STAT (4/23, Aguilar, Subscription Publication) reports that the American Medical Association is urging “lawmakers to pursue safeguards around the use of chatbots in mental health care.” The AMA “urges Congress to direct the Food and Drug Administration to clarify its stance on what kinds of health AIs count as general wellness products versus medical devices.” More specifically, the “AMA wants to close the loophole that allows companies to dodge regulators by claiming their product is not intended for medical uses.” In a series of letters to federal lawmakers, AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH, wrote “Determinations of regulatory status should be based on the function of the technology and should not be solely based on marketing claims. … Simple disclaimers included by chatbots should not be considered sufficient to escape regulatory review.”

Becker’s Hospital Review (4/22, Bruce) reported, “The AMA’s recommendations include requiring chatbots to clearly disclose that users are interacting with AI, prohibiting them from presenting themselves as licensed clinicians, banning them from diagnosing or treating mental health conditions without regulatory due diligence, clarifying when AI solutions qualify as medical devices, and mandating strict data protection standards.” Dr. Whyte said, “AI-enabled tools may help expand access to mental health resources and support innovation in health care delivery, but they lack consistent safeguards against serious risks, including emotional dependency, misinformation, and inadequate crisis response. … With thoughtful oversight and accountability, policymakers can support innovation and ensure technologies prioritize patient safety, strengthen public trust, and responsibly complement – not replace – clinical care.”

Related Links:

— “AMA calls for regulatory crackdown on chatbots, wellness AI,”Mario Aguilar, STAT, April 23, 2026

Healio (4/23, Rhoades) reports a study found that “online searches for gun-related harm are more prevalent in youth and young adults with poorer mental health or socioeconomic disadvantages.” The researchers “used data from the AmeriSpeak Panel to capture searches for this information among a cohort of 4,039 youths and young adults aged 10 to 34 years.” They observed that “8.7% of participants reported ever searching online about gun-related harm.” Furthermore, “searching for gun-related harm was likelier among:” older participants (adjusted OR = 1.03); those living in poorer living conditions (aOR = 1.2); those who had experienced greater types of gun violence (aOR = 1.2); and those who had suicidal thoughts in the previous year (aOR = 2.21). The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Study reveals trends in online searches about gun violence among younger people,”Andrew (Drew) Rhoades, Healio, April 23, 2026

The American Journal of Managed Care (4/22, McCrear) reports a study found that “although total Medicaid beneficiaries with opioid use disorder (OUD) have declined since 2019, the percentage of patients receiving medications for OUD (MOUD) has increased.” Study results showed that “the percentage of Medicaid beneficiaries diagnosed with OUD decreased from 4.2% (n = 738,060) in 2019 to 3.6% (n = 1,046,075) in 2023.” According to researchers, “in the 47 states plus the District of Columbia, the combined percentage of beneficiaries diagnosed with OUD and who received MOUD increased from 60.0% (n = 443,010 of 738,060) in 2019 to 69.1% (n = 723,177 of 1,046,075) in 2023.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Medication Use Up for OUD as Diagnoses Decline Among Medicaid Beneficiaries,”Sabrina McCrear, , April 22, 2026

Psychiatric News (4/22) reports a study found that “embedding behavioral health workers into 911 call centers in a Texas community prevented hundreds of emergency detentions and arrests over five years.” Researchers observed that “between December 2019 and February 2025, operators at the Texas call center transferred 16,264 calls that involved behavioral health crises without criminal or violent components to clinicians, while 4,365 similarly eligible calls were not transferred due to clinician unavailability.” They found that “calls transferred to clinicians resulted in fewer emergency detentions (2.4%) and less time spent on the scene by officers (26 minutes) compared with calls that were not directly transferred to a clinician (4.8% and 51 minutes, respectively). After adjusting for call timing and location, calls that were directly transferred to clinicians were 43% less likely to result in emergency detentions and 35% less likely to result in arrests.” The study was published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “Diverting 911 Calls to Behavioral Health Workers Reduces Arrests, Psychiatric News, April 22, 2026

The New York Times (4/22, Barry) reports a study found that since the 2022 rollout of the 988 national suicide prevention hotline, “the rate of suicides among young people in the United States dropped 11 percent below projections, decreasing most sharply in states with a higher volume of answered 988 calls.” The study “compared suicide deaths from July 2022 to December 2024 with sophisticated mathematical projections that were based on historical trends. This yielded good news, with 4,372 fewer suicides of adolescents and young adults, ages 15 to 34, than had been projected.” According to the findings, “the 10 states with the largest increases in 988 calls experienced an 18.2 percent reduction in observed suicides compared with expected suicides; in the 10 states with the lowest uptake, the reduction was smaller, 10.6 percent.” The findings were published in a research letter in JAMA.

MedPage Today (4/22, Firth) adds that the study authors “conducted multiple sensitivity analyses, one of which found an expected significantly smaller decline in suicide mortality among adults 65 and older after the launch of the lifeline (-4.5%).” Furthermore, “modeling that excluded the period of the COVID pandemic from the baseline model showed that suicide deaths among individuals ages 15 to 34 remained lower than expected based on trends before the initiation of the lifeline.”

The American Journal of Managed Care (4/22, Grossi) reports the findings “align with prior evidence showing that individuals who contact crisis lifelines often experience immediate reductions in suicidal ideation.” The study “also highlights emerging challenges, including the recent elimination of specialized 988 services for LGBTQ+ youth, a group that previously accounted for approximately 10% of Lifeline contacts. This change could reduce access to care for a particularly vulnerable population.”

Related Links:

— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)