Lousy sleep might be an early warning sign for suicide risk among teenagers, a new study says. Teenagers who didn’t get enough sleep on school nights or suffered from interrupted sleep had a significantly higher risk of suicide, researchers reported Oct. 23 in the journal Sleep Advances. “Adolescents who experience difficulties maintaining and obtaining sufficient sleep are more likely to report a suicide attempt several years later,” said lead researcher Michaela Pawley, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Warwick in the U.K. “Poor sleep is not just a symptom of wider difficulties, but a significant risk factor in its own right,” Pawley said in a news release. “Addressing sleep problems could form a vital part of suicide prevention strategies.” For the study, researchers tracked data on more than 8,500 young people participating in a long-term study of kids born between 2000 and 2002. Results showed that sleep problems at age 14 were linked to an increased likelihood of a suicide attempt at age 17, even after accounting for other suicide risk factors. In fact, poor sleep amounted to a stronger risk factor than depressive symptoms or other known risk factors, researchers said. Sleep might increase a teenager’s impulsivity, researchers theorized. Teens with stronger decision-making skills appeared protected against the impact of poor sleep on suicide risk, at least at first, the team…  read on >  read on >

Lousy sleep might be an early warning sign for suicide risk among teenagers, a new study says. Teenagers who didn’t get enough sleep on school nights or suffered from interrupted sleep had a significantly higher risk of suicide, researchers reported Oct. 23 in the journal Sleep Advances. “Adolescents who experience difficulties maintaining and obtaining sufficient sleep are more likely to report a suicide attempt several years later,” said lead researcher Michaela Pawley, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Warwick in the U.K. “Poor sleep is not just a symptom of wider difficulties, but a significant risk factor in its own right,” Pawley said in a news release. “Addressing sleep problems could form a vital part of suicide prevention strategies.” For the study, researchers tracked data on more than 8,500 young people participating in a long-term study of kids born between 2000 and 2002. Results showed that sleep problems at age 14 were linked to an increased likelihood of a suicide attempt at age 17, even after accounting for other suicide risk factors. In fact, poor sleep amounted to a stronger risk factor than depressive symptoms or other known risk factors, researchers said. Sleep might increase a teenager’s impulsivity, researchers theorized. Teens with stronger decision-making skills appeared protected against the impact of poor sleep on suicide risk, at least at first, the team…  read on >  read on >

A family riven by divorce or separation could triple the risk of a child developing psoriasis later in life, a new study says. The severe stress caused by such family upheaval might tax a child’s immune system in ways that increase their chances of this autoimmune skin disease marked by rapid cell growth that causes scaly, itchy rashes, researchers said. “Our results show — to our knowledge — a previously unreported fact that very stressful life factors early in life influence the immune system and increase the risk for autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis,” said lead researcher Johnny Ludvigsson, a professor at Linkoping University in Sweden. “There is no simple advice to avoid these factors, but everything that can be done should be done to protect young children from stressful life factors that threaten their security and emotional well-being,” Ludvigsson said in a news release. For the new study, researchers tracked data on more than 16,000 children participating in a Swedish health study, noting their stressful life factors at ages 1, 3, 5 and 8. Of the children, 121 were later diagnosed with psoriasis. Kids had a tripled risk of psoriasis if they’d experienced a significant change in family structure within their first year of life, researchers found. Divorce, separation or the death of a parent could cause insecurity and fear in a young child,…  read on >  read on >

A family riven by divorce or separation could triple the risk of a child developing psoriasis later in life, a new study says. The severe stress caused by such family upheaval might tax a child’s immune system in ways that increase their chances of this autoimmune skin disease marked by rapid cell growth that causes scaly, itchy rashes, researchers said. “Our results show — to our knowledge — a previously unreported fact that very stressful life factors early in life influence the immune system and increase the risk for autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis,” said lead researcher Johnny Ludvigsson, a professor at Linkoping University in Sweden. “There is no simple advice to avoid these factors, but everything that can be done should be done to protect young children from stressful life factors that threaten their security and emotional well-being,” Ludvigsson said in a news release. For the new study, researchers tracked data on more than 16,000 children participating in a Swedish health study, noting their stressful life factors at ages 1, 3, 5 and 8. Of the children, 121 were later diagnosed with psoriasis. Kids had a tripled risk of psoriasis if they’d experienced a significant change in family structure within their first year of life, researchers found. Divorce, separation or the death of a parent could cause insecurity and fear in a young child,…  read on >  read on >

Antidepressants are widely used to treat depression and anxiety, but a new study finds that some of these medications can cause noticeable changes in weight, heart rate and cholesterol levels. The study, published Tuesday in The Lancet, analyzed data from more than 58,000 participants to compare 30 different antidepressants or a placebo for an average of eight weeks. Researchers found what they called “clinically significant” differences in how each medication affected the body’s metabolism and blood flow. For example, people taking maprotiline gained an average of 4 pounds, while nearly half of users of amitriptyline experienced some weight gain. In contrast, agomelatine was linked to an average weight loss of 5.5 pounds among 55% of participants. Heart rate changes also differed. Some drugs, like nortriptyline, increased heart rate by about 14 beats per minute, while fluvoxamine caused a decrease of around 8 beats per minute. Researchers emphasized that while these findings highlight important differences, antidepressants remain effective treatments for depression and anxiety. The results show the need for personalized prescriptions so that doctors can better match a drug to patient’s health needs. “We do know that these medications are life-saving and life-changing, but they can have variation from person to person depending on a person’s metabolism, their age (and) what other medications they’re on,” psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma told CBS News after reviewing the findings.…  read on >  read on >

