Reuters (12/3, Singh, Catchpole, Stapleton, Brock, Oladipo, Barrington, Kalra, Ganapavaram) interviewed “at least 24 commercial pilots at U.S. and foreign carriers who said that they were reluctant to disclose mental health issues – even minor or treatable ones – fearing immediate grounding and a lengthy, costly medical review that could end their careers.” The pilots “cited multiple reasons for not coming forward with mental health challenges, including airline policies, regulatory requirements and social stigma.” In most professions, “individuals can seek medical or psychological treatment without involving employers or regulators, such as the Federal Aviation Administration.” However, “aviation operates under stricter standards: pilots must meet rigorous physical and psychological criteria to maintain their FAA medical certification, in some cases undergoing medical exams every six months. Pilots who report anxiety or depression may be grounded.” In a statement, the FAA “said…that it is committed to prioritizing the mental health of pilots and is continually updating its approach based on the best medical science available.”

Related Links:

— “‘If you aren’t lying, you aren’t flying.’ Airline pilots hide mental health struggles,” Rajesh Kumar Singh, Reuters , December 3, 2025

HealthDay (12/3, Thompson) reports a study found that individuals “who land in the hospital due to hallucinogens are six times more likely to be diagnosed with mania within a few years.” The research team “analyzed records of nearly 7,300 patients treated in a hospital or ER for hallucinogen use, comparing them to more than 78,000 people hospitalized for other causes. Those treated for hallucinogen use had a six-fold higher risk of needing treatment for mania within the next three years, researchers found. They also were four times more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, results show.” Overall, researchers believe “hallucinogen use likely exposes a greater risk of mood disorders that already existed in these patients, rather than the psychedelics directly causing later manic episodes.” The study was published in PLOS Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Patients Who Are Hospitalized For Hallucinogen Use Are More Likely To Be Diagnosed With Mania, Bipolar Disorder Within A Few Years, Study Suggests,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, December 3, 2025

MedPage Today (12/3, Monaco) reports a study found that “low-dose semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) improved glycemic control and weight outcomes in a randomized trial of adults whose schizophrenia was being treated with the second-generation antipsychotics clozapine or olanzapine.” According to researchers, “the 73 randomized study participants all had early-stage metabolic abnormalities, and a once-weekly 1-mg dose of semaglutide significantly reduced HbA1c compared with placebo at week 26.” Furthermore, “more than 40% of the patients assigned to semaglutide achieved a low-risk HbA1c at that point versus 3% of those on placebo.” The researchers noted that after 26 weeks, “the semaglutide group also achieved significant reductions versus the placebo group in body weight (mean difference -20.3 lb), waist circumference (-7.0 cm), and fat mass (-13.4 lb).” The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

CNN (12/2, LaMotte) reports that cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) – also known as “scromiting” on social media “due to the combination of screaming and loud vomiting” – is on the “rise in the United States. Habitual users of cannabis, including teenagers, are showing up in emergency rooms complaining of severe intestinal distress.” A studypublished in July “found emergency room visits for adolescents aged 13 to 21 years across the nation increased more than 10-fold between 2016 and 2023,” while a November study“found the rate of CHS among adults 18 to 35 rose sharply during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 and remained high.” THC and other cannabinoids in the marijuana plant “have been used for pain relief – paradoxically relieving nausea and vomiting in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. However, despite the popularity of marijuana as a [pain reliever], study results on its effectiveness have been mixed.” One possible reason to explain why “the same compound relieve and also cause pain” is “the ever increasing potency of THC in today’s marijuana products.”

Related Links:

— “‘Scromiting,’ a bizarre condition linked to chronic marijuana use, is on the rise,”Sandee LaMotte, CNN, December 2, 2025

The Washington Post (12/2, Sima) reports that researchers earlier this year reported “that the shingles vaccine cuts the risk of developing dementia by 20 percent over a seven-year period.” A large follow-up studypublished Tuesday in Cell “found that shingles vaccination may protect against risks at different stages of dementia – including for people already diagnosed.” The research “found that cognitively healthy people who received the vaccine were less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, an early symptomatic phase before dementia.” The study suggests that the shingles vaccine “may help people who already have dementia. Those who got the vaccine were almost 30 percent less likely to die of dementia over nine years, suggesting the vaccine may be slowing the progression of the neurodegenerative syndrome.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)