The Washington Post (6/7, Chesler) reported that a new studyby research firm SSRS found that “some 95.6 million people 18 and over who have used dating websites or apps,” and many are not alone in seeing their “mood shift downward the longer” they spend online. Some experts “say online dating can generate mental health hazards.” One therapist warned that “users can become addicted to apps and to the dopamine rush they get when someone they’re interested in responds to them.” He said, “People are constantly looking for validation and a dopamine and serotonin rush that doesn’t happen, and if it does happen, it’s fleeting and makes them want to go back for more.” Another therapist said the apps can be particularly negative for young people, who lack the emotional development to put rejection in context. She said, “Apps like that can really make people feel ugly and unwanted.” Overall, experts encourage breaks from social media and dating apps to curb addictive tendencies.

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (6/6) reported a study found that “almost all the callers who reached out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) say their calls helped them, with 88% saying that it stopped them from killing themselves.” Researchers interviewed 437 adults two weeks after their initial call to the Lifeline between April 15, 2020, and August 15, 2021. They observed that “over half of the callers reported being at least somewhat likely to act on their suicidal thoughts at the time of their call. However, nearly 72% of callers reported that calling the Lifeline helped them a lot, and a further 26% said it helped them a little.” In addition, nearly all callers “said their counselors engaged in Lifeline best practices” and that “about 59% of callers said they’d had no thoughts of killing themselves since the call.” The study was published in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior.

Related Links:

— “Majority of Callers Say 988 Lifeline Saved Their Lives, Psychiatric News, June 6, 2025

Medical Economics (6/4, Littrell) reports, “Artificial intelligence (AI) can process vast amounts of medical data and deliver clinical-grade responses, but a new international study suggests it still falls short where human connection matters most.” The study “compared 7,165 medical queries answered by either AI models or human clinicians in the United States and Australia.” Researchers found “that AI-generated responses often matched expert standards for accuracy and professionalism, particularly for factual or procedural medical questions. In some cases, AI outperformed human clinicians in consistency and clarity – particularly in length and format.” However, performance broke down “when it came to more nuanced ‘why’ or ‘how’ questions,” as AI models “sometimes failed to fully grasp the clinical context or emotional weight of sensitive cases, like mental health concerns or end-of-life discussions.” Additionally, AI models “leaned heavily on clinical jargon, sometimes alienating or confusing patients.” The study was published in the Journal of Health Organization and Management.

Related Links:

— “AI can aid diagnoses, but human touch still matters,”Austin Littrell, Medical Economics, June 4, 2025

Healio (6/4, Cooper ) reports a study found that “patients with Sjögren’s disease demonstrate a ‘pronounced risk’ for attempting suicide, with a hazard ratio of 18.054 compared with a general population cohort.” Researchers observed the “incidence rate of suicide attempts was statistically significantly higher among patients with Sjögren’s disease: 0.247 per 100 person-years vs. 0.014 in the comparison group. In a fully adjusted Cox regression, patients with Sjögren’s disease had a hazard ratio of 18.054for suicide attempts vs. the comparison group.” Researchers noted, “It is not uncommon for individuals with [Sjögren’s syndrome] to experience a decline in [health-related quality of life] to levels likened to, or even worse than, death.” They added, “These revelations bear significant weight for health care practitioners tending to patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, arming them with empirical evidence to counsel patients on the heightened suicide attempt risks.” The study was published in Scientific Reports.

Related Links:

— “Patients with Sjögren’s disease demonstrate significant risk for suicide attempt,”Justin Cooper, Healio, June 4, 2025

Psychiatric News (6/4) reports panelists discussed “the potential of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists to treat neuropsychiatric disorders such as cognitive dysfunction and alcohol use disorder” at the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology’s annual meeting in Phoenix. One panelist said GLP-1 medications do not increase resting metabolic rate or promote physical activity, but “they do have a very robust signal in reducing caloric intake.” Furthermore, “these medications are believed to modulate the rewarding aspects of food – and potentially other substances.” A recent Phase 2 trial “found that weekly low-dose semaglutide significantly reduced the amount of alcohol consumed by adults with alcohol use disorder during a self-administration task taken after four weeks of treatment.” Another recent randomized trial “found no difference in executive function scores between the semaglutide and placebo groups. However, the researchers did find a statistical improvement in global cognition for semaglutide compared with placebo – suggesting it may work in other cognitive domains.”

Related Links:

— “Researchers Look to Unlock GLP-1 Drugs’ Potential in Psychiatry, Psychiatric News , June 4, 2025