Antidepressants are widely used to treat depression and anxiety, but a new study finds that some of these medications can cause noticeable changes in weight, heart rate and cholesterol levels. The study, published Tuesday in The Lancet, analyzed data from more than 58,000 participants to compare 30 different antidepressants or a placebo for an average of eight weeks. Researchers found what they called “clinically significant” differences in how each medication affected the body’s metabolism and blood flow. For example, people taking maprotiline gained an average of 4 pounds, while nearly half of users of amitriptyline experienced some weight gain. In contrast, agomelatine was linked to an average weight loss of 5.5 pounds among 55% of participants. Heart rate changes also differed. Some drugs, like nortriptyline, increased heart rate by about 14 beats per minute, while fluvoxamine caused a decrease of around 8 beats per minute. Researchers emphasized that while these findings highlight important differences, antidepressants remain effective treatments for depression and anxiety. The results show the need for personalized prescriptions so that doctors can better match a drug to patient’s health needs. “We do know that these medications are life-saving and life-changing, but they can have variation from person to person depending on a person’s metabolism, their age (and) what other medications they’re on,” psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma told CBS News after reviewing the findings.…  read on >  read on >

A new AI-driven bite counter is in development to help counter childhood obesity – potentially even tracking kids while they eat and urging them to slow down. The faster a child takes bites during a meal or snack, the greater their risk for developing obesity, researchers say. But studying different ways to help kids slow down at mealtime is time-consuming, because researchers must review videos and make note of each bite taken. To make larger studies possible, researchers developed an artificial intelligence (AI) called ByteTrack that is learning how to count children’s bites during meals. The system is about 70% as accurate as human counters, according to a report published recently in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition. As it becomes more accurate, the AI could one day help researchers, parents and doctors identify when children need to slow down their eating. “When we eat quickly, we don’t give our digestive track time to sense the calories,” researcher Kathleen Keller, chair of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University, said in a news release. “The faster you eat, the faster it goes through your stomach, and the body cannot release hormones in time to let you know you are full,” she said. “Later, you may feel like you have overeaten, but when this behavior repeats, faster eaters are at greater risk for developing obesity.” Bite rate has…  read on >  read on >

A new AI-driven bite counter is in development to help counter childhood obesity – potentially even tracking kids while they eat and urging them to slow down. The faster a child takes bites during a meal or snack, the greater their risk for developing obesity, researchers say. But studying different ways to help kids slow down at mealtime is time-consuming, because researchers must review videos and make note of each bite taken. To make larger studies possible, researchers developed an artificial intelligence (AI) called ByteTrack that is learning how to count children’s bites during meals. The system is about 70% as accurate as human counters, according to a report published recently in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition. As it becomes more accurate, the AI could one day help researchers, parents and doctors identify when children need to slow down their eating. “When we eat quickly, we don’t give our digestive track time to sense the calories,” researcher Kathleen Keller, chair of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University, said in a news release. “The faster you eat, the faster it goes through your stomach, and the body cannot release hormones in time to let you know you are full,” she said. “Later, you may feel like you have overeaten, but when this behavior repeats, faster eaters are at greater risk for developing obesity.” Bite rate has…  read on >  read on >

Mental health distress is rising among America’s LGBTQ+ teenagers and young adults as they’ve increasingly become targets of discrimination and cruelty, a new report says. Anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts all rose among young LGBTQ+ people between September 2023 and March 2025, according to data gathered by The Trevor Project, a leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention group for the LGBTQ+ community. The report shows that among LGBTQ+ people aged 13 to 24: Anxiety symptoms rose from 57% to 68%. Depression symptoms increased from 48% to 54%. Suicidal thoughts rose from 41% to 47%. Transgender and nonbinary youth are at particular risk, according to the report. They were twice as likely to report anxiety (70% versus 42%) and suicidal thoughts (53% versus 28%) compared to peers whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex. “While many of the findings in this study are devastating, they are not surprising: LGBTQ+ young people in this country continue to face elevated levels of stigma and political rhetoric, which take a serious toll on their mental health and well-being,” Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, said in a news release. “I hope that lawmakers, community leaders and youth-serving professionals take stock of these research findings, and join our efforts to support the health and safety of LGBTQ+ young people across the country,” Black said. The Trevor Project’s first-ever…  read on >  read on >

Mental health distress is rising among America’s LGBTQ+ teenagers and young adults as they’ve increasingly become targets of discrimination and cruelty, a new report says. Anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts all rose among young LGBTQ+ people between September 2023 and March 2025, according to data gathered by The Trevor Project, a leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention group for the LGBTQ+ community. The report shows that among LGBTQ+ people aged 13 to 24: Anxiety symptoms rose from 57% to 68%. Depression symptoms increased from 48% to 54%. Suicidal thoughts rose from 41% to 47%. Transgender and nonbinary youth are at particular risk, according to the report. They were twice as likely to report anxiety (70% versus 42%) and suicidal thoughts (53% versus 28%) compared to peers whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex. “While many of the findings in this study are devastating, they are not surprising: LGBTQ+ young people in this country continue to face elevated levels of stigma and political rhetoric, which take a serious toll on their mental health and well-being,” Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, said in a news release. “I hope that lawmakers, community leaders and youth-serving professionals take stock of these research findings, and join our efforts to support the health and safety of LGBTQ+ young people across the country,” Black said. The Trevor Project’s first-ever…  read on >  read on >