They observed that 5% of participants “showed greatly elevated levels of the liver enzyme aminotransferase, a known marker of liver cell damage or inflammation.” Additionally, “women appeared to be more vulnerable than men. The liver enzyme returned to normal within one or two weeks of stopping CBD.” The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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— “Even low doses of CBD may cause harm to the liver in some people, FDA study finds,” David Cox, NBC News, July 7, 2025

The AP (7/7, Ungar , Aleccia ) reports a new study published in JAMA shows that the health of children “has deteriorated over the past 17 years, with kids today more likely to have obesity, chronic diseases and mental health problems like depression.” The research team “analyzed surveys, electronic health records from 10 pediatric health systems and international mortality statistics.” They found that “obesity rates for U.S. children 2-19 years old rose from 17% in 2007-2008 to about 21% in 2021-2023.” In addition, a US “child in 2023 was 15% to 20% more likely than a U.S. child in 2011 to have a chronic condition such as anxiety, depression or sleep apnea.” Furthermore, US children “were around 1.8 times more likely to die than kids in other high-income countries from 2007-2022,” with firearm-related incidents and motor vehicle crashes “much more common” in contrast to children of the same age in other countries.

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— “American kids have become increasingly unhealthy over nearly two decades, new study finds,”Laura Ungar and Jonel Aleccia , AP, July 7, 2025

ABC News (7/4, Livingston, Cunningham) reported that “three years after the launch of the three-digit 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, the service is seeing increases in call volume, state-level support and reported effectiveness, as well as reductions in specialized offerings, including one designed to help LGBTQ youth.” Since launching in July 2022, “the Lifeline has answered over 13 million calls, chats and texts across the U.S. and its territories, according to SAMHSA.” Dr. John Palmieri, acting director of SAMHSA’s 988 Lifeline Office, told ABC News there has been “about a 20% higher volume of calls, texts and chats” this year compared to the year prior. However, the Trump Administration “has implemented significant workforce reductions for HHS and SAMHSA over the last few months.” Notably, SAMHSA “recently announced that the Press 3 option, which provides specialized care for LGBTQ youth, will no longer be a part of the Lifeline.”

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— “3 years later, 988 Lifeline sees higher volume but special option for LGBTQ youth cut,”Kelly Livingston, ABC News, July 4, 2025

MedPage Today (7/2, Firth) reports a study found that “referrals for outpatient treatment after a suspected opioid overdose ranged from 8% to 44%, and Black patients were less likely to receive such a referral versus white patients.” Researchers observed that “among nearly 1,700 emergency department (ED) patients with suspected opioid overdose, 17.8% received a referral for outpatient treatment, 42.4% received a naloxone kit or prescription, and 8.4% received a buprenorphine prescription.” Yet, they noted that just “5.7% of Black patients received an outpatient treatment referral versus 9.6% of white patients.” Researchers concluded, “These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address racial disparities in ED care for [opioid use disorder], particularly in enhancing referral processes and buprenorphine prescribing practices for Black patients.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)