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There's a glimmer of good news when it comes to the mental health of America's adolescents: Visits to U.S. emergency departments for psychiatric troubles declined among kids aged 12 to 17 by the fall of 2022, compared to a year prior.

Overall, mean weekly adolescent emergency department (ED) visits for mental health conditions fell by 11% last fall, compared to higher levels in the fall o...

Living with the potential for gun violence takes a “cumulative physiological toll” on people in Chicago and across the country, said researchers whose new study found that half of that city's residents had witnessed a shooting by age 40.

The study followed Chicagoans from childhood and adolescence in the 1990s over the course of 25 years.

Of the more than 2,400 study participan...

It's easy for kids to get drawn into Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok, and a leading U.S. psychologists' group warns they need some training in social media literacy beforehand.

The American Psychological Association on Tuesday issued 10 science-based recommendations for teen and preteen social media use, the first time it has done so. The APA compares training in social media to getting a ...

The key to a happier and longer marriage may be pooling your money.

Researchers found that couples with joint bank accounts had better relationships, fought less about money and felt better about how their household finances were handled.

“When we surveyed people of varying relationship lengths, those who had merged accounts reported higher levels of communality within their mar...

In trying to untangle the mysteries of long COVID, researchers have found anxiety and depression may play a role for some of those with the lingering condition.

In the study from researchers at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), patients who perceived that they had thinking difficulties during COVID infection were also more likely to have lingering physical symptoms than those...

While a lot of research has focused on autism in children, much less effort goes toward studying adults with autism.

Now, two new reports find this group is at substantial risk for age-related physical conditions and injuries, as well as being particularly susceptible to certain mental health issues including loneliness, social isolation and lower quality of life.

“There is accumu...

Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls are, but girls may be more likely to experience anxiety alongside the disorder than boys, new research reveals.

Anxiety tends to travel with autism, which is characterized by problems with social interaction, communication and behavior. About 1 in 36 kids in the United States has autism, according to the U.S. Centers f...

"Mindfulness" practices may help parents of young children with autism manage their daily stressors, and it could benefit their kids in the process, a preliminary study suggests.

Parenting is stressful, and studies show that parents of kids with autism often have particularly high stress levels.

Autism is a developmental brain disorder that, to varying degrees, impairs communication...

Half of U.S. parents think social media is bad for their kids' mental health, a new survey reveals.

The finding highlights growing concerns about how these platforms affect children's and adolescents' well-being, according to the On Our Sleeves Movement for Children's Mental Health, which had the Harris Poll conduct the survey.

The program encourages parents to help their kids by t...

In U.S. states that provide financial assistance for low-income families, the difference is evident in children's brains, researchers report.

Their study found disparities in brain structure between children from high-income households compared to low-income households. However, the disparity was more than a third lower in states offering greater cash assistance to low-income families, c...

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has declared war on what he calls a "loneliness epidemic" in the United States.

Murthy announced a “National Strategy to Advance Social Connection” to address this “epidemic of loneliness ...

Teens who are abused by a romantic partner may suffer long-lasting repercussions, and this is especially true for girls, a new analysis finds.

Investigators who reviewed 38 studies concluded that teenage dating violence was linked to a higher risk for additional relationship violence in the teen years and even into adulthood.

These unhealthy relationships were also associated...

Growing numbers of American kids and teens are cutting or burning themselves, banging their heads against walls, pulling out their hair and even trying to die by suicide.

But figuring out who is at highest risk for harming themselves has been a daunting challenge. Until now.

Researchers report they have developed risk profiles that can help doctors pinpoint which kids or teens are ...

Scientists report that brain scans of long COVID patients show abnormal activity in areas related to memory.

The scan results validate the concerns of these patients, who feel like they're experiencing fatigue, trouble concentrating and memory issues, even though their scores on thinking tests don't show it.

“We were able to show that even though they were able to do the task -- t...

A new study on veterans, gun storage and suicidal thoughts points to an urgent need for mental health and substance-related services, according to researchers.

The study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that about 1 in 7 veterans with a firearm at home in Calif...

America's teens are still not alright.

Instead, many continue to engage in risky behaviors, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.

Top among these is an increase in suicidal thoughts and suicide planning and attempts among teen girls, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, rates among teen boys stayed stable.

Meanwhile, LG...

Selfie shots might seem shallow but they're actually serving a deeper psychological purpose, a new study suggests.

So-called "third-person" photos -- shots taken to include the photographer, such as selfies or group shots -- are better at depicting the deeper meaning of an event in a person's life, by showing them actively participating in that moment, according to researchers.

On t...

Exercise might help people who are battling addiction stay on the straight and narrow, a new research review finds.

Investigators who analyzed 43 studies from around the world found a link between physical activity and reduced substance use among people in treatment for alcohol and drug abuse.

The idea for the study review “came to me when I was working as a kinesiologist in ...

Those TV ads for juicy burgers may trigger your emotions, making you believe you'll be happier if you run out and get one for yourself.

Unfortunately, a similar ad for salad does not appear to have the same emotional impact, according to new research from the University of Michigan.

"Many people think that eating highly processed foods like cheeseburgers and french fries will make t...

Could golfing be good medicine for arthritis?

Yes, according to researchers who found that for people with osteoarthritis, golfing lowered psychological distress and improved general health when compared with the general population.

"Golf is a health-enhancing source of physical activity, particularly for older adults," said lead researcher