HealthDay (11/17, Thompson) reports a study found that the diabetes drug metformin “can help manage weight gain among children prescribed medications to treat bipolar disorder.” For the study, “researchers recruited more than 1,500 8- to 19-year-olds taking second-generation antipsychotics for bipolar disorder. All of the children” had overweight or obesity “at the start of the study.” According to the researchers, “data at six and 24 months showed that children taking metformin were more likely to avoid or minimize the weight gain associated with their psychiatric medications. These results dovetail with recent updates in national and international guidelines supporting the use of metformin in both children and adults taking second-generation antipsychotics, researchers noted.” The study was published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Diabetes Drug Quells Weight Loss Among Kids On Bipolar Meds,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, November 17, 2025

HealthDay (11/14, Edwards) reported a study suggests that “older adults who regularly listened to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who didn’t make music a part of their daily lives.” Researchers observed that of the 10,893 adults aged 70 and older, “about 7,000 said they listened to music most days, and those frequent listeners had the greatest reduction in dementia risk. The study did not specify what type of music was most beneficial.” The research team “emphasized that the study can’t prove that listening to music directly prevents dementia, but the results were strong enough to suggest a possible link.” The study was published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Can Music Protect Your Brain? Study Says It Might Help Prevent Dementia,”I. Edwards, HealthDay, November 14, 2025

Psychiatric News (11/14) reported a study found that “individuals who experienced a sexual assault are at higher risk of developing functional somatic disorder (FSD) – widespread issues with fatigue, discomfort, and pain sensitivity – over the subsequent five years.” After adjusting “for variables like sex, emotional distress levels, neuroticism levels, and medical comorbidities,” researchers observed “that individuals exposed to sexual assault had a 69% increased risk of developing an FSD and a 54% increased risk of developing an [functional somatic syndrome] FSS.” In examining individual syndromes, they also “found that somatic repercussions of sexual assault are not equal – sexual assault was associated with chronic widespread pain, for example, but not irritable bowel syndrome or chronic fatigue.” The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

MedPage Today (11/13, George) reports a study found that “children whose dads took valproate up to 3 months before conception were more likely to have neurodevelopmental disorders.” Researchers observed that “compared with children whose fathers took lamotrigine or levetiracetam, kids with fathers exposed to valproate had a higher risk of a neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosis up to age 12 years.” They noted that “congenital malformation risk did not differ between exposure groups.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (11/13) reports a new survey of 1,000 men ages 16 to 28 found that “young men who are online much of the day and have little or no social interaction outside of online activities are most likely to self-report dissatisfaction with their life and poor mental health.” According to the results, “about half of young men said they spend five or more hours a day online streaming, gaming, browsing, and/or using social media.” The results also indicated that “young men were split on whether their life is going the way they expected or envisioned it would go: 50% said yes, while 46% said no. Forty percent said they did not have a male mentor or role model. Seventeen percent rated mental health as their top priority – the second most popular answer behind financial stability (27%).” In addition, “young men were more likely to rate their own mental health as fair (33%) or poor/very poor (24%) rather than good (26%) or excellent (14%).”

Related Links:

— “Survey Looks at Young Men’s Online Habits, Satisfaction, and Mental Health, Psychiatric News, November 13, 2025