When gender-diverse or transgender people have surgeries to affirm their gender, they experience a variety of positive mental health outcomes, new research shows. The study found an association between the surgeries, which participants had at least two years prior to a survey, and significantly lower rates of past-month psychological distress, past-year suicidal ideation and past-year…  read on >  read on >

Young Black and Hispanic cancer patients face poorer survival odds than their white counterparts, even from some cancers that are highly curable, a new study finds. It’s well known that the United States has long-standing racial disparities in cancer survival. The researchers said the new findings bolster evidence that those disparities are not confined to…  read on >  read on >

The Biden administration has eased guidelines for prescribing a crucial addiction treatment drug, just as a new study reveals one in five U.S. pharmacies refuses to dispense the medication, called buprenorphine. “Buprenorphine is a vital, lifesaving medication for people with opioid use disorder, but improving access has been a problem for a variety of reasons,”…  read on >  read on >

A popular treatment for the seasonal depression that strikes during dark winter months may also benefit veterans with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, a small pilot study suggests. Results from 16 older veterans found that bright light therapy alongside traditional treatments for these problems improved physical and mental symptoms. The therapy, in which…  read on >  read on >

Good sleep might be the best prescription for sexual satisfaction among older women, a new study suggests. Women who did not routinely get restful slumber were nearly twice as likely to report sexual problems, such as lack of desire or arousal, researchers found. “Sexual dysfunction…is defined as the presence of sexual problems associated with distress,…  read on >  read on >

Most young people do want to protect others from COVID-19, according to polls of 14- to 24-year-olds that suggest focusing on this message may be effective. “Public health campaigns should leverage youths’ desire to protect others and not be the cause of spread,” said Dr. Kao-Ping Chua, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University…  read on >  read on >

Bullied and mistreated teens are much more likely to fantasize about hurting or killing others, a new study warns. “One way to think about fantasies is as our brain rehearsing future scenarios,” said lead author Manuel Eisner, director of the University of Cambridge Violence Research Center in the U.K. His research included more than 1,400…  read on >  read on >