General Mental Health
- Thanos, his preferred name, is 28 and has been in recovery from crystal methamphetamine use for four years. When he first started hanging out at the cafe, he was unemployed and without stable housing. The cafe, which has free activities throughout the day like meditation, book club, and addiction recovery groups, is run by Promise Resource Network, a Charlotte-based nonprofit that is led by people who all have dealt with mental health challenges and/or substance use issues throughout their lives. Read more here.
Youth Mental Health
- While his war on vaccines may be getting more attention, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is coming for another important medical tool: antidepressants. In November, he posted on X that the CDC is “finally confronting the long-taboo question of whether SSRIs and other psychoactive drugs contribute to mass violence.” We fear that in 2026, he may turn his rhetoric into action. Read more here.
- A randomized trial showed no benefit from adding a daily fish oil supplement versus placebo to psychotherapy for youth with depression. The trial evaluated children and adolescents with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder, including those with suicidal ideation. Those who started an antidepressant early had only modest improvement, emphasizing that more effective treatments for youth are needed. Read more here.
Veteran Mental Health
- Suicide remains one of the most serious challenges facing U.S. service members and veterans. Veterans die by suicide at a higher rate than the general population, a disparity that has persisted despite years of federal attention and investment. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an average of 17.6 veterans die by suicide each day, but other sources claim as many as 24-44 die per day, underscoring the scale and urgency of the problem. Read more here.
The Opioid Crisis
- An early-stage randomized trial showed that yoga alongside standard buprenorphine therapy hastened opioid withdrawal recovery and improved autonomic regulation compared with buprenorphine alone. Participants in the yoga arm also experienced greater reductions in anxiety, as well as moderate improvements in sleep latency and pain scores. These findings align with other research suggesting that low-cost, nonpharmacological behavioral interventions can complement medication by improving stress regulation and recovery. Read more here.
- A new study of over 32,000 U.S. veterans has found that the longer people stay on medications for opioid use disorder (buprenorphine, methadone, or extended-release naltrexone), the greater the probability of short- and medium-term survival. This benefit continues to increase for at least four years of ongoing treatment, considerably longer than most patients currently stay in treatment. Read more here.
Research
- In this meta-analysis, pooled estimates suggested that 1 in 2 TGD youth globally are experiencing suicidal ideation and/or NSSI, and 1 in 4 have experienced a suicide attempt. These pooled estimates are 2 to 3.5 times greater in TGD youth compared with those established for cisgender peers. There is a critical need for improved prevention and intervention efforts to address TGD mental health concerns. Read more here.
- In this national longitudinal cohort study, middle-aged and older adults at high risk of OSA had consistently worse mental health outcomes. These findings bridge knowledge gaps on the association between OSA and mental health, highlighting the need for integrated screening and intervention strategies. Read more here.
- In this cohort study of the U.S. Medicare population, specific PM2.5 components (sulfate, elemental carbon, and soil dust) were associated with increased depression risk in older adults, particularly those with preexisting comorbidities. These findings underscore the importance of targeted regulation of harmful PM2.5 components to protect vulnerable populations. Read more here.
Health Insurance Subsidies
- Obamacare subsidies used by more than 20 million expired. Democrats are now ready to make them a centerpiece of their midterm campaigns. The lapse of enhanced premium tax credits, first passed as a pandemic-era relief measure under President Joe Biden in 2021, will immediately hit the pocketbooks of voters — some of whom will see their monthly insurance premiums rise by hundreds of dollars. Read more here.
- GOP lawmakers returning to Capitol Hill are facing a health care bind, with Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies having expired Dec. 31 and no clear path forward for extending them. The GOP remains split over whether to extend the subsidies at all. But last month, four Republican centrists, frustrated with party leadership, joined Democrats in backing a discharge petition on legislation to extend the subsidies for three years. Read more here.
- Congress’ health care battle continues when the House will take its first procedural vote on the Democratic discharge petition to extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits for three years. Read more here.
- Nine House Republicans voted to compel the lower chamber to vote on a Democratic bill to revive ObamaCare subsidies after they expired at the start of the new year. Republican Reps. Mike Lawler (NY), Nicolas LaLota (NY), Robert Bresnahan (PA), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Ryan Mackenzie (PA), María Elvira Salazar (FL), Max Miller (OH), David Valadao (CA), and Thomas Kean (NJ) voted with all 212 House Democrats. The House will vote on the final passage. Read more here.
- Republicans in competitive seats see a grave threat to their reelections in skyrocketing insurance premiums. That was apparent in the defection of 17 in the House who voted for Democrats’ bill to restore expired Obamacare subsidies for three more years. The GOP revolt was bigger than anticipated and a stunning rebuke to Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump. Read more here.
Federal Policy
- With the deadline for making pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities permanent looming at the end of the month, the American Medical Association (AMA) issued a brief urging lawmakers to act. Read more here.
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