MedPage Today (3/25, Monaco) reports a study found that “a growing proportion of antipsychotic prescriptions for older adults were written by nonphysician clinicians, reflecting shifts in the mental health care workforce and prescribing practices.” According to the study, “from 2013 to 2023, antipsychotic prescription claims for Medicare Part D beneficiaries written by psychiatrists and primary care physicians (PCPs) declined annually by 3.2% and 2.6%, respectively.” However, “prescriptions from advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs)…rose by 11.8% each year.” Researchers observed that “over the decade, the proportion of prescriptions decreased for psychiatrists (from 48.4% to 32.4%) and PCPs (from 33% to 23.8%) but nearly tripled for APRNs and PAs, jumping from 13.8% to 39.6%.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

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MedPage Today (3/24, Henderson) reports a systematic scoping review of 12 articles suggests that consumers should not “expect accuracy and transparency in the promotion of prescription drugs by social media influencers.” While evidence was limited in the review, researchers observed that “recurrent themes in posts about prescription drugs by influencers included misinformation and blurred lines between personal testimony and paid promotion, with weak regulatory oversight.” Of the review’s findings, “concerns about accuracy and misinformation were raised in seven studies.” In addition, the authors wrote that several studies detailed the “critical role of parasocial dynamics in shaping trust and engagement with influencer content (persuasiveness).” Furthermore, researchers noted that FDA and FTC guidance on transparency was “described as vague, outdated, and difficult to enforce across global platforms.” The review was published in JAMA Network Open.

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Healio (3/24, Volansky) reports, “Risks for anxiety and depression increased among former college athletes with three or more lifetime concussions, according to” research. Investigators came to this conclusion after conducting a study “that included 3,910 former collegiate athletes (median age, 25 years; 48.64% women; 75.45% white) who completed a baseline evaluation at the start of their collegiate athletic careers between 2018 and 2021 and were evaluated again within 5 years of graduation, with 77.42% reporting no concussions prior to their collegiate career.” The findings were published in Neurology.

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— “Lifetime concussion history linked to depression, anxiety in former college athletes,”Rob Volansky, Healio, March 24, 2026

Psychiatric News (3/24) reports a study found that “endometriosis may significantly increase the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and vice versa in premenopausal women.” In one analysis, researchers observed that “women with endometriosis had a 39% increased risk of MDD compared with those without endometriosis. In the parallel analysis, women with MDD had a 30% increased risk of endometriosis compared with those without MDD.” According to researchers, “metabolic biomarkers linked with triglyceride levels, insulin resistance, and liver function partially explained the bidirectional association between endometriosis and MDD.” They concluded, “These findings underscore the importance of considering mental health in the management of endometriosis and vice versa.” The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

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— “Endometriosis and Major Depressive Disorder Are Linked to One Another, Psychiatric News , March 24, 2026

MedPage Today (3/23, Henderson) reports a study found that “a sharp increase in the number of young people hospitalized with eating disorders immediately after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had returned to pre-pandemic levels.” Researchers observed that “eating disorder-related hospital discharges among 8- to 25-year-olds increased by 30.9 per month through the first year of the pandemic to a peak of about 600 per month across 41 hospitals.” They noted that after April 2021, “eating disorder-related hospitalizations remained stable or modestly declined before a sharp drop in October 2024 put the pattern and volume of patients back to a level statistically indistinguishable from the pre-pandemic period, averaging in the range of roughly 350 per month through June 2025.” The studywas discussed in a JAMA Pediatrics research letter.

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