TL;DR
Turn your wind-down time into listening time
- Thousands of audiobooks, podcasts and originals
- Listen on your phone, tablet or Echo — also offline
- Cancel anytime
The Veterans Affairs will require younger veterans to sign consent forms and have documented risk-benefit discussions before antidepressant prescriptions, the New York Times reported. A randomized trial in JAMA Network Open found an investigational smartphone app reduced negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and a small pilot trial in JAMA Psychiatry linked reducing ultraprocessed foods to lower depression and anxiety scores.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will require younger veterans to sign informed consent forms and have documented discussions about the risks and benefits of antidepressants before receiving a prescription, according to a New York Times report highlighted in a September 30 psychiatry roundup by MedPage Today. The policy shift heads a week of developments in mental health care, including trial results for an investigational smartphone app for schizophrenia and a pilot study linking reduced ultraprocessed food intake to lower depression scores.
The VA policy applies specifically to younger veterans and mandates both a signed consent form and documentation of a conversation about antidepressant risks and benefits before a prescription can be issued, the New York Times reported. Full details of how the VA will define the affected age group and when the requirement takes effect were not included in the report.
In drug-development and digital-health news, a randomized trial published in JAMA Network Open showed that an investigational smartphone app reduced the severity of negative symptoms in schizophrenia — the domain of the illness involving reduced motivation, social withdrawal, and flattened emotion, for which existing treatments are limited. Separately, Acadia Pharmaceuticals reported that its investigational Alzheimer’s psychosis drug remlifanserin missed its primary endpoint in a phase II trial, though the company said it plans to advance the strong>5HT2A receptor inverse agonist into phase III studies.
In nutrition research, a small pilot crossover trial published in JAMA Psychiatry indicated that patients with major depressive disorder showed lower depression and anxiety scores when they reduced their consumption of ultraprocessed foods. Because of its small size and pilot design, the study suggests rather than establishes a causal relationship between diet and depressive symptoms.
Why Consent Rules and App Trials Matter
The VA policy matters because the VA is one of the largest prescribers of mental health medications in the United States, and a consent requirement changes the clinical encounter for potentially thousands of younger veterans. Informed-consent rules are intended to make risk-benefit discussions explicit and documented, but their effect on prescribing rates, patient engagement, or treatment outcomes is not yet known.
The schizophrenia app trial is notable because negative symptoms respond poorly to available antipsychotic medications, and digital interventions could offer scalable, low-cost supplementary care. In the same vein, a separate JAMA Network Open study found that greater antipsychotic adherence in young adults with first-episode psychosis was associated with more outpatient behavioral health visits and fewer emergency department visits — a pattern researchers say supports coordinated early treatment.
The diet-and-depression pilot speaks to broad interest in whether modifiable lifestyle factors can supplement standard depression treatment, though its small size means larger trials are needed before any clinical recommendations change.
Top picks for "antidepressant aids schizophrenia"
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
A Week of Sobering Mental Health Data
The roundup arrived against a backdrop of troubling mental health indicators. CDC data in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed about 49,000 people in the U.S. died by suicide in 2023 — more than double the roughly 23,000 homicide deaths that year. The acting Navy secretary said eight sailors assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide, according to The Hill.
On the treatment side, researchers in the American Journal of Psychiatry reported that the annual prevalence of dispensed benzodiazepines fell 26.7% from 2013 to 2024, which they attributed to increased clinical caution and updated safety labeling. Roughly 9% of older adults reported past-year cannabis use, with 11% of those meeting criteria for cannabis use disorder, according to a study in Addiction.
Other items included a 65% jump between 2019 and 2025 in emergency room visits for pediatric mental health concerns at Children’s Hospital Colorado, as reported by Axios, and the launch of a street psychiatry team in Chicago to reach homeless individuals with mental health issues, according to CBS News.
“A new Veterans Affairs policy for younger veterans will require signed consent forms and documented discussions about antidepressant risks and benefits before receiving a prescription.”
— New York Times (as cited by MedPage Today)
What the Reports Leave Unanswered
Key details of the VA consent policy — including the exact age range covered, the effective date, and whether it applies to all antidepressants or specific medications — were not specified in the initial report. It is also unclear how clinicians and veterans’ advocacy groups will respond to the requirement.
For the schizophrenia app, the trial results were reported in summary form; the magnitude of symptom reduction, the app’s availability, and its regulatory status remain to be seen. The ultraprocessed food trial was a small pilot crossover study, so its findings cannot be generalized without replication in larger trials. And while remlifanserin missed its phase II primary endpoint, Acadia’s rationale for advancing to phase III — and regulators’ view of that decision — has not been detailed.
Pending Trials and Policy Rollout
Watch for VA implementation guidance spelling out who is covered by the consent requirement and when it takes effect. Acadia Pharmaceuticals is expected to move remlifanserin into phase III trials despite the missed phase II endpoint. The schizophrenia app investigators and the diet-depression researchers will likely pursue larger follow-up studies to confirm their preliminary findings. Broader surveillance data — including CDC suicide statistics and pediatric mental health utilization trends — will continue to indicate whether the reported worsening trends persist.
Key Questions
Does the new VA policy stop veterans from getting antidepressants?
No. According to the New York Times report, the policy requires signed consent and documented risk-benefit discussions before a prescription is issued to younger veterans. It adds procedural steps rather than prohibiting the medications.
Can a smartphone app treat schizophrenia?
A randomized trial in JAMA Network Open found an investigational app reduced negative symptom severity. The app is investigational, meaning it is not yet approved or widely available, and it is not a replacement for standard antipsychotic treatment.
Should people with depression change their diet?
A small pilot trial in JAMA Psychiatry linked reducing ultraprocessed foods to lower depression and anxiety scores. The evidence is preliminary; anyone managing depression should discuss treatment options with a qualified healthcare professional.
How common is suicide in the U.S. compared with homicide?
CDC data showed about 49,000 suicide deaths in 2023, more than double the roughly 23,000 homicide deaths that year, according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Is benzodiazepine prescribing going down?
Yes. Researchers reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry that dispensed benzodiazepine prevalence fell 26.7% from 2013 to 2024, citing increased clinical caution and updated safety labeling.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
