mental health

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DC Shooting Suspect Worked With CIA in Afghanistan

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was evacuated to US after Taliban takeover

(Newser) - The Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, DC, fought with CIA-backed forces in Afghanistan before coming to live in the US, the CIA said Wednesday, per the New York Times . Officials identified the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who served in a "partner force"...

Parents Suing Over Teen's Suicide: OpenAI Is Bullying Us

Lawyer says company is trying 'to find fault in everyone else,' including the victim himself

(Newser) - The parents who allege OpenAI's ChatGPT contributed to their 16-year-old son's suicide say the company's response, coming three months after their claims were filed, "abjectly ignore[s] all of the damning facts we have put forward." Jay Edelson, lead attorney for Adam Raines' parents, argues OpenAI...

Brief Social Media 'Detox' Can Improve Mental Health

Study subjects were ages 18 to 24 and saw a drop in anxiety, depression, and insomnia symptoms

(Newser) - A weeklong break from social media may ease symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia among young adults, according to new research published in the journal JAMA Network Open . The study tracked 295 volunteers aged 18 to 24 who agreed to dramatically cut back on social media use, reducing their average...

UVA Shooter Hears Fate Over Football Players' Murder

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. is handed 5 life sentences for 2022 murders

(Newser) - A Virginia judge on Friday issued five life sentences, plus 23 years, to Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., the former University of Virginia student who opened fire on a charter bus in November 2022, killing three UVA football players and wounding two other students, reports WTVR . Jones, 26, pleaded guilty last...

Country Star on Being 2 Months Sober: 'I Feel Whole'

Zach Bryan says he sought therapy after panic attacks, and a year of public turmoil

(Newser) - Zach Bryan is opening up about his mental health struggles and decision to get sober, saying he hopes his story will reassure others who feel isolated or overwhelmed. In a candid message posted to social media , the singer described a year marked by personal upheaval, public scrutiny, and high-profile controversies—...

Trudeau's Ex Responds to Katy Perry Romance

Sophie Gregoire jokes she's 'single, trilingual, and ready to mingle'

(Newser) - Justin Trudeau's ex-wife has broken her silence on his new relationship with a pop star. Sophie Gregoire addressed the public fallout from her split with the former Canadian prime minister, now dating Katy Perry , during a podcast interview , telling businesswoman Arlene Dickinson that she tries to tune out the...

SSRIs and Teens: The Sexual Side Effect No One Talks About

New York Times explores how antidepressants can reduce sexuality long after patients stop taking them

(Newser) - More US teens than ever are taking antidepressants—with somewhere around 2 million between the ages of 12 and 17 on an SSRI, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. As a story in the New York Times Magazine explains, the drugs can be literal life-savers for some. But the piece by...

Anxiety Sufferers Have Lower Brain Levels of a Key Nutrient

Researchers suggest eating choline-rich foods could improve symptoms

(Newser) - People with anxiety disorders have measurably lower levels of an essential brain nutrient, according to a new meta-analysis, which suggests that fueling up on choline-rich foods could improve symptoms. Researchers at UC Davis Health analyzed data from 25 studies, comparing brain chemistry in 370 people with anxiety disorders to 342...

Cowboys Player Sent 'Goodbye' Texts Before His Death

Marshawn Kneeland referenced jail in messages before suicide, police say

(Newser) - Newly released police recordings reveal that Marshawn Kneeland, the Dallas Cowboys defensive end who died by suicide last week , sent group text messages to friends indicating he was saying goodbye and expressing that he couldn't face time in jail. The Cowboys' head of security, Cable Johnson, alerted Plano police...

Influencer Admits She Lied About Cancer

The UK's Brittany Miller issues a public apology

(Newser) - A British influencer is coming clean about a big lie she told: Brittany Miller has apologized in a new TikTok video for falsely claiming that she had cancer, reports NBC News . Miller, who has 3.5 million followers and regularly posts about her twin boys, said she was "deeply...

