News Mentions for the week of September 16, 2024

They won’t get you buzzed, but some experts say low-alcohol and alcohol-free beers and mocktails shouldn’t be sold to minors, and they’re calling for laws that curb underage sales to kids and teens. Molly Bowdring, instructor of medicine and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

New polling finds that 67% of Americans are feeling anxious about the presidential election in November. Nina Vasan, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

Sleep issues in childhood have been linked with a higher risk for suicidality in adolescence, a new study has found. Rebecca Bernert, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

The Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Stanford's Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute supports 14 interdisciplinary projects exploring neurodegeneration, synapse loss, myelin repair, and innovative treatments to enhance resilient brain aging. Congratulations to Andrea Goldstein-Piekarski, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, who joins colleagues Raag Airan, Kawin Setsompop, Longzhi Tan as lead researchers for the Catalyst grant, "Clinically translating ultrasonic CSF clearing to enhance brain resilience."

After decades of devastating increases driven by fentanyl and other toxic street drugs, overdose deaths are dropping sharply in much of the U.S. The trend could mean roughly 20,000 fewer deaths in 2024. Keith Humphreys, the Esther Ting Memorial Professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

The Apple Watch can't replicate a sleep study or diagnose sleep conditions, and it's not trying to. But Apple wants to help people figure out whether they should at least speak with their doctor about getting one. Rafael Pelayo, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

Neurodivergent people make up a substantial percentage of the global population. How can companies best put their distinctive capabilities to work? Lawrence Fung, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, discusses the topic on this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent.

Off-label unsupervised use of ketamine is a risk to many. However, the drug Spravato, a form of ketamine and the first novel FDA-approved antidepressant in 50-plus years, can be lifesaving when used appropriately, under supervision, in those with severe and nonresponsive depression. Alan Schatzberg, the Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

This article from NOVA discusses how addiction works in the brain, and why opioids are so dangerously addictive. It also references the 2018 PBS documentary, Addiction. Robert Malenka, the Nancy Friend Pritzker professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is quoted.