This perspective article argues that the theoretical landscape of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) has long been stabilized by the “hydraulic” model of Automatic Negative Reinforcement, which conceptualizes self-harm primarily as a mechanism to down-regulate aversive hyper-arousal. While this framework successfully elucidates the etiology of self-injury driven by high-intensity negative affect, it fails to account for a substantial, treatment-resistant phenotype: adolescents driven by profound anhedonia and ventral striatal hypofunction. This perspective article argues for the formal recognition of an “Anhedonic Subtype” of NSSI. Synthesizing recent epidemiological data identifying “emptiness” as a central symptom network bridge, alongside neurobiological evidence of reward blunting, we posit that for this subtype, NSSI functions not as a sedative, but as a mechanism of “forced activation.” We propose a preliminary differential diagnostic framework distinguishing defensive dissociation from anhedonic deficit and outline the theoretical rationale for exploring a shift in clinical intervention from distress tolerance toward positive affect up-regulation. The clinical utility of this framework remains to be evaluated in future empirical research.
Resonance across cultures and faiths: examining the violin music’s role in emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being for sustainable societies
Music is a decisive factor of the everyday life and the core focus of human being of any culture. People of all ages, races and ethnicities prefer to listen to it and play it. But music is not only entertainment because scientific research has shown that it can also create an impact on the physiological processes that can be used to enhance physical and mental illnesses. The current study analyzes the ways in which the violin may be employed in enhancing emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being of different cultures and religions. It relies on secondary data to examine the emotional appeal of the instrument, the psychological resilience benefits, and the spiritual meaning of the instrument particularly in the intercultural and interfaith context. The sound of the violin that is very flexible and familiar in various cultural and religious practices is also a channel of emotional expression, psychological healing, and spiritual intercourse. Therapeutic interventions and educational environments have been linked to it, as a means of improving emotional control, decreasing stress and increasing resilience. Also, the violin can be used as a significant instrument of spiritual reflection in other religious practices, in the Christian church service as well as in Hindu devotional music. Findings indicate that the violin facilitates interfaith communication and social integration by way of sharing of emotions and spirituality. It is a cultural preservation and common good, that promotes inclusivity and comprehension of the multicultural societies and results in sustainable communities. The paper shows that the field of special role of the violin in promoting resilience, empathy and sustainable development of society needs more empirical studies to advance the knowledge on the topic.
Trends of incident stimulant use disorder diagnoses before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia (2013-2024): a population-based study
BackgroundThere is rising detection of unregulated stimulants (e.g. cocaine and methamphetamine) in toxicology results among people who died of unregulated drug poisoning. Nevertheless, little research describes the population-level trends of incident (new) stimulant use disorder (StUD) diagnoses. This study reports on trends of incident StUD diagnoses pre- and post-Covid-19 public health emergency in British Columbia (BC), Canada.MethodsInterrupted time series analyses were conducted with BC’s COVID-19 public health emergency declaration on March 16, 2020 as the interruption point. Descriptive statistics on demographic and health service contact were conducted for the population diagnosed before (January 1, 2013 – March 16, 2020) and after (March 17, 2020 – December 31, 2024) the COVID-19 pandemic emergency declaration. Seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (sARIMA) models were used to .estimate changes to incident StuD diagnoses rates before and after the COVID-19 pandemic declaration.Results38, 217 people were identified with incident StUD diagnoses between January 1, 2013 and March 31, 2024. The average diagnosis rate of incident StUD was 5.18 per 100, 000 in the pre-pandemic period and increased by 19.9% to 6.21 per 100, 000 in the post-pandemic period. The estimated increase in slope (ramp) of incident StUD was 0.0315 cases per 100, 000 population per month (95% CI: -0.00182, 0.06482).ConclusionsWe identified a rate of increase in incident StUD diagnoses since the COVID-19 pandemic declaration in BC that was not statistically significant. Our study highlights the need for more comprehensive linked data -including, administrative health data, surveys, and other services/program data (e.g., community services, private sector) to better disentangle StUD incidence and prevalence to inform services to meet the needs of people with StUD. Stimulant use, Stimulant use disorder, pandemic, Covid-19, methamphetamines, cocaine, interrupted time series.
Newcomer anti-IL-33 makes strides in COPD
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 07 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03136-x
AstraZeneca’s IL-33 antibody tozorakimab targets two distinct signaling pathways engaged in COPD: inflammation and epithelial dysfunction.
ChatGPT Health triage advice falls short in key cases
Nature Medicine, Published online: 07 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04427-1
ChatGPT Health showed high accuracy for moderately urgent conditions but frequently overtriaged mild cases and undertriaged emergencies. These findings highlight safety risks at clinical extremes, raising concerns about the reliability of AI tools for urgent care decision-making.
Official leading CDC’s cruise ship program retires
WASHINGTON — The top U.S. official responsible for public health on cruise ships is stepping down, according to an internal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement obtained by STAT.
The retirement of Luis Rodríguez, who has been part of the Vessel Sanitation Program since 2010 and served as its chief since 2023, was announced internally at the CDC on Wednesday.
<![CDATA[Online tool personalizes antidepressant choice in primary care, cutting dropouts and improving 24-week depression and anxiety scores.]]>
STAT+: More political interference at the FDA?
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Former DOGE co-founder v. former state Covid-19 czar
Although most people whom DOGE fired from HHS probably don’t live in Ohio, they may feel a personal connection to the gubernatorial race there.
<![CDATA[Learn how genetics shape psych med response and dosing.]]>
<![CDATA[New psychiatry drugs target dementia agitation, ADHD, depression, TRD, and schizophrenia—see which novel mechanisms may reach the FDA next.]]>