Coverage of department activities and its faculty in the general media.

2026

March

What were the little white pills found in Tiger Woods's pocket at the scene of his crash? What to know about hydrocodone. - Yahoo!
Along with its addictive and euphoric effects, hydrocodone can also cause drowsiness, blurred vision and mood changes. “It’s not recommended to drive [on hydrocodone], typically because there can be some cognitive impairment and amnesia, and a person can get confused. Plus, it has some effects on the eyes and vision,” Dr. Denis Antoine, a Johns Hopkins addiction psychiatrist, tells Yahoo. 

She tried therapy and medication, but this grandmother says psilocybin is what changed her life. She’s not alone - CNN
High doses of psilocybin are effective in treating depression, a growing body of research suggests, with promise for other conditions, like PTSD and addiction, said Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu, associate director of the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University.... As with many medications, it’s hard to know the exact mechanisms behind the efficacy of psilocybin. Some researchers suggest it disrupts entrenched traffic patterns in the brain or grows new neuron connections to change thinking. Others say the results from psilocybin could have to do with its anti-inflammatory effect, Garcia-Romeu said.

Landmark social media verdicts offer takeaways for parents, experts say - ABC News/Good Morning America
Extended social media use can lead to addictive behaviors in some children, according to Jennifer Margaret Katzenstein, Ph.D., director of psychology, neuropsychology, and social work and director of the Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. "We know that our usage of electronic devices, software platforms -- including social media -- do reinforce the dopamine pathways in the brain," Katzenstein said. "When those pathways are reinforced and dopamine continues to be released as a neural transmitter in the brain, that can lead to more usage, and then that can lead to addiction."

Having a conversation and creating best practices for your child’s social media use - Associated Press
The jury's decision [finding both Meta and YouTube liable for mental health harms to kids using their services] in the first-of-its-kind lawsuit — centered on social media addiction — was applauded by doctors and advocates, who say they are hopeful it could eventually lead to industrywide changes. “I am excited about the outcome of the litigation, in part because we’ve had basically seen these platforms sort of go unregulated for many years ... and they didn’t really consider, that much, the effects on children,” Carol Vidal, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, told The Associated Press.

7 natural sleep aids that don’t always mix with prescription drugs - AARP
2. Melatonin. Dr. David Neubauer, a sleep medicine specialist and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine, explains that melatonin is a hormone that the body naturally produces to help trigger sleep. Taking a supplement can boost your natural levels, which may help you fall asleep faster.  

Colleges struggle to keep up with growing mental health problems - The Hill
A Johns Hopkins University analysis of data collected from more than 560,000 college students by the Healthy Minds Study and released this month found large increases in mental health symptoms from 2007 to 2022.  

The new psychedelic patrons: How philanthropy is powering a once-taboo medical field - Inside Philanthropy
In 2019, [a] group of donors made a $17 million seed commitment to start the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine, the first such research center in the U.S. and the largest research center of its kind in the world.... The past several years has also seen a series of gifts to universities and research centers. Johns Hopkins, NYU Langone, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Wisconsin at Madison,.... and others now host psychedelics research programs, often seeded by private donors....

Sparse evidence for cannabis to treat mental health conditions highlights research gap (study) - NPR
"It's embarrassing how little we have done in terms of data collection, given how widely [cannabis] is available as a therapeutic," says Ryan Vandrey, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who studies cannabis.... Though done well, a review of this nature invariably comes with major limitations, he says. 

Medical cannabis isn’t an effective treatment for anxiety, depression or PTSD, new research shows - Scientific American
“For a long time, people have been using cannabis to cope with mental illness. And what is really lacking is controlled, rigorous evidence, which would be the same standards you would want for any medication,” says psychologist Tory Spindle of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who studies how our body responds to cannabis and was not involved in the new research.

Women explain why they're self-medicating with dopamine patches for ADHD - Self
Experts ... emphasize that it’s difficult to determine the right dosage to use and whether the ingredients will actually help ADHD symptoms. “We don't know what doses will have what effect on brain chemistry,” says David Goodman, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland.

Depression symptoms increased among college students from 2007 to 2022 (study) - HealthDay
Carol Vidal, M.D., Ph.D., from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues examined trends in depression symptom presentation over time among different sociodemographic groups of college students. The analysis included data from approximately 560,000 U.S. college students across 450 institutions who participated in the Healthy Minds Study (2007 to 2022).

Why do mind-altering drugs make people feel better? - New Yorker
Even the skeptics are paying close attention. David Yaden, a psychologist at Johns Hopkins whose official title is the Roland Griffiths Professor of Psychedelic Research, described the development of neuroplastogens as a grand experiment. “Scientifically, I’m interested in the question of whether the trip matters,” he told me. Non-psychedelic neuroplastogens may test that question with a new level of specificity. “If it was all just castles in the sky, and the acute subjective effects don’t matter, that would be really interesting,” Yaden went on. “It would undermine my entire perspective.”

7 sleep aids that don’t mix with prescription drugs - AOL via AARP
Dr. David Neubauer, a sleep medicine specialist and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine, explains that melatonin is a hormone that the body naturally produces to help trigger sleep. Taking a supplement can boost your natural levels, which may help you fall asleep faster. However, Neubauer says that’s where the benefit stops. “Melatonin is not likely to help people stay asleep throughout the night,” he explains.

The new reason people are taking Ozempic—and it has nothing to do with weight loss - Newsweek
[A]s far as scientists know, there are no GLP⁠-1 receptors on parts of the brain that deal with some of the main problems of ADHD, like attention and executive function, explained David Goodman, MD, PhD. Goodman is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.... That means it’s unlikely that the [GLP-1] drugs will be a useful standalone ADHD medication, Goodman said.

A dose of psilocybin helps smokers quit in new study - NPR
A new study makes the strongest case yet for a psychedelic drug's impact on smoking — which remains the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. The trial, conducted by a team at Johns Hopkins University, compared nicotine patches to the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, known as psilocybin. At the end of six months, those who had taken just one dose of psilocybin had more than six times greater odds of being abstinent from cigarettes than their counterparts who relied on the nicotine substitute.

Suicide is a serious problem in Lancaster County. Here are ways we can address it (editorial) - Lancaster Online (Pennsylvania)
A law requiring the safe storage of firearms in Pennsylvania also would help. A 2025 study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the presence of child access prevention firearm storage policies lowered youth gun suicide rates by up to 14%.

Psilocybin helps people quit cigarettes more effectively than nicotine patches do, American Medical Association-published study shows - Marijuana Moment
Just one dose of psilocybin combined with therapy is associated with “significantly increased long-term abstinence” from cigarettes compared to nicotine patches, according to a new study published by the American Medical Association (AMA) that indicates the psychedelic “holds potential in the treatment of tobacco use disorder.” Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted the study, published in JAMA Substance Use and Addiction, finding more evidence about the therapeutic potential of single-dose psilocybin in tandem with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

15-year study shows sharp rise in depression among U.S. college students - HealthDay
The study, led by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, tracked health survey data collected from more than 560,000 U.S. college students from 2007 to 2022. It found that the average score on a standard questionnaire that doctors use to measure the severity of depression has climbed every single year.... For the study, a team led by Dr. Carol Vidal, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, analyzed data from the Healthy Minds Study, an annual, nationally representative online survey of U.S. college students. The sample included roughly 560,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 450 schools.

3 different types of ADHD identified in new study. What to know - Healthline
The predominantly hyperactive/impulsive type showed disruption in circuitry that governs impulse braking and action regulation. Both [it and the predominantly inattentive type] align with what clinicians have observed for years. “Interestingly, their phenotypes mirror the DSM-5,” said David Goodman, MD, assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.... Goodman wasn’t involved in the study.

New research suggests this popular sleep gadget might be disrupting your sleep - HuffPost
If you find that a white or pink noise machine helps you sleep, it’s best to keep the volume low, especially in a child’s room. “Typically a decibel volume for children and infants would be 50 decibels or lower to minimize any potential harm associated with it,” David Neubauer, a sleep expert at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, told HuffPost previously.