What Americans Think About Getting Old
Americans Have
an Ideal Age to Die
Nov 8, 2025 4:49 PM CST

Americans Have an Ideal Age to Die

It's 91, according to a Pew survey

(Newser) - America's population is aging faster than ever, but how people feel about growing older depends a lot on their income, a new Pew Research Center survey reveals. Highlights:
  • Nearly half of Americans age 65 and older say they are aging extremely well or very well. But money mattered: 61%
...

OpenAI Slammed With Lawsuits Over 'Dangerous' ChatGPT

Complaints say AI-driven chatbot drove people even without prior mental health issues to suicide

(Newser) - OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide and harmful delusions, even when they had no prior mental health issues. The lawsuits filed Thursday in California state courts allege wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter, and negligence, per the AP . Filed on behalf of six adults and...

Only Plane Crash Survivor Says He Still 'Lost Everything'

Viswashkumar Ramesh's brother died when Air India flight went down in June

(Newser) - The sole survivor of the Air India crash that killed 241 people this summer says he feels both "the luckiest man alive" and overwhelmed by grief and trauma. Viswashkumar Ramesh escaped the wreckage of the London-bound flight in Ahmedabad but lost his younger brother, Ajay, who was also on...

Fresh Prince Actor Floyd Myers Jr. Dies at 42
Fresh Prince Actor
Floyd Myers Jr. Dies at 42
OBITUARY
Oct 30, 2025 7:22 AM CDT

Fresh Prince Actor Floyd Myers Jr. Dies at 42

Former child star remembered for his mental health advocacy work

(Newser) - Floyd Roger Myers Jr., best known for his role as Young Will on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has died at the age of 42. Myers passed away on Wednesday at his home in Maryland after suffering a heart attack, his mother, Renee Trice, told TMZ . He'd already lived...

In a Week, 1.2M ChatGPT Users Show Suicidal Intent

OpenAI says it's improved how its chatbot responds, but experts have concerns

(Newser) - OpenAI has revealed that a small but significant fraction of ChatGPT users display signs of serious mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts and psychosis. According to the company, 0.07% of weekly users—or about 560,000 people out of a total 800 million globally —show possible signs of...

Author of Bestselling Memoir Dies at 35

South Korea's Baek Se-hee wrote of her depression in I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki

(Newser) - The South Korean writer behind the bestselling memoir I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki has died at the age of 35, reports the BBC . Baek Se-hee's cause of death was not immediately clear. Her 2018 book, which captured candid conversations about her depression with her...

'Messy' Singer Says She Has to 'Cancel Everything'

Lola Young collapsed onstage Saturday in Queens

(Newser) - British singer Lola Young says she has to "cancel everything" after collapsing onstage during a Saturday performance in New York City. In an Instagram post Tuesday, the 24-year-old, known for her hit "Messy," said, "I'm going away for a while. It pains me to say...

College Students Who Eat Keto May See an Added Perk

Small study shows major drop in depression symptoms among those who follow ketogenic diet

(Newser) - A pilot study out of Ohio State University suggests that a ketogenic diet may help reduce depression symptoms in college students already receiving standard treatment. Sixteen students diagnosed with major depressive disorder followed a strict keto regimen—less than 50 grams of carbs daily, with higher fat and moderate...

Death Row Inmate Has Bizarre Take on Execution

Judge overrules Steven Bixby, who believes only treason is punishable by death

(Newser) - A South Carolina judge has ruled that Steven Bixby, a death row inmate convicted of killing two law enforcement officers in 2003, is mentally fit to be executed, despite his unconventional legal and religious beliefs. Judge R. Scott Sprouse's decision opens the way for Bixby, 58, to receive...

This Tragic Murder-Suicide Has an AI Component
This Tragic Murder-Suicide
Has an AI Component
LONGFORM
Sep 13, 2025 9:30 AM CDT

This Tragic Murder-Suicide Has an AI Component

The Wall Street Journal delves into what allegedly happened to Stein-Erik Soelberg

(Newser) - A Connecticut man's downward spiral ended in a murder-suicide last month, but what makes this case altogether atypical is its alleged AI component. As Julie Jargon and Sam Kessler write for the Wall Street Journal , "while ChatGPT use has been linked to suicides and mental health hospitalizations...

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