The Hill (4/28, Weixel) reports the Administration announced it is “no longer allowing federal funds to be used for purchasing or distributing test strips that can determine if street drugs have been mixed or cut with fentanyl or other contaminants, a reversal that comes amid the administration’s broader opposition to harm reduction practices.” The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration stated in an open letter to federal grantees that “it was ending the practice, which it has championed since 2021, because the strips are ‘intended for use by people using drugs.’ However, the notice emphasized that federal funds can still be used for test strips to be used by public health officials, law enforcement, medical workers and others in professional settings.”

Related Links:

— “Trump administration reverses on paying for fentanyl detection strips,”Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, April 28, 2026

Psychiatric News (4/28) reports a study found that “suicide is a cyclical phenomenon that rises and falls every couple of decades” in America. The researchers “developed the Suicide Trends and Archival Comparative Knowledgebase (STACK), which contains detailed data from 1900 to 2021.” They found that the US has “experienced four significant upward trends in suicide deaths that started in 1900, 1920, 1960, and 2003; those rises peaked in 1908, 1932, 1977, and 2017, respectively, then trended downward.” The researchers noted the “highest suicide rates occurred during the 1910s and the Great Depression, averaging more than 17 deaths per 100,000 population. The lowest rates were seen around World War II and the mid-late 1950s, at just under 10 deaths per 100,000.” Furthermore, “suicide deaths by hanging have risen significantly and consistently in both males and females since the 1990s,” they said. The study was published in PNAS.

Related Links:

— “The Cycle of Suicide Across U.S. History, Psychiatric News, April 28, 2026

MedPage Today (4/24, Firth) reported that during a Senate hearing last week, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “was asked whether he would commit to restoring the tailored line for LGBTQ+ callers to 988, as required by law, after the Trump administration removed it last summer.” Kennedy responded, “We are working on getting it up now.” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), the author of “legislation responsible for creating the three-digit lifeline, replacing the prior 10-digit number, also introduced a bill last September, requiring the HHS Secretary to codify the 988 lifeline’s specialized LGBTQ+ program into law. That bill is still pending; however, provisions aimed at restoring the specialized program were tucked into the fiscal year 2026 funding legislation, which has been made law.” The fiscal year 2026 funding bill “included $535 million for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, including $33.1 million for the LGBTQ+ line.” However, the legislation “does not include a timeline for reinstating the program.”

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

STAT (4/23, Aguilar, Subscription Publication) reports that the American Medical Association is urging “lawmakers to pursue safeguards around the use of chatbots in mental health care.” The AMA “urges Congress to direct the Food and Drug Administration to clarify its stance on what kinds of health AIs count as general wellness products versus medical devices.” More specifically, the “AMA wants to close the loophole that allows companies to dodge regulators by claiming their product is not intended for medical uses.” In a series of letters to federal lawmakers, AMA CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH, wrote “Determinations of regulatory status should be based on the function of the technology and should not be solely based on marketing claims. … Simple disclaimers included by chatbots should not be considered sufficient to escape regulatory review.”

Becker’s Hospital Review (4/22, Bruce) reported, “The AMA’s recommendations include requiring chatbots to clearly disclose that users are interacting with AI, prohibiting them from presenting themselves as licensed clinicians, banning them from diagnosing or treating mental health conditions without regulatory due diligence, clarifying when AI solutions qualify as medical devices, and mandating strict data protection standards.” Dr. Whyte said, “AI-enabled tools may help expand access to mental health resources and support innovation in health care delivery, but they lack consistent safeguards against serious risks, including emotional dependency, misinformation, and inadequate crisis response. … With thoughtful oversight and accountability, policymakers can support innovation and ensure technologies prioritize patient safety, strengthen public trust, and responsibly complement – not replace – clinical care.”

Related Links:

— “AMA calls for regulatory crackdown on chatbots, wellness AI,”Mario Aguilar, STAT, April 23, 2026

Healio (4/23, Rhoades) reports a study found that “online searches for gun-related harm are more prevalent in youth and young adults with poorer mental health or socioeconomic disadvantages.” The researchers “used data from the AmeriSpeak Panel to capture searches for this information among a cohort of 4,039 youths and young adults aged 10 to 34 years.” They observed that “8.7% of participants reported ever searching online about gun-related harm.” Furthermore, “searching for gun-related harm was likelier among:” older participants (adjusted OR = 1.03); those living in poorer living conditions (aOR = 1.2); those who had experienced greater types of gun violence (aOR = 1.2); and those who had suicidal thoughts in the previous year (aOR = 2.21). The study was published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Study reveals trends in online searches about gun violence among younger people,”Andrew (Drew) Rhoades, Healio, April 23, 2026