Deaths of Despair Drop; FDA Rejects ADHD Drug; Rafael Nadal’s Anxiety Battle

Deaths of despair — fatalities from drugs, alcohol, and suicide — declined by 16% in 2024, according to a report from Trust for America’s Health.

Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage — a Medicaid expansion program that conditions eligibility on meeting monthly community engagement requirements — was tied to worsening mental health among income-eligible adults, an analysis of national surveillance data revealed. (JAMA Network Open)

The FDA missed its deadline to ban electric shock therapy to manage self-injurious behavior in people with intellectual disabilities and autism, and disability advocates are speaking out. (STAT)

The agency also rejected Cingulate’s dexmethylphenidate drug CTx-1301 to treat attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) due to manufacturing concerns, the company said.

Ketogenic therapy showed potential efficacy in reducing core symptoms of anorexia nervosa among adults who were mildly underweight or weight-restored in a 14-week feasibility trial. (Communications Medicine)

A French psychiatric hospital enlisted therapy donkeys to help treat patients with mental health conditions. (AP)

Artificial intelligence-powered medication monitoring software designed to detect missing drugs missed that a nurse at a Tennessee hospital had been stealing fentanyl for months. (CBS News)

Investigational sublingual dexmedetomidine (BXCL501) successfully reduced agitation across all severity levels in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, according to drugmaker BioXcel Therapeutics.

Are the strict physical standards of the military fueling eating disorders among men? (STAT)

Otsuka’s investigational drug centanafadine — a first-in-class norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin reuptake inhibitor — improved patient-reported executive function and emotional dysregulation in adults with ADHD, according to an analysis of phase III data.

Tennis star Rafael Nadal opened up about his battle with intense anxiety. (New York Times)

Rapper Gucci Mane discussed his history with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, describing episodes as “a total loss of control.” (Complex)

Autobahn Therapeutics secured FDA fast track designation for elunetirom, an investigational daily pill for adjunctive treatment of depressive episodes in adults with bipolar I or II disorder.