General Mental Health Articles
- The Biden administration announced it would finalize a highly anticipated proposal meant to force health insurers to cover mental health care on the same basis as physical health conditions. It is the latest salvo in a long-running federal government effort to crack down on insurance plans skimping on treatment for conditions including anxiety, depression, and addiction. Read more here.
- Nashua health officials are working to decrease the stigma surrounding mental health for Latinos in the city through an initiative that seeks to understand the community’s current mental health needs. Equity Officer Iraida Muñoz said the city's division of public health hosted a community conversation last month about mental health in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with a focus on emotional well-being. She said some of the most interesting responses were about the cultural taboos among Latinos and mental health — especially for young men. Read more here.
Youth Mental Health
- Student mental health—long a top concern of higher education leaders—now appears to be improving, according to the latest edition of the annual Healthy Minds study. It found that 38% of undergraduates surveyed in the 2023–24 academic year experienced moderate or severe depression symptoms—down from the peak of 44% two years prior. Read more here.
- Young people with chronic pain also have higher rates of depression and anxiety, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. In an analysis of 79 studies totaling almost 23,000 youth, the prevalence of anxiety was 34.6% in those with chronic pain, and the prevalence of depression was 12.2%, Joanne Dudeney, PhD, of the Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and colleagues reported in JAMA Pediatrics. Read more here.
- Research shows that screen time can hinder cognitive, linguistic, and social development in kids and pose risks to their mental health. One 2019 study found that young people who use social media for more than three hours a day are at a higher risk of developing mental health problems. Read more here.
- A federal judge has blocked Utah from enforcing a new law aimed at protecting the mental health of young people by requiring social media platforms to verify users' ages and impose restrictions on minors' accounts. Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby issued a preliminary injunction after concluding that tech industry trade group NetChoice was likely to succeed in establishing that the law violated the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment by unduly abridging the social media companies' free speech rights. Read more here.
The Opioid Crisis and Addiction Issues
- The City of Baltimore has reached an $80 million settlement with Teva Pharmaceuticals over the company's role in the city's opioid crisis, officials announced. Teva will pay an initial $35 million by the end of the year, with the remainder due by July 1, 2025. This marks the fourth settlement in Baltimore's ongoing litigation against opioid distributors and manufacturers. Read more here.
Suicide Prevention
- People with health insurance, higher income, and internet access may be less likely to die by suicide, a new study has found. Counties with lower levels of health insurance coverage, broadband internet access, and household income had higher suicide rates, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Read more here.
- Wyoming has had in-state call centers for the 988-suicide hotline for the past two years. Those centers can now receive text messages. Since June, anyone with a 307-area code who texts 988 will get a response from someone within the state. Before, texts were going to national call centers. Read more here.
Health Insurance
- U.S. employers expect health insurance costs to rise an average of 5.8% in 2025, largely due to increased cost of medical services and higher use, according to a survey released by consulting firm Mercer. The year 2025 is projected to be the third consecutive year in which healthcare costs for employers rise by more than 5%. Costs increased an average of 3% during the decade prior, the report said. Read more here.
Gender-Affirming Care and LGBTQ Issues
- A class-action complaint claims Aetna violated federal non-discrimination law by denying coverage of certain gender-affirming surgeries. The lawsuit cites civil rights protections in the Affordable Care Act that are currently being challenged by conservative-led states. The lawsuit states Aetna "categorically excludes" coverage for facial reconstruction surgeries when they're prescribed to treat gender dysphoria, even though it covers the same surgeries for other medical diagnoses. Read more here.
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