How to have a longer and more fulfilling sex life - New York Times
“When you’re 80, and you have some arthritis, the idea of jumping on each other isn’t always in the cards,” said Kate Thomas, director of clinical services at the Sex and Gender Clinic at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “It’s those couples who are willing to adapt to those changes, and still make it fun, that go on to have a good sexual relationship,” she added. Dr. Thomas spends a lot of time talking to older couples about how to have “erection-less sex,” she said. It can take some convincing, and some of her patients experience real grief at losing the option.

February

Heart-healthy diets may also protect your brain (study) - Everyday Health
“The fact that data from the same participants were used for all comparisons, and appropriate adjustments for other health and lifestyle factors were made, strengthens considerably the impact of these findings,” says Jason Brandt, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist and professor emeritus of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. Dr. Brandt, who wasn’t involved in the study, has researched the role of diet on long-term brain health.

Is it aging, or is it ADHD? - The Atlantic
Historically, ADHD was closely associated with overactive boys. But global studies suggest that roughly 3 percent of people older than 50 — which would translate to about 3.6 million Americans — are expected to have ADHD, David Goodman, an expert on adult ADHD at Johns Hopkins University, told me.... [Adult ADHD is] barely touched upon in medical schools, so many providers don’t think of it as a possible explanation for a patient’s worsening condition, Goodman said.

What ADHD looks like in older adults - HealthCentral
If you’re in your 50s or 60s, you might think attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is solely a childhood-related condition because when you were young, it wasn't much discussed, says David Goodman, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. But Gen X and Boomer adults can be newly diagnosed with ADHD, too. “You don’t suddenly get ADHD for the first time at 60,” Dr. Goodman says.

Youth alcohol cravings may rise while scrolling social media, study suggests - MedPage Today
In commenting on the study, Christopher J. Hammond, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, noted that it is among the first to "experimentally manipulate alcohol-related social media content and examine its impact on drinking motives in young people," building off prior research focused on exposure to alcohol and drug advertising.

More teens than ever are vaping marijuana - Lake Okeechobee News (Florida)
The question is, is vaping marijuana products safer or worse than smoking the plant itself? Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers performed a study in 2018 that reported that vaping cannabis (marijuana) can release much stronger effects than smoking the plant in its natural state. They reported that "while vaping cannabis is thought to be safer than smoking it, doses need to be carefully considered."

Can a psychedelic-induced mystical experience really improve your mental health? - The Conversation
Today, large clinical trials at universities such as Johns Hopkins and Imperial College London have revived [a treatment approach from the 1960s]. Researchers routinely measure whether participants have had a “mystical-type experience” using a standardised questionnaire known as the mystical experience questionnaire, or MEQ.

The scary health risk that can sneak up on GLP-1 users - WebMD
"One of the biggest problems I have seen is the ease with which patients can order these [drugs] online – at a one-stop-shop brief telehealth evaluation – despite being at a normal or below normal weight, with no medical indication, and an active eating disorder," said Angela Guarda, MD, director of the Eating Disorders Program at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

NC must help veterans, look to psychedelic-assisted therapies (opinion) - Asheville Citizen-Times (North Carolina)
Across the country, a growing body of peer-reviewed evidence suggests that psychedelic-assisted therapies administered in carefully controlled clinical settings and paired with structured psychotherapy may offer meaningful relief for patients who have exhausted every other option. Leading medical institutions, including Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and UNC Chapel Hill, are producing rigorous data showing promising outcomes for PTSD, depression, and addiction.

Your confidence toolbox: Simple strategies for managing forgetfulness with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) - Everyday Health
Keeping your home organized and uncluttered can help your mind feel less cluttered, too. “A less stressful, more organized life is likely going to be beneficial for mood and reduce anxiety in someone with MCI,” says Daniel Callow, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.... It’s important to try different organizing tools to find out what works for you, says Erin Klein, a speech-language pathologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine. These can include planners and calendars, pill boxes, strategically placed notes, and alarms on your phone or a tabletop clock.

N.F.L. careers scarred their brains. Could mushrooms provide relief? - New York Times
Dr. Frederick Barrett, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, cautioned that there are risks to taking psychedelics, especially for those who consume them without supervision. He said that some people who have taken mushrooms in uncontrolled settings have experienced prolonged psychosis or detachment from reality. “It’s not the kind of thing you want to do on your own,” Dr. Barrett said.

January

New digital ecosystem guidance released for parents - St. Pete Catalyst (Florida)
“Regardless of the amount of time our kids are on screens, if they are not appropriate consumers of the information that they are taking in or we are not teaching them how to appropriately engage with others on social media,” said Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital director of psychology and neuropsychology Jennifer Katzenstein, “then we are going to continue to have issues especially as it relates to mental health.” She explained that too much or too little time on social media platforms, especially for girls, has led to increased rates of depression and suicidal thoughts. “So, there is really this sweet spot in the middle when it comes to social media use and it differs for every kid.”

Experts have 3 tips for setting screen-time boundaries with your kids - Washington Post
Many adults need to keep their phones nearby for work or emergencies, but how they handle phone access makes a difference, according to Jennifer Katzenstein, a pediatric neuropsychologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “My son knows that my phone is with me because I’m on call. I’m going to put it down and actually even turn the ringer on, which I think many of us are reluctant to do,” said Katzenstein.

Mindfulness interventions may reduce substance use in youths - MedPage Today
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) may help reduce substance use in young people, according to a systematic review of 23 studies. Of these studies, which included nearly 2,300 participants, over two-thirds showed positive results with MBIs compared with both passive and active comparison interventions for both substance use reduction and other pooled substance use outcomes, reported Christopher J. Hammond, MD, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and co-authors in Pediatrics.

A gold medal for Hopkins’ Paul McHugh (column) - Baltimore Sun
The heart and spirit of old Johns Hopkins traditions are embodied by a friend of mine, Dr. Paul R. McHugh. He displays a gold medal these days, recently awarded by the American Academy of Sciences and Letters. Why? McHugh earned the honor for a lifetime of “exemplary courage in the exercise of intellectual freedom” while being at the “forefront of psychiatric theory and practice.”

Time to reconsider FDA clearance of trigeminal nerve stimulation for ADHD? - Medscape
Results of a large randomized, sham-controlled study showed TNS did not improve core symptoms or related clinical and cognitive features of ADHD.... David W. Goodman, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, said the new study provides more evidence that TNS doesn’t work well for ADHD. “I think this fits within the body of literature that says that while we’d like to hope it’s promising, it’s not terribly convincing that this treatment works,” he told Medscape Medical News.

The scary health risk that can sneak up on GLP-1 users - Medscape
“One of the biggest problems I have seen is the ease with which patients can order these online — at a one-stop-shop brief telehealth evaluation — despite being at a normal or below normal weight, with no medical indication, and an active eating disorder,” said Angela Guarda, MD, director of the Eating Disorders Program at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore.

5 ways being the oldest sibling shapes how you parent - Parents magazine
“[Parents] have more time to dedicate to their [firstborn] kids because they don't have other kids that they’re taking care of,” explains Jennifer Katzenstein, PhD, Director of Psychology, Neuropsychology, and Social Work at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. “So, parents tend to be more aware, more focused, thinking about how they're approaching each situation, and very attentive to that child's needs.”

Dementia vs. Alzheimer’s: Which is it? - AARP
What is dementia? To be called dementia, the disorder must be severe enough to interfere with your daily life, says Dr. Constantine George Lyketsos, a psychiatrist and director of the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center in Baltimore.

This one simple practice could help your family have a calmer 2026 - Parents magazine
[Mantras] aren’t just for big kids, either. Children as young as 3 or 4 can benefit from setting simple mantras for the year ahead, according to Erika Chiappini, PhD, child and adolescent psychologist at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.... “Unlike an intention or resolution, which typically reflects a future goal or desired outcome, a mantra is meant to focus the mind in the present moment,” Dr. Chiappini says.

Could next-generation medicines help cure opioid addiction? - Scientific American
Withdrawal from an addictive substance is often the first hurdle in treatment. And it’s hard, “the hardest thing that you’ll do, probably,” says Andrew Huhn, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who researches opioid withdrawal medications. Medications that can ease the symptoms of withdrawal can make long-term recovery more likely.

