Psychiatric News (6/9) reports a study found that “people who work in the arts, design, entertainment, sports, and the media have a higher prevalence of frequent mental distress than those in other fields.” Researchers examined three measures of mental health among participants: diagnosis of lifetime depression; number of self-reported mentally unhealthy days (MUDs) in the past month; and frequent mental distress, “defined as a MUD score of 14 or higher.” They found that “overall, 14.2% of participants reported lifetime depression and 9.6% reported frequent mental distress.” When compared with workers in a reference group, “workers in the arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media had 1.32 times the prevalence of frequent mental distress.” Meanwhile, employees “in food preparation and serving (1.20 times), health care support (1.19 times), and sales and related occupations (1.13 times) also had statistically higher prevalence of frequent mental distress compared with the reference group.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Frequent Mental Distress Varies by Occupation, Psychiatric News, June 9, 2025

HealthDay (6/9, Thompson ) reports a study found that “the percentage of people in treatment for cannabis use disorder declined from 19% in 2003 to 13% in 2019.” Researchers noted the decline “occurred even though millions of Americans could be diagnosed with cannabis use disorder,” due in part to marijuana now being legal for recreational use in 24 states plus DC. According to the CDC, “about 3 in 10 people who use marijuana are believed to have cannabis use disorder.” Researchers said in background notes that “more than 16 million people 12 and older now meet the criteria for cannabis use disorder.” They concluded, “Our findings highlight an urgent and growing need for targeted outreach and improved education about available treatment options for cannabis use disorder.” The study was published in Substance Use & Misuse.

Related Links:

— “Fewer People Seeking Treatment For Cannabis Use Disorder,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, June 9, 2025

The Washington Post (6/7, Chesler) reported that a new studyby research firm SSRS found that “some 95.6 million people 18 and over who have used dating websites or apps,” and many are not alone in seeing their “mood shift downward the longer” they spend online. Some experts “say online dating can generate mental health hazards.” One therapist warned that “users can become addicted to apps and to the dopamine rush they get when someone they’re interested in responds to them.” He said, “People are constantly looking for validation and a dopamine and serotonin rush that doesn’t happen, and if it does happen, it’s fleeting and makes them want to go back for more.” Another therapist said the apps can be particularly negative for young people, who lack the emotional development to put rejection in context. She said, “Apps like that can really make people feel ugly and unwanted.” Overall, experts encourage breaks from social media and dating apps to curb addictive tendencies.

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (6/6) reported a study found that “almost all the callers who reached out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) say their calls helped them, with 88% saying that it stopped them from killing themselves.” Researchers interviewed 437 adults two weeks after their initial call to the Lifeline between April 15, 2020, and August 15, 2021. They observed that “over half of the callers reported being at least somewhat likely to act on their suicidal thoughts at the time of their call. However, nearly 72% of callers reported that calling the Lifeline helped them a lot, and a further 26% said it helped them a little.” In addition, nearly all callers “said their counselors engaged in Lifeline best practices” and that “about 59% of callers said they’d had no thoughts of killing themselves since the call.” The study was published in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior.

Related Links:

— “Majority of Callers Say 988 Lifeline Saved Their Lives, Psychiatric News, June 6, 2025

Medical Economics (6/4, Littrell) reports, “Artificial intelligence (AI) can process vast amounts of medical data and deliver clinical-grade responses, but a new international study suggests it still falls short where human connection matters most.” The study “compared 7,165 medical queries answered by either AI models or human clinicians in the United States and Australia.” Researchers found “that AI-generated responses often matched expert standards for accuracy and professionalism, particularly for factual or procedural medical questions. In some cases, AI outperformed human clinicians in consistency and clarity – particularly in length and format.” However, performance broke down “when it came to more nuanced ‘why’ or ‘how’ questions,” as AI models “sometimes failed to fully grasp the clinical context or emotional weight of sensitive cases, like mental health concerns or end-of-life discussions.” Additionally, AI models “leaned heavily on clinical jargon, sometimes alienating or confusing patients.” The study was published in the Journal of Health Organization and Management.

Related Links:

— “AI can aid diagnoses, but human touch still matters,”Austin Littrell, Medical Economics, June 4, 2025