News & Comment

Insulin resistance is emerging as an early metabolic risk marker in youth with mood disorders. In this Comment, we examine the interplay of insulin resistance, inflammation and circadian disruption that worsens both metabolic symptoms and mood symptoms, highlighting the potential for early integrated interventions.

Philosophers and scientists have debated for centuries about how cognition and emotions are produced and the causal roles the body and brain serve. The advent of more sophisticated models of gut–brain axis communication have contributed substantially to the understanding of these key pathways and have identified functional differences associated with depression and anxiety. New work highlights the potential importance of stomach–brain coupling in interpreting interoceptive states in mental health conditions.

Physicians face immense pressure from long hours, systemic healthcare challenges, and the necessity for tough choices in complex medical contexts, often leading to burnout and moral injury. There is an urgent need for systemic healthcare reforms, supportive interventions, and normalizing the idea of help-seeking and being engaged in peer support to promote physician well-being and prevent professional and personal crises.

To realize the potential of emerging psychedelic therapies, clinical and systemic obstacles must be surmounted.

In this Comment, we define the nascent field of metabolic psychiatry and highlight key questions regarding the overlap between metabolism and mental health. We also make recommendations to integrate considerations of diversity and inclusion, lived experience and open science to accelerate discovery and clinical translation in this field.

June marks Pride Month, a time dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBT+) community. This annual observance honors the pivotal 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a watershed moment in the modern LGBT+ rights movement. Pride is not just a celebration — it is a commitment to resistance, solidarity and progress in the face of uncertainty and adversity, and to building stronger and healthier LGBT+ networks and community.

The global south has been at the forefront of developing new low-cost, community-based support interventions for those suffering mental ill-health. We argue that these approaches should inform the reform of mental healthcare globally.

Mental disorders among young people are rising in incidence and severity, yet access to effective treatment is limited. This Comment presents leading international mental health policies that could be adapted and applied in the USA through an integrated, three-tiered prevention approach.

The Trump Administration’s executive orders that target diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, humanitarian approaches to migration management, and climate justice policies threaten the core ethical principle of ‘do no harm’ and make it harder to account for and respond to the violence and mental health consequences of the USAID Stop Work Order.

A comprehensive appraisal of community, academic and grassroots efforts to address anti-Asian discrimination reveals that public health research has focused on individual-level mental health impacts. Collectively, the research community should focus on asset-based approaches to prevent discrimination and address its mental, physical, and socioeconomic effects on Asian American communities.

May marks Mental Health Month in much of the world. The 2025 theme selected by Mental Health America is Turn Awareness into Action. Over the course of the month, campaigns also highlight awareness of mental health for specific groups, including children and older adults, as well as communities and support networks. The theme links the notion of harnessing increased awareness of mental health, including recognition of individual journeys and advances in mental health science, with action through advocacy and policy. This year’s Mental Health Month comes against a backdrop of a steadily increasing prevalence of mental health disorders, rising youth mental health concerns, increased suicide rates, and political and social upheaval — reinforcing the need for the mental health research community to come together to stave off the backslide of progress and to collectively work for sustainable solutions during this crisis.

Physical neglect is a frequently overlooked form of child maltreatment in both research and practice. Here, we summarize the complexities of measuring physical neglect, and provide recommendations to guide future research and facilitate a deeper understanding of the effects of physical neglect on children’s development and wellbeing.