< a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/addiction-outlook/202501/easing-end-of-life-care-with-shrooms">Easing end-of-life care with shrooms - Psychology Today
The work of the late Roland Griffiths of Johns Hopkins has been pivotal in advancing psilocybin’s potential in palliative/end-of-life care. Research provides strong evidence supporting psilocybin for alleviating anxiety, depression, and existential distress in patients facing terminal illnesses.

2025

December

Review of medical cannabis use finds little evidence of benefit - New York Times
[M]any daily users who inhale or ingest cannabis before bedtime attest to its success, noting that if they skip a night, they sleep poorly — proof, they maintain, that cannabis works. But Ryan Vandrey, a Johns Hopkins University professor who helps run its Cannabis Science Lab and was not involved in the JAMA review, said that the return of insomnia can suggest something else: the patient is in cannabis withdrawal.

Johns Hopkins psychiatrist shares tips to help Oklahoma parents cut kids’ screen time - News 9 (Oklahoma City)
News 9 spoke with Carol Vidal, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and an associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, about adolescent internet addiction and what parents can do to prevent it.

November

Will psilocybin finally have its day in clinical psychiatry? - Medscape
[T]he US National Network of Depression Centers Task Group on Psychedelics and Related Compounds has issued a consensus statement outlining both the therapeutic promise of psilocybin and the significant gaps that must be addressed before widespread adoption. The group, led by researchers with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, emphasized the need to understand, especially amid emerging concerns such as a potential increase in suicidal ideation, risks for unmasking bipolar disorder and long-term safety unknown effects related to drug-drug interactions.

New Netflix documentary shows how psychedelics help military veterans heal trauma - Marijuana Moment
Johns Hopkins, with its Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, has been among the pioneers in this space since 2000. Besides post-traumatic stress disorder, the department is researching psychedelic treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and smoking cessation, among other needs.

Smoking weed could lead to less drinking, new study suggests (study) - New York Times
“We too often study drugs in isolation,” said Ryan Vandrey, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine, who studies cannabis and was not involved with the new research. But in reality, he said, people commonly combine alcohol and cannabis. “We don’t have a good understanding of that,” he said. “And I think we need it.”

Howard County firefighters garnering support to get access to medicinal cannabis - WJZ-TV/CBS Baltimore
Dr. Ryan Vandrey, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Johns Hopkins University, testified in front of the Howard County Council in favor of a 12-hour gap [between use and reporting for duty], but also said a medical card exemption makes sense. "We have this disconnect with the ability to use biometrics to detect impairment with cannabis," Vandrey said. "I think treating [cannabis] like other therapeutics like opioids and benzodiazepines is the way to go."

Can psychedelics help with alcohol use disorder? - Psychology Today
Randomized controlled trials at Johns Hopkins, Imperial College London, and other leading institutions have shown that one to two sessions of psilocybin-assisted therapy can rapidly and dramatically reduce depressive symptoms.

Psilocybin would be legalized for medical use under NH bill - Keene Sentinel (New Hampshire)
Medical providers would be allowed to give psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in some mushrooms, to patients for treatment of post traumatic stress disorder and some types of depression, under a bill lawmakers will consider next year. N.H. Rep. Buzz Scherr, D-Portsmouth, said Tuesday there is a growing body of research, including work at Johns Hopkins University, showing the substance has therapeutic value.

Cigna, ‘Magic’ Johnson launch Magic Sounds album to promote mental health - Hartford Business (Connecticut)
Studies from Johns Hopkins University and the American Psychiatric Association have found that listening to music or soothing sounds can significantly reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety, especially in workplace settings. Music therapy also has been shown to help with depression, sleep disorders and substance-use recovery.

New study links melatonin and heart failure, but experts say don’t panic yet (study) - Washington Post
The study’s authors noted several limitations, including that the group of people who did not have an official record of melatonin use could have included individuals who purchased supplements over the counter. “The most problematic part” of the study, said David Neubauer, a sleep expert at Johns Hopkins University who was not involved in the research, “is we don’t know whether or not those people in the control group were taking melatonin.”

October

Magic mushrooms for postpartum depression treatment? Florida researchers running trials - WESH-TV (Orlando, Fla.)
The National Institutes of Health reports that approximately 30% of patients with major depressive disorder have treatment-resistant depression. Johns Hopkins study found that two doses of psilocybin produced rapid and large reductions in depressive symptoms.

Fewer teens are using drugs — but experts say there’s another big threat to watch for - Parents magazine
Mackenzie Sommerhalder, PhD, assistant professor in child and adolescent psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, [says], “One might conceptualize increased use of social media and artificial intelligence (AI) as risk-taking behavior. The negative side-effects of these tools on adolescent development are well known, and yet adolescents continue to engage with the tools.” ... Dr. Sommerhalder says teens have underdeveloped impulse control, making it difficult for them to detach from activities that pull for “doomscrolling,” or immediately responding to push notifications.

You were asleep but swear you weren’t: What is paradoxical insomnia? - The Guardian (U.K.)
When a person is sleeping, but doesn’t know they are, this is called sleep state misperception. If woken up, a person will say they were awake the whole time. It’s a frequent issue in insomnia, said Matthew Reid, a neuroscientist and sleep researcher at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. An insomniac may say they have barely slept, but when tested in a sleep lab, they might actually be sleeping a normal number of hours per night.

Does daylight saving time cause heart attacks? Not so fast, says new study - The Healthy/Reader's Digest
In recent years, politicians have kicked around the idea of doing away with daylight saving time, while some health experts have chimed in to say the switch-a-roo of the clocks can be tough on heart health. Adam Spira, PhD, MA, a sleep expert and mental health professor at Johns Hopkins University, has commented: “The scientific evidence points to acute increases in adverse health consequences from changing the clocks, including in heart attack and stroke.” But now a new, decade-long analysis ... may overturn this assertion.

Wake up at 3am and can't get back to sleep? You might have this condition - HuffPost
What may help … is “clock blocking”, or ignoring any screen which tells you the time, Johns Hopkins shared. So, too, can getting up out of bed to do something screen-free and relatively mindless, like folding laundry after about 20 minutes of being awake ― or, as Johns Hopkins sleep expert Dr Luis F. Buenaver said, try to “Read a book, with just enough lights on so that you can see the print comfortably”.

TikTok is shaping how we think about ADHD - Science Friday/NPR
A new study published in PLOS One analyzes the 100 most viewed TikTok videos about ADHD to assess both how accurate they are and how young people respond to them.... Host Flora Lichtman talks with the lead author of the ADHD TikTok study, Vasileia Karasavva, a PhD Student in clinical psychology at the University of British Columbia; and Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, director of psychology, neuropsychology, and social work at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

As we fall back, here's how much sleep your state gets - Live Now Fox
Most of the population gets between seven to nine hours — and that particular category has the lowest association with health problems, said Molly Atwood, a behavioral sleep medicine clinician at Johns Hopkins. Once people either dip into less than six hours of sleep or get more than nine hours on average, the risk of health problems inches up, Atwood said, but everybody is different.

Nervous about a speech? Why some people use beta blockers for anxiety.- Washington Post
A beta blocker can help someone give an annual toast at a public event, said Paul Nestadt, an associate professor of psychiatry and director of the McGlasson Anxiety Disorders Clinic at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. But, if you’re consistently struggling with performance anxiety because you’re running a weekly meeting at work, you may need a treatment that’ll provide a long-term benefit instead, Nestadt said.

The 10 questions to ask if you’re worried you may have Alzheimer’s - Yahoo via The Telegraph (U.K.)
Dr Peter Rabins, founder of the geriatric psychiatry division at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, estimates that up to 25 per cent of over 65s who meet the criteria for mild cognitive impairment see their issues resolve a year later – and this kind of cognitive decline is more associated with natural ageing. “One dramatic change in the last 45-50 years has been the awareness that what people used to call senility or “just ageing,” is a group of diseases that affect your brain,” says Dr Rabins, who believes the subtle signs are more of a cause for concern.

