Healio (4/10) reported a study found that “adults showed a significant reduction in their clinical-level mental health symptoms with unrestricted access to a generative AI-powered chatbot designed for mental health treatment.” Study researchers “evaluated Therabot’s ability to treat symptoms of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or high risk for feeding and eating disorders (CHR-FED) among 210 adults aged 18 years or older.” The results suggest that “Therabot users experienced greater reductions in their respective symptoms compared with the control group.” In addition, “the intervention group reported a therapeutic alliance with Therabot comparable to what patients report with in-person providers.” Nevertheless, researchers concluded, “While these results are very promising, no generative AI agent is ready to operate fully autonomously in mental health where there is a very wide range of high-risk scenarios it might encounter.” The study was published in NEJM AI.

Related Links:

— “Generative AI chatbot ‘promising’ for mental health treatment, but supervision needed,”Moira Mahoney, Healio, April 10, 2025

KFF Health News (4/11, Berger ) reported a study found that “psychiatric ‘boarding’ – when a patient waits in the emergency room after [healthcare professionals] decide to admit the person – has increased because of a rise in suicide attempts, among other mental health issues, and a shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds” in hospitals. Researchers observed that “the number of cases in which children spent at least two days in pediatric hospitals before being transferred for psychiatric care also increased 66% from 2017 through 2023 to reach 16,962 instances.” They attribute the surge in behavioral health visits “to factors such as social media engagement, isolation caused by shutdowns during the covid-19 pandemic, and the political climate.” Over the past decade, “proposed psychiatric facilities for minors” in multiple states have faced local resistance over fears “it would worsen safety and lower property values.” The study was published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “More Psych Hospital Beds Are Needed for Kids, but Neighbors Say Not Here,” Eric Berger, KFF Health News, April 11, 2025

HealthDay (4/10, Thompson ) reports a study found that individuals who “imbibe eight or more alcoholic drinks a week have an increased risk of hyaline arteriolosclerosis, or a thickening and narrowing of the small arteries that feed the brain.” This condition “appears as lesions, or areas of damaged tissue in the brain,” and is “associated with memory and thinking problems.” Researchers found that “heavy drinkers had 133% higher odds of having brain lesions than those who never drank.” Meanwhile, “former heavy drinkers had 89% higher odds of brain lesions, while moderate drinkers who imbibed seven or fewer drinks a week had a 60% increased risk. Heavy drinkers also had an increased risk of developing tau tangles, 41% higher than non-drinkers, results show.” The study was published in Neurology.

Related Links:

— “Heavy Drinking Linked To Brain Damage, Increased Risk Of Dementia,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, April 10, 2025

HealthDay (4/10, Gotkine ) reports that a research letter published in Annals of Internal Medicine says that “about one in 10 U.S. adults with substance use disorder (SUD) report past-year hospitalizations.” The researchers “identified 60 million U.S. adults with SUD, of whom 5.8 million (9.7 percent) reported past-year hospitalizations.” Among patients with SUD, “those with versus without past-year hospitalizations were more likely to be older and more likely to have two or more medical comorbid conditions.” In addition, hospitalized adults with alcohol use disorder, “cannabis use disorder, and tobacco use disorder were also more likely to have serious mental illness. Across all groups apart from AUD, hospitalized adults were less likely to be uninsured.” Further, hospitalized adults with opioid use disorder “were less likely to be non-Hispanic Black.”

Related Links:

— “One in 10 With Substance Use Disorder Report Past-Year Hospitalizations,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, April 10, 2025

Healio (4/10, Southall ) reports a study suggests that “blocking mobile internet on mobile devices for 2 weeks improved subjective well-being, as well as mental health and the ability to sustain attention.” Participants installed an app that “blocked all mobile internet access – including Wi-Fi and mobile data – from their smartphones for 2 weeks, but permitted text messages and phone calls.” Researchers measured “three overall outcomes: subjective well-being; overall mental health, which included symptoms of anxiety and depression; and attentional functioning, using both self-reported attentional awareness and objectively measured sustained attention.” They found 91% of participants “improved on at least one of the three outcomes” and noted that participants “spent more time socializing in person, exercising and being in nature.” The study was published in PNAS Nexus.

Related Links:

— “Blocking internet on mobile devices improves well-being, mental health,”Jennifer R. Southall, Healio, April 10, 2025