HealthDay (12/30, Gotkine) reports a study found that “in the past two decades, there were decreases in prescribing of some controlled medications to adolescents and young adults.” The researchers “examined nationwide trends in the prescribing of controlled medications to early adolescents (10 to 12 years), adolescents (13 to 17 years), and young adults (18 to 24 years and 25 to 29 years) enrolled in Medicaid from 2001 to 2019.” They observed that “the annual proportion prescribed any controlled medication peaked at 17.5, 20.6, and 34.1 and 47.0 percent in early adolescents (2003), adolescents (2009), and young adults aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 29 years (2010), respectively. The proportions decreased to 11.7, 12.6, and 16.2 and 23.9 percent, respectively, by 2019.” The researchers also highlighted “variation in trends by medication and age.” The study was published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Related Links:

— “Prescribing of Some Controlled Medications Decreased in Youth Over Past Two Decades,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, December 30, 2025

Politico (12/29, Ollstein, Fertig) reports, “At least a dozen states are working to shield people from soaring health insurance costs following Congress’ failure to extend” Affordable Care Act “subsidies for tens of millions of Americans.” These “efforts, which include actions taken by state leaders in California, Colorado and Maryland, in nearly every case come with a major caveat: They will only be able to help a portion of the people whose health insurance will be too expensive without the enhanced subsidies that Congress opted not to renew before leaving Washington for the year.”

Related Links:

— “States step into the breach as Obamacare subsidies lapse,”Alice Miranda Ollstein and Natalie Fertig , Politico, December 29, 2025

Psychiatric News (12/24) reported a study found that “individuals between the ages of 25 and 64 who are on Medicaid had a higher rate of suicide in 2020 than people in that age group in the general population.” Based on Medicaid enrollment data and the CDC National Death Index, “9,401 Medicaid beneficiaries died by suicide in 2020, accounting for 20.4% of all suicide deaths in the United States and 2.1% of all deaths among Medicaid beneficiaries. Among individuals ages 25 to 64, there were 21.1 suicide deaths per 100,000 people for Medicaid beneficiaries compared with 17.6 suicide deaths for all U.S. residents.” Researchers said the finding “is consistent with the theory that job insecurity and associated economic stress may place Medicaid beneficiaries at heightened suicide risk.” The study was published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “Medicaid Enrollees of Working Age at Higher Risk of Suicide,Psychiatric News , December 24, 2025

The Washington Post (12/28, Cha, Malhi) reports an “analysis of more than 10,500 children across 21 U.S. sites,” published in Pediatrics, “found that those who received phones at age 12, compared with age 13, had a more than 60 percent higher risk of poor sleep and a more than 40 percent higher risk of obesity.” This comes as “a wave of large-scale studies is quantifying how early smartphone access and heavy screen use can harm adolescent minds.” Across “studies, high levels of screen use are linked to measurable declines in cognitive performance,” and “rates of depression and anxiety climb steadily with heavier social media engagement.” Furthermore, “sleep quality deteriorates…and researchers are finding troubling associations between screen habits and rising adolescent weight gain.” The debate is now “shifting from one about whether screens have an impact – to one about how far-reaching that impact might be.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (12/23) reports a systematic review and meta-analysis of 25 trials found that “cannabis products that primarily contain cannabidiol (CBD) bring little relief to people with chronic pain, while products high in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) slightly reduce pain severity but come with stronger side effects.” Researchers observed that “on a zero-to-10-point pain scale, nabilone, a synthetic THC analogue, reduced short-term pain severity by an average of 1.59 points. Dronabinol, another purified THC product, had a negligible effect on pain.” Meanwhile, “nabiximols, a spray containing comparable THC and CBD levels, reduced short-term pain by an average of 0.54 points. Products that consisted primarily of CBD were associated with no or trivial reductions in short-term pain severity.” Researchers also noted that “products high in THC were associated with an increased risk of adverse events, including dizziness, sedation, and nausea.” The review was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Cannabis Products Have Mixed Effects on Chronic Pain, Psychiatric News , December 23, 2025