Thomas Brown, who busted myths related to ADHD, dies at 83 - Wall Street Journal
Brown became one of the nation's pioneering experts on [ADHD], helping to shape its understanding, both in the public and medical communities.... "Now, it's easy to say visionaries are visionaries, but you have to go back in time and understand that visionaries have to get over a lot of hurdles," said Dr. David Goodman, a psychiatrist, ADHD specialist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. "In the late '80s and the early '90s, you had people saying it didn't exist and you shouldn't be diagnosing this and you shouldn't be misleading patients, and, worst of all, you shouldn't be prescribing those terrible medications."

Five years after psilocybin therapy, two-thirds remain free from depression - ZME Science
A new study from Ohio State University and Johns Hopkins University, published in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies, followed participants who first received psilocybin-assisted therapy in 2019–2020. Researchers found that 67% of them remained in remission from major depressive disorder half a decade later.

Nothing prepared me for the guilt of caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s (commentary) - The Telegraph (U.K.) via MSN
The emotional and physical toll this takes on carers, who are often advancing in years themselves, is immeasurable..... Dr Peter Rabins ... knows this toll only too well. He’s been a geriatric psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US since the late 1970s. “Right from the beginning, as I evaluated people, I realised that family members accompanying them were in as great a need of help as the person with memory problems, and there were no resources at the time,” says Dr Rabins.

Do we know enough to use psychedelics as medicine? - Undark
In this [podcast] episode, hosts Brooke Borel and Anna Rothschild ask: Do we have enough scientific evidence to approve psychedelics as medicine? And if not, are the data pointing in that direction? ... [G]uests this week are Albert Garcia-Romeu, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Bertha Madras, a professor of psychobiology at Harvard Medical School.

Wisconsin congressman proposes legislation to protect kids’ mental health online - Spectrum News
Carol Vidal, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University, said because there’s already evidence showing a link between social media and declining mental health, federal legislation to address this problem could have a huge impact. "I welcome the bill to look into more research, for sure, and I also hope that there's more actual regulation on the platforms," Vidal said. "But just talking about it, I think it's a positive... Politicians are hearing from their constituents who are concerned from both sides of the aisle."

September

When to Get Serious About Adult ADHD - USA Today
“As a child, you get diagnosed because you’re a pain in the butt to other people; as an adult, you get diagnosed because you’ve become a pain in the butt to yourself,” said David Goodman, assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and founder of the Adult Attention Decit Disorder Center of Maryland.

New study shows lasting relief from depression after magic-mushroom treatment - Ohio Capital Journal
Two-thirds of people who underwent psilocybin-assisted therapy remained free from depression five years later, according to recent research that offers the first long-term glimpse into the lasting power of psychedelic treatment. The findings, published by researchers at Ohio State University and Johns Hopkins University, followed up participants from a study published in 2021 to track whether the dramatic improvements in depression symptoms would endure. The results suggest they do – and, remarkably, without serious side-effects.

Kratom is marketed as a wellness product. for these women, it became a nightmare - Women's Health
[Kratom] is especially prevalent in Appalachian states such as Tennessee, West Virginia, and Kentucky, where the opioid epidemic has hit hard: Over 40 percent of respondents in a 2020 Johns Hopkins survey said they took kratom (primarily via dried kratom leaves, either in powdered form or prepared as tea) to treat opioid dependence.

Black women tackle mental health-related issues head-on - New Pittsburgh Courier
According to an article written by Erica Martin Richards, M.D., Ph.D., and posted on the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine website, women are at least twice as likely to experience an episode of major depression as men, but Black women are only half as likely to seek help as their White counterparts.

Magic mushroom therapy could provide lasting depression treatment for years - The Independent (U.K.)
Research from Ohio State University and Johns Hopkins University indicates that two-thirds of individuals who underwent psilocybin-assisted therapy remained free from depression five years later.

Pa. House Democrats consider ‘magic mushrooms’ as mental health treatment - WESA radio (Pittsburgh)
A growing body of research has shown that microdoses of psilocybin could be an effective tool for treating mental health illnesses. A 2022 study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine found that such treatments have an antidepressant effect that may last more than a year for some patients.

‘It’s addictive, and it’s everywhere’: KC company’s pills hook users across US - Kansas City Star (Missouri)
Asked about the rising numbers of patients in rehab clinics for 7-OH, [Kirsten] Smith [a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist] said she wasn’t surprised by it. “People go to treatment for a lot of things,” she said. “I’m not saying 7-OH is safe and there are no risks. But we need more research, more data.”

Pa. House Democrats consider 'magic mushrooms' as mental health treatment - Lancaster Online
A growing body of research has shown that microdoses of psilocybin could be an effective tool for treating mental health illnesses. A 2022 study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine found that such treatments have an antidepressant effect that may last more than a year for some patients.

Your doctor might prescribe… a video game? -  Forbes
A Johns Hopkins Children’s Center review, published in JAMA Pediatrics in September 2024, analyzed 27 randomized clinical trials involving nearly 3,000 children and teens across the globe. The takeaway? Video games designed for ADHD and depression showed modest but measurable benefits — improvements in attention and reductions in depressive symptoms, with effect sizes around 0.28.

Q&A: Suicide prevention entails ‘shift from reactive to proactive’ methods - Healio
In observance of September being Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Healio spoke with Paul Nestadt, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine and medical director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Suicide Prevention. Nestadt provided insight into the state of suicide prevention nationwide, as well as what individuals and health care professionals can do to minimize the risk of suicide. 

Does full-spectrum CBD work better than other CBD products? - verywell health
[T]he evidence supporting the use of CBD in any form is limited. A 2020 review of studies from Johns Hopkins University concluded that "rigorous, controlled evidence for the therapeutic efficacy of CBD is lacking for many health conditions." More research is needed.

My wife pulled a ridiculous stunt at Disneyland — and tormented the entire family - Slate
Something to keep in mind [about kids’ tantrums]...: You don’t have to always figure things out alone. Jennifer Margaret Katzenstein, the director of psychology, neuropsychology, and social Work at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, suggests that parents reach out to a medical professional when they are unsure of how to handle tantrums, especially if they last for long periods or happen multiple times a day.

From bank robber to scholar: The Knoxville dropout fighting to change how we see addiction - The Guardian (U.K.)
[Kirsten] Smith was steadfast in her belief that her actions were volitional from the start. Her drug use and crimes were not the products of an immoral character or a faulty brain incapable of change, but rather of an environment where heroin was accessible and desirable. This outlook determined her experiences in prison and beyond, ultimately leading her to dedicate her life to challenging predominant medical models of addiction with her research. Today, she is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

LSD shows promise for reducing anxiety in drugmaker's midstage study - HuffPost
Beginning in the 1950s, researchers published a flurry of papers exploring LSD’s therapeutic uses, though most of them don’t meet modern standards. “I see this paper as a clear step in the direction of reviving that old research, applying our modern standards and determining what are the real costs and benefits of these compounds,” said Frederick Barrett, who directs Johns Hopkins University’s psychedelic center and was not involved in the research

Why schizophrenia may be ‘the most devastating of mental illnesses’ - CNN
Symptoms of schizophrenia typically begin between the ages of 15 and 25, experts said. People might have been doing OK or even great in their lives, and then suddenly they have what experts call a “first break” in their capacity to function normally, said [Dr. Daniel] Weinberger, … a professor of psychiatry, neurology, neuroscience and genetic medicine at the Johns Hopkins University.

August

Here's why it's not nice when teens call each other 'chopped' - Parents magazine
Jennifer Katzenstein, PhD, the Director of Psychology, Neuropsychology, and Social Work at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, adds that this language reinforces the idea that worth depends on looks or popularity. Teens often respond by monitoring themselves closely by what they wear, how they post online, and even how they act around friends to try to dodge the label. “Unfortunately, appearance-based insults are a fast, visible way to establish dominance or align with peers, even though they are deeply harmful, when on a social media platform,” Dr. Katzenstein says.

High priests: Why scientists gave magic mushrooms to the clergy - The Economist
For Jeff Vidt, God actually was a dog: the Lord came to him as a Great Dane. Meanwhile, Jaime Clark-Soles glimpsed the deity as a harp-playing woman. Sughra Ahmed felt the Almighty as a concept: love. These divine encounters occurred at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, during an experimental study investigating how “the effects of psilocybin” — the active ingredient in magic mushrooms — “are experienced and interpreted by religious clergy”.

