MedPage Today (10/8, Firth) reports a study found that “cannabis use increased among people with psychosis after states legalized the substance for recreational use.” Researchers observed that “in states where recreational cannabis was legalized, 30-day cannabis use increased by 9.53 percentage points among people with psychosis.” This increase “was well above the 3.3-percentage point increase in past-month cannabis use among the general population observed in a recent study. Sensitivity analyses in the current study showed no significant increase in cannabis use before cannabis retail outlets opened. Weekly use did not significantly change.” The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Reuters (10/8, Stempel) reports New York City on Wednesday “filed a new lawsuit accusing Facebook, Google, Snapchat, TikTok and other online platforms of fueling a mental health crisis among children by addicting them to social media.” The complaint filed in “Manhattan federal court seeks damages from Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms, Google and YouTube owner Alphabet, Snapchat owner Snap and TikTok owner ByteDance. It accuses the defendants of gross negligence and causing a public nuisance.” The suit alleges the companies designed their platforms to “exploit the psychology and neurophysiology of youth,” and drive compulsive use in pursuit of profit. According to Reuters, NYC “joined other governments, school districts and individuals pursuing approximately 2,050 similar lawsuits, in nationwide litigation in the Oakland, California, federal court.”

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— “New York City sues social media companies for allegedly addicting children,”Jonathan Stempel, Reuters, October 8, 2025

Managed Healthcare Executive (10/7, Lutton) reports, “Older adults living with HIV are prescribed opioids at a higher rate and are more likely to develop opioid use disorder when compared with the general population, according to” research. Investigators “analyzed prescription and medical records of more than 650,000 Medicare beneficiaries with Part D coverage between 2008 and 2021.” The researchers “found that more than 1 in 3 (35%) of older adults with HIV received at least one opioid prescription per year during this time, while 28% of older adults without HIV received at least one opioid prescription per year.” Meanwhile, “5% of people with HIV received overlapping opioid prescriptions for more than 7 consecutive days, while only 4% of people without HIV did.” Additionally, “people living with HIV were…more likely to receive prescriptions greater than 120 mg (3%) than people without HIV (2%).” The findings were published in The Lancet Primary Care.

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— “Opioid Prescriptions, Addiction More Common in Older HIV Patients,”Logan Lutton, Managed Healthcare Executive, October 7, 2025

Managed Healthcare Executive (10/7, Cox) reports, “All-cause mortality rates are more than three-fold higher in patients with schizophrenia, including a three-fold increased risk of death from Type 2 diabetes and a two-fold increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease,” but research “published in JAMA Psychiatry provides strong evidence that semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) that is given once a week, may help control metabolic risk factors in patients who are at high risk.” Investigators “evaluated semaglutide in adults with schizophrenia and prediabetes who” had overweight or obesity “and who were prescribed second-generation antipsychotics.” The investigators “found that semaglutide significantly improved both glycemic control and body weight.” Meanwhile, “from a quality-of-life standpoint, semaglutide substantially enhanced physical quality of life.”

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— “Semaglutide as a Dual Solution for Psychiatric and Metabolic Care,” Andrew Cox, Managed Healthcare Executive, October 7, 2025

HealthDay (10/6, Thompson) reports a study found that “girls who overeat as preschoolers are more likely to develop anxiety, impulsivity and hyperactivity when they grow into teenagers.” The researchers “followed more than 2,000 Quebec children from early childhood through age 15.” They observed “three patterns of overeating in preschoolers: 60% never overate; 14% started overeating between 2 and 4 years of age; and 26% overate starting around age 4. Girls, but not boys, who started overeating at a young age were more likely than those who weren’t overeaters to report anxiety, hyperactivity and impulsivity by age 15, results show.” The study was published in BMC Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Overeating A Sign Of Early Mental Health Problems Among Preschooler Girls,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, October 6, 2025