Healio (3/20, Schaffer ) reports a study found that “risk for moderate to severe depressive symptoms during pregnancy varied widely across 20 different racial and ethnic groups, suggesting women from different cultural backgrounds view and report depression symptoms differently.” Researchers found that “the prevalence of prenatal depression diagnoses ranged from 4.7% among Hmong Chinese women to 26.7% among Puerto Rican women, whereas depressive symptoms ranged from 7.5% among Japanese women to 17.3% among Black women.” Researchers concluded this “is a reminder of the importance of culturally relevant care, especially regarding pregnancy and mental health conditions.” The findings were published in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Prenatal depression ‘presents differently across cultures,’ warranting tailored care,” Regina Schaffer, Healio, March 21, 2025

Healio (3/20, Mahoney ) reports a study found that “individuals in Canada who received hospital care for hallucinogen use had greater 5-year mortality risk, especially from suicide, compared with the general population.” Researchers determined that, “compared with the matched general population, the hallucinogen group appeared more likely to live in low-income neighborhoods, have several chronic conditions, and have received outpatient mental health care or acute care for substance use or a mental disorder in the past 3 years.” Furthermore, “a greater proportion of individuals in the hallucinogen group died” within five years “compared with the general population group (6.1% vs. 0.6%), equating to a 9.7-fold greater increase.” Based on the results, the researchers “theorized that hallucinogen use in vulnerable people in nonmedical settings may increase suicide risk or lead to the development of severe mental illnesses.” The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Related Links:

— “Receipt of acute care for hallucinogen use predicts greater mortality risk within 5 years,” Moira Mahoney, Healio, March 20, 2025

Psychiatric News (3/20) reports a study found that “fewer than half [of] the claims about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the most popular TikTok videos on the topic were clinically accurate,” but “young adults, particularly those who diagnosed themselves with ADHD, reported that they were likely to recommend these videos to others as ADHD psychoeducation.” Two clinical psychologists analyzed 100 of the “most popular TikTok videos on a single day that included the hashtag #ADHD.” They found “there was 84.8% agreement between the two psychologists about the videos, and only 48.7% of the claims made in the videos were considered accurate by at least one of them.” The study was published in PLOS One.

Related Links:

— “TikTok ADHD Content Receives Millions of Views but Is Accurate Less Than Half the Time,” Psychiatric News, March 20, 2025

Reuters (3/20, Respaut ) reports the federal government eliminated about 2,400 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs “in the first wave of President Donald Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce.” The Trump Administration “plans additional cuts to the VA of more than 80,000 personnel, according to an internal memo.” Reuters spoke to nine current and former VA employees “who said the changes were further disrupting some mental health services and fueling anxieties among those who provide and rely on them.” The employees “described cancellations of some in-person and telehealth appointments; confusion over staffing of a crisis hot-line; and professionals conducting telehealth visits in makeshift meeting rooms inside VA buildings.” A spokesperson for the VA “told Reuters mental health professionals…were not included in February’s staffing cuts, and the agency is working to recruit mental health [professionals] and improve wait times.”

Related Links:

— “VA shake-up hits mental health services for US veterans,” Robin Respaut, Reuters, March 20, 2025

MedPage Today (3/19) reports a study found that biweekly, “low-dose treatment with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) failed to improve symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults.” Researchers concluded, “Although there are reports of microdosing effects by users, this first placebo-controlled trial in patients did not find such effects. Thus, expectancy and placebo effects are likely playing an important role in the perceived effects of microdosing psychedelics.” Moreover, they added, “A longer study duration would not have been likely to produce different results. We cannot exclude that different doses or daily dosing would be effective.” The study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)