Experts call for proactive measures to protect children and communities from pedophiles - ABC 33/40 (Birmingham, Ala.)
Dr. Fred Berlin, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine with four decades of experience in sex offenses, emphasized the need for prevention and understanding of pedophilia, a complex psychiatric disorder. The American Psychiatric Association defines pedophilia as the sexual attraction or preference for pre-pubescent children, generally under the age of 13. Dr. Berlin explained, "There's really much more to do in terms of prevention, to have people who have these attractions come forward and seek help before they hurt others and themselves.”

What to know about kratom supplements - Wall Street Journal
What is kratom? Kratom is a plant from Southeast Asia traditionally used in teas or chewed, says Kirsten Smith, a Johns Hopkins University assistant professor who studies it. The leaves contain dozens of psychoactive chemical compounds, including mitragynine. Kratom use in the U.S. began around 2004 and took off a few years later when opioid prescribing guidelines changed, says Smith.

Scientists say it may be possible to protect aging brains from Alzheimer's with an old remedy — lithium - CNN
In the large doses used to treat mood disorders, lithium "is a drug we know very, very well, and we also know it's a dangerous drug, especially for older people. Overdoses are easy," said Dr. Kostas Lyketsos, who directs the Memory and Alzheimer's Treatment Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine. "You might be taking a stable dose and have no side effects and you get really dehydrated in the hot sun, and it becomes toxic."

Psychedelic drugs get renewed push under Trump administration - Spectrum News
“No one is arguing that these are not powerful drugs, and no one's arguing that these drugs do not have risks. The question is, well, how do we make these treatments available to people who are suffering, who could benefit from them, while making sure that they're not so widely available that they cause harm?” said Dr. Frederick Barrett, director of The Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research.

New study sheds light on your child's eating habits - Fox 5 (D.C.)
It can be a challenge to get your picky eater to try new healthy foods. A new Johns Hopkins Children's Center study reveals why some children are picky with their foods and how to change these habits. [Dr. Susan Carnell of the Children's Center is interviewed.]

Shifting terrain: Helping kids navigate the middle to high school transition - WFLA-TV (Tampa, Fla.)
To help families support their children during this pivotal time, Jennifer Katzenstein, PhD, ABPP-CN, Co-Director of the Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, [shares] actionable insights and expert advice.

Managing back to school anxiety - Fox 13 (Tampa, Fla.)
Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, co-director of the Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, joined Good Day to share strategies for students and parents ahead of the new school year.

July

How to sleep well on a plane, according to experts - U.S. News & World Report
Dr. Molly Atwood, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, has both clinical and research expertise in sleep. She notes that any night (or day) of sleep requires a few key ingredients: a bodily desire to sleep, low stress and a period of low alertness as determined by one's circadian rhythm. Atwood stated that the inability to align these sleep systems in an aircraft environment ultimately makes sleeping a challenge.

What to know about the fed kratom crackdown - Axios
Based on a survey of more than 2,700 kratom users, researchers at Johns Hopkins found that kratom likely poses less harm than prescription opioids when used for pain, anxiety, depression, or addiction treatment.

Kennedy announces plan to restrict some kratom products - New York Times
Kirsten Elin Smith, a Johns Hopkins University assistant professor who studies kratom, said she was initially very concerned about 7-OH when it began to show up online about two years ago. She said she braced herself for a flood of reports of harm. Those reports did not come, she said, though perhaps because there are no tests to detect 7-OH in the blood. There are routine tests for another component of kratom, but those did not yield evidence of increasing harm, either, she said. “If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said this is evil,” Dr. Smith said. “At this point I’m a little more equivocal.”

You may be doomscrolling right now — how the practice impacts your health - WJLA-TV/7News (D.C.)
7News asked Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Professor Dr. Carol Vidal how we can start to take back our time. First, Vidal said, be aware of what social media is designed to do: Keep us logged on and invested. "Social media is really designed for us to be engaged with it as much as possible," Vidal said. While we know doomscrolling robs us of our sleep, Vidal warns it also steals other things humans need, like socializing in person or exercising.

Saving lives at the Bel Air Parking Garage - WMAR-TV
"What happens is people in the neighborhood start to identify it with a suicide hotspot, and then if they start to have suicidal thoughts, they might think about that spot," says Dr. Paul Nestadt, a Johns Hopkins researcher who studies suicide prevention. "In some ways, that's a tragedy," he says. "In other ways, it's an opportunity. Because if we know that people are going to be going to that spot when they're attempting suicide, we can put up barriers in that spot, we can put things like signs or cameras."

Marijuana legalization doesn’t increase youth use, top researcher says at federal meeting - Marijuana Moment
The public talk, from Ryan Vandry, an experimental psychologist and professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, was aimed at providing continuing education on marijuana for healthcare professionals.

High rates of ‘undetermined’ deaths in Maryland - WBFF-TV via Baltimore Sun
The data “makes me very concerned Maryland is underreporting our suicides,” which makes suicide prevention work more difficult, said Paul Nestadt, medical director of the Center for Suicide Prevention at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “It changes how you might target different populations. What’s the rate for women? What’s the rate in rural areas? What’s the rate in young people? All these demographics, it’s sort of like a little blind spot.”

An overlooked demographic has the highest suicide risk — and it’s been rising - Stat
TV advertisements feature a “man’s man” with hunted animal heads on the wall, for example, said Paul Nestadt, psychiatry professor at Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Public Health, and use humor to reach their audience. “It’s about finding a message that resonates, that’s a little more masculine. Men respond to that, especially in older populations,” he said. “Public health education campaigns are so important. That represents an opportunity to prevent a suicide attempt from being fatal, and save a life.”

Psychedelic drugs to treat depression? - CNN (The Situation Room)
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is voicing support for psychedelic drugs to treat certain conditions like depression. Some doctors say these kinds of drugs can help people work through trauma. Pamela Brown: So let's bring in Johns Hopkins psychiatric professor Albert Garcia-Romeu. Albert Garcia-Romeu, Johns Hopkins University School Of Medicine: [O]ver the last decade, there's been a number of studies that have shown what I would call convincing evidence that we can use safely and effectively substances like MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and similarly that we can use psilocybin, which is found in magic mushrooms, to treat a number of conditions such as major depression, anxiety, for palliative care and even for treating addictions.

New data on postoperative delirium a ‘call to action’ for providers (study) - Medscape
Investigators also found that patients undergoing surgery in hospitals with a higher rate of postoperative delirium had 1.5-fold higher odds of experiencing it compared to hospitals with lower rates. However, “the inference from that finding has to be very carefully interpreted,” Esther Oh, MD, PhD, professor and associate director of the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center, Baltimore, told Medscape Medical News.

New consensus guidelines for clozapine drop ANC monitoring after 2 years - Medscape
Commenting on the new guidance for Medscape Medical News, Frederick Nucifora Jr, PhD, DO, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and director of the clozapine clinic at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, said it is sensible, reasonable, and could help remove “troubling” barriers to accessing clozapine.

JHU examines the gun suicide epidemic - WYPR
We talk with Dr. Paul Nestadt, an of the author of the new report. He's a psychiatrist who treats anxiety disorders at Johns Hopkins and an epidemiologist who researches suicide.

Time blindness can explain chronic lateness - some of the time - The Guardian (U.K.)
Dr David W Goodman, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, clarified that time blindness as a symptom of ADHD or other conditions refers to a difficulty with the perception of the passage of time. He said it is different than poor time management, or when someone can successfully perceive how long it takes to do something but fails to plan accordingly.

June

What is kratom? Knoxville police officer accused of shoplifting kratom while on duty - WBIR-TV (Knoxville, Tenn.)
WBIR consulted [Kirsten] Smith, an expert, to better understand kratom, its uses and potential abuse. Smith is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. She has studied kratom use and substance use disorder. Kratom, she said, is a tree that naturally grows in Thailand and Malaysia.... "It's a really complex botanical," Smith said. "It's not a hallucinogen, it's not an opioid, it's not a cannabinoid, but it has activity at many different receptors."

