Week of October 20–24, 2025

General Mental Health

• The president of a leading addiction medicine group issued stark warnings on hardline Trump administration policies on substance use, low rates of addiction treatment uptake, and a rise in problem gambling. Stephen Taylor, the president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, tempered his remarks with optimism. In particular, he expressed hope that his organization could find common ground with the Trump administration on access to addiction medications and that GLP-1 medications could prove as effective for treating addiction as they have for diabetes and weight loss. Read more here.

Youth Mental Health

• While there are a growing number of programs meant to help youth with mental health issues, North Carolina teens and college students aren’t just relying on adults to come to the rescue. They’re starting their own YouTube channels to offer mindfulness techniques, designing a peer-led counseling program to be used in schools, and meeting with lawmakers to craft policies that would stop social media companies from using algorithms that target youth. Read more here.

Veterans’ Mental Health

• There’s a stigma that veterans, especially those who were in combat, are defined by what they did on the battlefields. However, a new study from The Pennsylvania State University, centering around post-9/11 veterans, found that for most, aspects of their mental health are shaped by other factors too, including traumatic moments from their youth, gender roles, and other deployment experiences. Read more here.

Government Shutdown

• The White House feels as confident about the shutdown on day 19 as it was on day one– in part because congressional Republicans have, for the most part, remained largely in line. “There’s no discussions at all at the rank-and-file level, and what is there even for Republicans to be skittish about?” said a Senate GOP aide granted anonymity to discuss the dynamics between the White House and Congress. Read more here.
• As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, some Americans are worried about the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. The subsidies, or premium tax credits, help lower or eliminate the out-of-pocket cost of monthly premiums for those who purchase insurance through the health insurance marketplace. They were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic and are currently set to expire at the end of 2025. Read more here.
• New findings from a Trump-aligned pollster released show a majority of voters want Congress to extend enhanced ObamaCare tax credits and would be less likely to vote for a candidate who lets those tax credits expire. The poll from John McLaughlin, commissioned by the conservative group Americans for a Balanced Budget, highlights the political importance of the tax credits ahead of the midterm elections and the peril facing Republicans who oppose an extension.  Read more here.

Research

• Antidepressants cause physiological changes, but the extent to which different antidepressants produce these effects remains unclear. A recent study aimed to compare and rank antidepressants based on their physiological side effects by synthesizing data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Read more here.
• New research demonstrates that prenatal lead exposure during the third trimester increases the risk of developing major depression and anxiety disorders in adulthood. The study underscores the need to consider long-term mental health impacts when evaluating childhood lead exposure prevention programs and highlights the potential value of investing in screening initiatives and mental health services to mitigate the lasting psychological effects of historical environmental lead contamination. Read more here.

Transgender Issues

• A federal judge struck down a former President Biden-era rule that extended federal health antidiscrimination protections to transgender health care. Judge Louis Guirola Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi ruled in favor of a coalition of 15 GOP-led states that sued over the rule, which broadened sex discrimination by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected characteristics in certain health programs and activities. Read more here.