Psychiatric News (1/16) reported, “Individuals who have suffered a traumatic injury have a nine-fold higher risk of suicide at two years post-injury compared to those in the general population, according to a study.” This “discrepancy suggests that patients with traumatic injuries should receive more comprehensive follow-up after discharge, the study’s researchers said.” The investigators said, “We found that many patients with suicide had post discharge visits with mental health problems, allowing health care professionals an opportunity to possibly intervene. … Some health care professionals suggest viewing traumatic injury as a chronic medical condition to facilitate a more holistic approach.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Traumatic Injury Significantly Increases Suicide Risk, Study Shows, Psychiatric News, January 16, 2026

The New York Times (1/16, Ghorayshi) reports that a “scientific review of 43 studies on acetaminophen use during pregnancy concluded that there was no evidence that the painkiller increased the risk of autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders.” Prior studies “have examined a possible link between acetaminophen in pregnancy and a risk of neurodevelopmental disorders have produced conflicting data, with some finding no connection and others finding small increases in risk.” However, Dr. Asma Khalil, a professor of obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine at St. George’s Hospital, University of London, and the lead author of the review published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health, said, “We found no clinically important increase in the risk of autism, A.D.H.D. or intellectual disability.” Khalil reiterated that acetaminophen remains “the first-line treatment that we would recommend if the pregnant women have pain or fever in pregnancy.”

The AP (1/16, Ungar) reported the research review “looked at 43 studies and concluded that the most rigorous ones, such as those that compare siblings, provide strong evidence that taking the drug…does not cause autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities.”

NBC News (1/16, Bendix) added that the “authors said they undertook the research, in part, to clear up confusion after” the President and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “announced in September that women should avoid Tylenol during pregnancy due to what they described as a link to autism.”

Also reporting were Reuters (1/17, Rigby), CNN (1/16, Howard), and MedPage Today (1/16, George).

Related Links:

— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

NBC News (1/15, Lovelace, Lebowitz ) reports the Department of Health and Human Services “is reinstating $2 billion in funds to address substance abuse and mental health after the department said it would cancel funds the day before.” Wednesday’s reinstatement came “after groups were informed Tuesday of the funding cuts, which were associated with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.” The initial cancellation “prompted pushback from physicians and behavioral health advocates.”

NPR (1/15, Mann ) adds that an Administration official “confirmed to NPR that the cuts, first announced by” SAMHSA, “were being reversed. They asked not to be identified because they didn’t have permission to speak publicly about the decision. They said all of the roughly 2,000 organizations affected by the whiplash series of events were being notified that full funding would be restored.”

The AP (1/15, Swenson) reports the reversal “builds on what program directors say has become a pattern of uncertainty from this administration, which has repeatedly canceled millions of dollars in federal funding without notice and at times reversed course in decisions about what will and won’t be covered.”

Related Links:

— “HHS quickly reverses $2 billion in mental health and substance abuse cuts after pushback,”Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Megan Lebowitz , NBC News, January 15, 2026

The AP (1/14, Stobbe) reports new federal data released Wednesday show “that overdose deaths have been falling for more than two years – the longest drop in decades – but also that the decline was slowing.” According to CDC data, “an estimated 73,000 people died from overdoses in the 12-month period that ended August 2025, down about 21% from the 92,000 in the previous 12-month period.” CDC officials also “reported that deaths were down in all states except Arizona, Hawaii, Kansas, New Mexico and North Dakota. But they noted it’s likely that not all overdose deaths have been reported yet in every state, and additional data in the future might affect that state count.” Researchers cannot yet “say with confidence why deaths have gone down,” but possible explanations include “increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, expanded addiction treatment, shifts in how people use drugs, and the growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money.”

Related Links:

— “US overdose deaths fell through most of 2025, federal data reveals,”Mike Stobbe , AP, January 14, 2026

The New York Times (1/13, Abelson, Sanger-Katz) says some “1.4 million fewer people have enrolled in [ACA] coverage this year in the face of soaring premiums, according to an early report, following the expiration of the enhanced subsidies that helped lower the cost of health insurance for millions of Americans.” Data released “by the federal government on Monday indicated that 22.8 million Americans had enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans starting Jan. 1, down from 24.2 million enrolled through the end of the sign-up period last year. They are the first official figures showing the effects of the change in policy.” These “new data covered sign-ups through Jan. 3. People can still enroll through Thursday.”

Related Links:

— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)