Students’ alarming mental health dilemma – and the steps toward a promising future - Baltimore Times
Dr. Annelle Primm, a medical educator, administrator and clinician at Johns Hopkins’ Hospital Community Psychiatry Program, has emerged as one of many health leaders taking actionable steps to bring mental health reform. [Primm also is the senior medical director of the Steve Fund, a nonprofit organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people.]

June is Men's Health Month, and men are four times more likely to die by suicide - WJLA-TV (7News)
While men may sometimes be less willing to seek help, they are more likely to die by suicide — even though women attempt suicide three to four times more often. "A big part of that, is that men tend to use firearms for their suicide attempts," Johns Hopkins Associate Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Paul Nestadt tells 7News Anchor Megan Clarke. "Most suicide attempts are actually survived in this country, but if you have a firearm available to you, and men tend to, that’s what’ll be used, and the chance of survival becomes very slim."

Single psilocybin dose helps cancer patients beat depression - Earth.com
Back in 2016 Johns Hopkins scientists reported that about 80 percent of 51 cancer patients kept mood gains six months after a single dose. A 2023 umbrella review covering 23 clinical studies concluded that psilocybin consistently outperformed placebo for depressive symptoms with few side effects. Together these data sets are shifting expert opinion on how aggressively psychedelic assisted therapy should be pursued for hard to treat mood disorders....

One psilocybin dose eases cancer depression over long term (study) - Medscape
Sandeep Nayak, MD, medical director, Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Baltimore, who wasn’t involved in the study, said that the antidepressant effects of psilocybin in patients with cancer are “consistent” with those found in larger studies of people with depression. “If psilocybin works for major depression in general, it’s likely to work for major depression in people with cancer, even though there are, of course, unique aspects of psychological suffering with cancer,” Nayak told Medscape Medical News.

‘Psychedelics and the Texas Trip’ explores science & history behind state-funded research initiative - Texas Public Radio
[In part two of a three-part podcast series], Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine reveals the political reasons and Nixon-era legislation that hindered psychedelic therapy research in the U.S. for decades and what could be done to support research today.

St. Louis therapist offers psychedelic-assisted therapy in Oregon and Colorado - Missouri Independent
[S]everal Missouri lawmakers have repeatedly said during debates that they were staunchly opposed to the psilocybin legislation when they first heard about it. Then they said they looked at the extensive research coming out of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. “I’ve probably spent, I don’t know, 20 hours reading materials that came out of Johns Hopkins,” said state Rep. Dave Griffith, a Republican from Jefferson City and chair of the House Veterans Committee, last year. “The data that comes out of these studies that they’ve done is remarkable.”

Children of divorce end up poorer, with a higher chance of teen pregnancy, prison, study finds - Washington Times
The National Bureau of Economic Research study published last month found that changes in family resources, neighborhood quality and parent proximity explained 25% to 60% of divorces’ effects on children. John V. Campo, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, said the study should give parents pause about rationalizing divorce as something “better for the kids.” He said he’s never seen any research showing that “kids are fine after divorce.”

How ADHD Affects Adults - Issues in Science and Technology
On this episode, host Sara Frueh is joined by David Goodman, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland. Goodman has treated adults with ADHD for over 40 years. Goodman explains how ADHD affects adults, the complexities in how it’s diagnosed and treated, and open questions for research in the field.

May

Amid budget crunch, House votes to legalize kratom in Rhode Island. What's new this year. - Providence Journal (Rhode Island)
At the April committee hearing, Walker Gallman, a lobbyist for the Global Kratom Coalition, objected [to a prohibition on mixing kratom and certain other products] and noted that caffeine is also considered a psychoactive substance. But Kirsten Smith, a kratom researcher at Johns Hopkins University who testified in support of the bill, said the restriction made sense. "I don’t think we should be mixing psychoactive products," she said.

Her children's ADHD diagnosis became the catalyst for a mother to search for her own - CBS News
Dr. David W. Goodman, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told CBS News he consistently sees patients who learn about their ADHD when someone else in their family has the diagnosis.... Goodman, a former board member at Children and Adults with ADHD, has been working to develop the guidelines for some medical providers and specialty organizations diagnosing adults.

One researcher shares her experience studying and living with bipolar disorder - NPR
Around 40 million people around the world have bipolar disorder, which involves cyclical swings between moods: from depression to mania. Kay Redfield Jamison is one of those people. She's also a professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and has written extensively about the topic, from medical textbooks to personal memoirs.... Today on Short Wave, she joins us to talk about the diagnosis process, treating and managing bipolar disorder.

Trump’s surgeon general pick credits magic mushrooms with helping her find love. Here’s what to know about the psychedelic drug - The Independent (U.K.)
Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, spoke to The Independent about the rise of psilocybin — and what researchers are still trying to figure out.... Garcia-Romeu’s own research explores how psilocybin can aid addiction treatment. The psychedelic medication showed “really good success rates” in helping people quit smoking when combined with therapy, he told The Independent.

3 things to watch on mental health in Trump's early budget proposals - Health Leaders Media
"Cutting [funding for suicide prevention programs] is going to be disastrous," said Paul Nestadt, a psychiatrist and an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University. "A lot of suicide prevention does take place at the state or even local level, but it's funded by federal programs." The skinny budget proposal says, "These programs either duplicate other Federal spending or are too small to have a national impact."

What psychedelic critics get wrong about Colorado’s mental health crisis - Colorado Newsline
There is a vast body of research supporting the use of psilocybin for various psychiatric conditions. Institutions like Johns Hopkins and New York University have demonstrated its potential to treat depression, PTSD and addiction.

Making a job change? How doctors say you can keep your mental health in check - WJLA-TV (D.C.)
"People that will have the hardest time are those that feel like this is being forced upon them," Sibley Memorial Hospital Chair and Medical Director of Psychiatry Dr. Erica Richards said. "It’s one of those things where you have to accept that you didn’t do anything wrong, and that this is a change maybe you didn’t ask for, things will be OK, but you kind of still have to get up and pursue the other options that are there — even if this isn’t what you wanted."

‘Legal morphine’ — the rise of kratom and 7-OH in the US - Medscape
The key is knowing which kratom product a patient is using, said researcher Kirsten Smith, PhD, MSW, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore. “Rule number one — ask patients exactly what they are using and record the brand name because there are so many different products out there,” she told Medscape Medical News.

Safe storage of firearms would save Illinois teens’ lives (opinion) – Chicago Tribune
Paul [Nestadt of Johns Hopkins Medicine] is a psychiatrist specializing in suicide prevention who has studied this issue closely. In a recent study, he found that child access prevention, or CAP, laws, especially those expanded to apply to older teens, significantly reduce suicide, unintentional shootings and even homicides. When states require parents to safely store firearms for kids 16 and younger, youth suicide rates drop by up to 14%. Raising that age to 18, as the bill would do, has the potential to save even more lives.

Suicide prevention program finds strength in Yup’ik cultural roots - KYUK radio (Bethel, Alaska)
Since the 1950s, the primary approach to suicide prevention in the United States has been designed to identify and mitigate risk factors like depression or drug and alcohol use. “I think traditionally things have been more focused on a reactive approach, and that’s waiting for somebody to already be in crisis before intervening because it’s most clear and easy to recognize them,” said Holly Wilcox, a national suicide prevention researcher and professor at Johns Hopkins University.

April

Bill to ban kratom in Louisiana passes first vote after intense testimony from family, users - Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
Jack Henningfield,vice president for research and health policy at Pinney Associates, a pharmaceutical consulting firm, and an adjunct professor atJohns Hopkins University, called kratom “a lifeline away from opioids for a lot of people.” Kirsten Smith, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University, said she is conducting two clinical trials where subjects take kratom and has yet to see an adverse event.

Uncertainty around NIH funding leaves Alzheimer’s studies in limbo - CNN
[Zahydie Burgos Ribot] initially thought [her husband] was showing signs of depression. But [Francisco Rios'] doctor realized that something else was happening in his brain and referred him to the Young-Onset Dementias Clinic at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. “They ran more tests, and they ran the genetic testing, and that’s when we had the final confirmation that it was Alzheimer’s,” Ribot said.

