General Mental Health

• A 10-year study of 206 participants found that changes in fronto-limbic gray matter volume were more closely associated with the cumulative severity of major depressive disorder than with short-term symptom fluctuations or diagnosis alone. Brain changes ranged from progressive loss to relative stability, suggesting that long-term illness burden may contribute to structural decline and that more favorable disease courses may allow some preservation or recovery. Read more here.
• Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced 167 Rural Health Transformation Program awards totaling more than $104 million to strengthen rural health care. Funding will support hospitals, clinics, mental health providers, and other organizations through facility improvements, expanded services, technology upgrades, cybersecurity, and telehealth. Additional grants include $16.8 million to address rural health workforce shortages and $14 million to create therapeutic emergency department units for crisis mental health care. Read more here.

Youth Mental Health

• A study of more than 110,000 young people examined self-harm methods across five developmental stages from childhood through emerging adulthood. The findings revealed age-related patterns and showed that nearly one-quarter of the youngest children had documented suicidal thoughts. Because many self-harm methods involve readily available objects or behaviors, prevention requires developmentally appropriate screening, safety planning, and interventions beyond means restriction. Read more here.
• Among commercially insured U.S. children, documented mental health conditions increased substantially from 2012 to 2018, yet only 10.1% of children ages 3 to 17 received counseling or other treatment before the pandemic. A national claims study found that outpatient psychotherapy use and intensity later increased, with telehealth accounting for about one in five visits by 2023. Growth primarily involved in-network care, longer visits, individual therapy, and higher reimbursement, although low payment rates may still limit insurance participation. Read more here.

Maternal Mental Health

• Lindsay Clancy’s case has drawn attention to the challenges faced by mothers with severe perinatal mental health conditions. Despite her medical training, access to care, parental leave, and family support, her treatment was fragmented across providers and locations. This lack of coordinated psychiatric care can be especially dangerous during acute perinatal crises. Read more here.

Suicide Prevention

• An analysis of 306 enacted state budgets from fiscal years 2021 through 2026 found that per-capita funding for suicide prevention and crisis services increased substantially, from a mean of $1.05 in 2021 to $6.55 in 2025. Funding was highest in Western and Northeastern states and more than twice as high in states with 988 telecom fees, highlighting significant variation in state investment. Read more here.

Transgender Issues

• At least six major hospitals have reached agreements with the Department of Justice to stop providing gender-affirming hormones and surgeries to transgender minors and make payments to the federal government. Most had already halted these treatments because of state restrictions or pressure from the Trump administration. The agreements end investigations into previously provided care and protect hospitals from being compelled to disclose patient records; the DOJ also said some providers agreed to help cover detransition-related medical costs. Read more here.

Research

• A preregistered umbrella review examined systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between February 2017 and March 2025 to identify sociodemographic, parental, perinatal, and later-life factors associated with non-organic psychotic disorders. Researchers evaluated the strength of these risk and protective factors using standardized diagnostic criteria. Read more here.

Federal Policy

• Vice President JD Vance and other Trump administration officials announced plans to remove 760,000 Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees they allege were fraudulently enrolled or did not exist. They said canceled subsidy payments would save approximately $2.2 billion as part of a broader effort to combat health care fraud. Read more here.