General Mental Health Articles
- As Colorado becomes the second state to legalize psychedelic therapy this week, a clash is playing out in Colorado Springs, where conservative leaders are restricting the treatment over objections from some of the city’s 90,000 veterans who’ve become flagbearers for psychedelic therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. Colorado residents voted to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin, the chemical compound found in psychedelic mushrooms, in a 2022 ballot measure, launching two years of rulemaking before it could be used to treat conditions such as depression and PTSD. Read more here.
- The eating disorder treatment sector has transformed dramatically in the past few years, with 2025 poised to bring further disruption through virtual care expansion, market consolidation, and evolving patient needs. This evolution is occurring on the heels of a string of notable eating disorder treatment facility closures in 2023 and 2024. Read more here.
- Rick Perry, a former governor of Texas who also served in the first Trump administration, says the president-elect’s new choices for key health policy positions are a “great gift” for the psychedelics reform movement, particularly as it concerns access to ibogaine as a treatment option for serious mental health conditions. Read more here.
Addiction Issues
- According to a new advisory by the U.S. surgeon general, Alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the U.S. after tobacco and obesity and should carry a label warning consumers about their cancer risks. The advisory revealed that alcohol use contributes to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year. It also found that alcohol-related cancer deaths shorten the lives of those who die by an average of 15 years. Read more here.
- As a physician trained in both internal medicine and pediatrics, I’ve witnessed alcohol play a starring role in the lives — and deaths — of my patients. In the emergency room, it’s the invisible force behind trauma cases, the culprit in new diagnoses of liver cirrhosis, and the reason for the muted tears of those struggling to overcome addiction. On the wards, it’s the common denominator in countless social histories, chronic diseases, and repeat admissions. Read more here.
Research
- Reports connecting internet usage with mental health effects often spotlight its downsides, particularly for younger populations, but older adults may reap some notable advantages. Researchers recently found that internet use was associated with improved mental health in adults aged 50 years or older from nearly two dozen countries. Read more here.
Gender-Affirming Care
- Believing voters in the 2024 elections rejected Democrats’ more inclusive positions on transgender rights, Republicans appear ready in 2025 to double down in support of executive orders and provisions in spending bills that would make it harder for transgender individuals to get health care, serve in the military, or participate in school activities. President-elect Donald Trump signaled on the campaign trail that he would pursue new restrictions in the military and in schools, and pledged in December to make U.S. policy reflect that there are only “two genders.” Read more here.
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