A brief history of the science of autism spectrum disorder - Psychology Today
In 1943, Leo Kanner, a child psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University, identified autism as a separate disorder from schizophrenia in young children. Kanner called his newly identified disorder early infantile autism. The sample of children he studied was entirely male. Kanner described early infantile autism as being characterized by symptoms that included obsessiveness, deficits in social behavior and social communication, and a need for sameness.

Iowa House passes measure legalizing psilocybin use - The Hill
State Rep. John Wills (R), a military veteran who handled the bill on the floor Monday, said he had researched the use of psilocybin and cited work from the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research that showed the drug’s effectiveness for treating people with PTSD.

HHS pursues theory that autism is linked to a toxin — experts are not so sure - Healio
David W. Goodman, MD, LFAPA, [an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine,] compared this with adult ADHD.
“Nobody was really talking about ADHD in adults over the age of 50, and we could all throw up our hands and say, ‘Well, I don't know anybody who's 58 or 62 with ADHD.’ Sure. You don't see what you don't know,” Goodman said. “It's not as though it wasn't there. It's that we hadn't turned on the light to see that it was there.”

When a small rejection feels like ‘the End of the World’ - The New York Times
If you find yourself avoiding certain experiences because of a fear of rejection, you can work with a therapist to gradually expose yourself to the things you find uncomfortable, and build your confidence along the way, said Dr. David W. Goodman, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

New kratom bill is back at Rhode Island State House. Is it improved? Reviews are mixed - Rhode Island PBS
Both bills were held for further study. Both bills also received testimony from Kirsten Smith, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, who testified in support of the bill. “I have no life,” Smith told the House committee of her kratom research. “All I do is study this.” Smith agreed with [Rep. Brian Patrick] Kennedy on one count. “I don’t think we should be mixing psychoactive products,” she said. But, she also told the House committee, “There are real humans who use [kratom] very responsibly and depend on it for their longterm recovery.”

Here's why researchers are making new psychedelic-like drugs — without the trip - NPR
Albert Garcia-Romeu is a guest on the final episode in NPR's Short Wave series on the science behind psychedelics and related drugs. He's a psychologist and psychopharmacologist at Johns Hopkins University.

Consciousness isn’t just in your head — it may be altering reality itself, scientists say - MSN via Popular Mechanics
In a study from Johns Hopkins’ Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, people who used substances like LSD and DMT reported experiencing a connection to an “ultimate reality” and “had a decreased fear of death

Common essential oil proven to reduce cannabis-related anxiety and paranoia - Earth
Most people have heard that cannabis can boost mood, but not everyone realizes that it can also bring on nervous feelings and anxiety in certain situations. Interest in balancing these effects is soaring, with many folks wondering if specific parts of the cannabis plant might soften the jangled moods tied to its psychoactive component. This newly published work comes from Ryan Vandrey, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Johns Hopkins’ ‘A Woman’s Journey’ program will be missed (commentary) - Baltimore Sun
Dr. Susan Lehmann, a Johns Hopkins professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences who has presented forums at A Woman’s Journey, both in Baltimore and in Florida, says, “A Woman’s Journey has been a treasure to the community for 30 years. It has engaged and empowered women to make better informed choices regarding their own health and the health of their families.”

Your weed habit may be messing with your sperm - New York Times
Men should quit all cannabis use for at least three months before they want to start to get pregnant, said Ryan Vandrey, who researches cannabis use at Johns Hopkins University. However, “there are lots of men of reproductive age who are heavy, heavy cannabis users and are having babies,” he added. “So it’s not that you can’t have a child if you’re a heavy daily cannabis user.”

Study: Psilocybin-assisted therapy shows promise in treating fibromyalgia symptoms - Marijuana Herald
Researchers from the University of Michigan, The Ohio State University and Johns Hopkins University conducted an open-label clinical trial involving five adults diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Each participant received two doses of psilocybin — 15 mg followed by 25 mg — administered two weeks apart, along with preparatory and integration psychotherapy sessions. The study’s primary focus was on safety.

March

Cannabis terpenes shown to prevent pain in new study - West Hawaii Today
Ryan Vandrey, researcher in the Cannabis Science Lab at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, said he’s not surprised by the study’s results. “There’s decent evidence for terpenes’ analgesic effects,” he said. The trick will be learning how these same results translate to pain relief in humans. “We do have to distinguish between this experiment and the typical human experience.”

Schizophrenia: Symptoms, causes and treatment - U.S. News & World Report
To ensure a proper diagnosis, sometimes it may be necessary to see multiple clinicians with experience in assessing and treating schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Because diagnosing schizophrenia “can be tricky … we have plenty of examples where it’s both underdiagnosed and over-diagnosed,” explains Dr. Russell Margolis, clinical director of the Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center and professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “So we encourage people to get second opinions

Misinformation on TikTok can lead to misunderstanding of ADHD, inaccurate self-diagnosis - Healio
David W. Goodman, MD, Assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine wrote: ....The upside is that people have access to information to better evaluate their own physical symptoms or mental experiences. The downside is that they will self-diagnose with inaccurate information and without adequate training....

TikTok is shaping how we think about ADHD - Science Friday
Host Flora Lichtman talks with the lead author of [an] ADHD TikTok study, Vasileia Karasavva, a PhD Student in clinical psychology at the University of British Columbia; and Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, director of psychology, neuropsychology, and social work at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

UCSD study suggests psilocybin could cure phantom limb pain - Axios
The field [of psilocybin research] effectively disappeared for a few decades [after the '60s and '70s], until Roland Griffiths revived it at Johns Hopkins by studying the effects of psychedelics on terminally ill cancer patients, with a landmark 2006 study.

Mushrooms for anxiety and depression - Al Dia
Recent studies have shown promising results in the use of psilocybin to treat mental health disorders. For instance, research from Johns Hopkins University revealed that psilocybin-assisted therapy can significantly reduce symptoms of major depression in adults, with effects lasting for weeks or even months.

Go ahead, drink your coffee - Psychology Today
Roland R. Griffiths, [who was] a prominent psychopharmacologist at Johns Hopkins University, made significant contributions to our understanding of caffeine’s effects, dependence, and withdrawal. He examined biological evidence for caffeine dependence, the prevalence of such dependence, and the clinical significance of caffeine use disorder — a valid diagnosis. Griffiths also addressed the rising consumption of caffeinated energy drinks.

Stronger firearm storage laws can prevent youth suicides (OpEd) - The Virginian Pilot
A stronger firearm access prevention bill in Virginia will save lives if Gov. Youngkin signs it, Paul Nestadt [of Johns Hopkins Medicine] and Alex McCourt of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, write.

The relationship between insomnia, anxiety, and depression - Everyday Health
“There does appear to be a circular relationship between sleep health and mental health,” says David Neubauer, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. “Worse sleep or mental health can have a negative impact on the other.”

New D.C. restaurant recreates psychedelic mushroom experience - Axios
One trip, hold the 'shrooms — a new D.C. restaurant [Sagrada Mia] takes diners on a psilocybin-like journey, minus the mind-altering substance....while there are no actual 'shrooms, you'll find some ingredients touted by psilocybin facilitators like ceremonial cacao and organic elixirs... A portion of Sagrada's sales will go toward the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University, which leads studies in therapeutic psychedelics.

Psychedelics: Mental health medication or just another trip? - Daily Utah Chronicle
Following clinical trials at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that demonstrate the effectiveness of psychedelics for treating mental health, Utah lawmakers unanimously voted to pass S.B. 266 during the 2024 legislative session, a bill legalizing psychedelic dosing for medical treatment.

Britain’s new nicotine addiction that could be more dangerous than vaping - The Telegraph (U.K.)
According to Dr Tory Spindle, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, some of the most well-known side effects of using nicotine pouches relate to their impact on oral health.... “This is likely due to prolonged contact between the pouch and gums,” says Dr Spindle.

Bad psychedelic trips linked to increased risk of death, study finds - Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.)
Medical institutions such as Johns Hopkins have highlighted the benefits of certain hallucinogenics such as psilocybin — the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” also known as “’shrooms” — have in treating certain mental illnesses like depression or even substance abuse disorders. Now, a more recent study has highlighted the drug’s potential, more harmful side effects.

Secret Limits - Bloomberg News
“The perception has been that this is an ongoing manufacturer issue,” said [David] Goodman, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “We need to stop talking about shortages and start talking about distribution issues.”  

FDA expands access to clozapine for treatment-resistant schizophrenia - Everyday Health
“This is a major advance, as it removes a significant barrier to clozapine use,” says Frederick Nucifora, DO, PhD, an associate professor and the director of the adult schizophrenia clinic at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. “This change ensures that patients will not be denied medication simply because they missed a blood draw due to illness, transportation issues, or other barriers,” Dr. Nucifora says. “As a result, more patients will be able to start and stay on clozapine without unnecessary disruptions, improving their stability and overall quality of life.”

If you use loud white noise for sleep, we've got some bad news for you - HuffPost
“Typically a decibel volume for children and infants would be 50 decibels or lower to minimize any potential harm associated with it,” said Dr. David Neubauer, a sleep expert at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.... Beyond the sound level, just how long the sound is actually on is an important factor to consider, according to Neubauer.

February

F.D.A. expands access to clozapine, a key treatment for schizophrenia - New York Times
Dr. Frederick C. Nucifora, director of the Adult Schizophrenia Clinic at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, said he believed that around 30 percent of patients with schizophrenia would benefit from clozapine — far more than the 4 percent who currently take it. “I have had many patients who were doing terribly, who struggled to function outside the hospital, and cycled through many medications,” he said. “If they go on clozapine, they really tend to not be hospitalized again. I’ve had people go on to finish college and work. It’s quite remarkable.”

Maryland spent big on youth mental health — but then the budget crisis hit - Maryland Reporter via Capital News Service
Preventing youth suicide is one of the consortium’s key goals, said Dr. John Campo, director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Sixteen of the consortium’s 129 grants so far focus on suicide prevention. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and third for people ages 15-24, according to the most recent CDC data.

A conversation on stigma with renowned psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison - Baltimore magazine
Because she was afraid of the way her work would be perceived, Jamison knew that telling her truth [about her bipolar illness] would mean giving up her clinical practice, by then at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She also feared that publicly sharing her story would lead to losing her hospital privileges or, even worse, her medical license. It did not. Instead, she revolutionized the field, becoming one of the most famous faces of the illness....

Why Menopause Is Making Your ADHD Symptoms Worse - Hone Health
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed or guilty when you’re struggling to manage tasks and habits that were once easily reined in. “That’s one major obstacle for patients—failing to realize that ADHD is not a function of character or willpower. It’s simply the way your brain is wired from genetics,” says psychiatrist David W. Goodman, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

iPhones have a built-in white noise feature that no one knows about - HuffPost
What do these white noise devices actually do? “The key feature of the sound devices is the constant sound in contrast to changing sounds like with music, radio and television,” said Dr. David Neubauer, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Our brains pay attention to changing sound, but a comfortable constant sound can help lull us to sleep.”

Players with Tampa’s first professional women’s soccer team use platform to discuss body image - Fox 13 (Tampa, Fla.)
"Interestingly, we're seeing a lot of different concerns in our young females and males related to their body image," Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, director of psychology, neuropsychology & social work for Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, said. "In our athletes specifically, we tend to see that control over their exercise and calorie intake really become very prominent."

ADHD’s sobering life-expectancy numbers (commentary) - The Atlantic
Once people are aware of their condition, they can learn about the risks and adjust their lifestyle accordingly, David Goodman, an ADHD expert and a psychiatry professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told me.

Virginia Senate passes psychedelic therapy bill, while House advances retail marijuana sales legalization measure - Marijuana Moment
“Veterans, as we know, are disproportionately affected by conditions such as PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, major depressive disorder and traumatic brain injury,” [Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D)] added. “What we have seen is compelling research coming from a variety of research institutions, such as Johns Hopkins, that points to the fact that treatment through psilocybin has been effective in addressing a lot of these issues."

Booze or weed: What’s worse for your health? - Wall Street Journal
A renewed focus on alcohol’s health effects has rekindled a common debate: Is alcohol or marijuana worse for you? Sorry, folks, but the short answer is that both can be bad. “The reality is, if you’re really worried about your health, you wouldn’t use either of them,” says Ryan Vandrey, a professor at Johns Hopkins University who helps run the Cannabis Science Lab.

Cannabis drinks are becoming more popular. Here’s why. - Washington Post
“People assume that cannabis edibles are just like alcohol, where if they have a meal, it’s going to result in lower effects,” said Tory Spindle, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University. “It’s actually the exact opposite.” ... Spindle said, “for some individuals, five milligrams [in a THC seltzer] is pretty strong.”

January

Try ‘Phone Free February’ to reduce screen time and improve your health - MSN via Washington Post
Emerging research shows that more screen time is associated with higher rates of obesity, sleep problems and mental health issues.... The good news is that some of these harmful effects seem to be reversible, said Jennifer Margaret Katzenstein, director of psychology, neuropsychology and social work at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. “Reducing your cellphone use by just an hour a day instead of going cold turkey can have a great impact on your quality of life and levels of depression,” she said.

Friends who repeat themselves: Should you worry? - Next Avenue
"I think one key thing is how often a person is repeating themselves," says Halima Amjad, MD, Assistant Professor with the School of Medicine in Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at Johns Hopkins and a provider at the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer's Treatment Center. "If you start to notice it happening multiple times with the same person, that's potentially a concern."

Dry January goes mainstream. What are the benefits? - WYPR radio
[W]hat are the benefits of cutting back — or cutting out — drinking? Is there a healthy number of drinks one can enjoy? We ask Dr. Sarah Andrews, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Dr. Jessica Lee, a primary care physician, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Easing end-of-life care with shrooms - Psychology Today
The work of the late Roland Griffiths of Johns Hopkins has been pivotal in advancing psilocybin’s potential in palliative/end-of-life care. Research provides strong evidence supporting psilocybin for alleviating anxiety, depression, and existential distress in patients facing terminal illnesses.

Could synthetic psilocybin be the next big thing in mental health? Colorado thinks so - Aspen Times (Colorado)
The use of psilocybin as a mental health treatment continues to garner support from academic and medical researchers from institutions like Johns Hopkins, the University of California Los Angeles, and New York University.

Sedentary work linked to 37% higher risk of insomnia-like symptoms, new study finds - CNN
The study’s large sample size and statistical technique, which allows the volunteers’ sleep patterns to be tracked over an extended timeframe, makes the research incredibly valuable, said Dr. Luis Buenaver, director of the behavioral sleep medicine program at Johns Hopkins University’s department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.... To ensure you don’t forget to take breaks [from sitting], Buenaver advises people to set an hourly alert on their phone as a movement reminder.

Expert advice to set and achieve family goals in 2025 - WFLA-TV (Tampa, Fla.)
The Co-Director of the Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein, explained her top ten tips for achieving family goals in the new year. [Including] 1. Explain the importance of goal setting; 2. Make it a family tradition; 3. Set age-appropriate goals.

Social media use and binge eating in early adolescence - Contemporary Pediatrics
Susan Carnell, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and co-author of the "Concurrent and prospective associations of social media usage with binge eating symptoms in early adolescence," publication in Obesity, recently discussed the link between social media use and the development of binge eating behaviors in adolescents. Carnell and her team aimed to explore the impact of social media on eating disorders, focusing on how social comparison and content could drive body dissatisfaction.

South Dakota said no. Big marijuana must listen. - Capital Journal (Pierre, S.D.)
Supporters of legalization also claim that the policy will reduce the youth use of marijuana. A recent systematic review from professors at Harvard Medical School and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found that legalization is associated with a 13 percent greater odds of past-month marijuana use among youth.

5 wellness retreat trends in 2025, from sexual healing and psychedelics to horse therapy - South China Morning Post
4. Psychedelic retreats. That psychedelics can help treat a range of ailments from PTSD to addiction, stress and more is increasingly accepted, with convincing clinical research carried out by institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London.