• The National Institute of Health (NIH) announces funding of more than 200 new awards, totaling over $220 million, through the BRAIN Initiative, an exciting trans-agency effort to arm researchers with revolutionary tools to fundamentally understand the neural circuits that underlie the brain. 
• Team-based coordinated specialty care (CSC) for first episode psychosis resulted in more optimal prescribing of antipsychotics and fewer side effects when compared with typical community care, according to findings from NIMH's Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) project.
• The suicide rate among the United States (U.S.) working age population increased 34 percent during 2000-2016. A new report published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC), Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) examined lifetime occupations of 22,053 people aged 16-64 years old who died by suicide in the 17 states participating in the National Violent Death Reporting System in 2012 and 2015.
• A new report in the CDC MMWR features data from the 2011–2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a school-based survey of U.S. middle and high school students, which were analyzed to determine the prevalence of current e-cigarette use, current use of any tobacco product, frequency of e-cigarette use, and current use of any flavored e-cigarettes among U.S. middle school and high school students.
• A new study led by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) found that about 1.5 million U.S. children — or 1 in 40 — have received a diagnosis of, and currently have, autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 

• “It never occurred to me to do a Ph.D.,” says Frances Johnson, an NIMH trainee. Yet after getting an NIMH Diversity Supplement grant and participating in the NIH G-SOAR program, Frances is pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Learn more about her journey and how NIMH/NIH training programs for members of underrepresented groups have nurtured her scientific career.

• NIH Director's Blog: Whether it’s growing up in gut-wrenching poverty, dealing with dysfunctional family dynamics, or coping with persistent bullying in school, extreme adversity can shatter a child’s sense of emotional well-being. But does it also place kids at higher of developing heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic health conditions as adults?

• Younger siblings of children with ASD are at greater risk for ASD and other developmental concerns. A recent NIMH and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) funded study identified behavior and temperament problems at 36 months in this population that later predicted attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnoses.

• The latest issue of the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) newsletter, NIAAA Spectrum, includes a feature article about alcohol and the aging brain.

• This report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) summarizes findings and recommendations from the exploration of suicide surveillance among American Indian and Alaska Native communities across the country.

• This infographic from SAMHSA’s National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) defines bullying and describes how bullies harass their victims through verbal, social, physical, and cyber means.

• This new web-based resource from the CDC is designed to help states and communities take advantage of the best available evidence to prevent violence. This resource walks practitioners through each phase of building a comprehensive violence prevention effort.

• This data brief from the CDC uses final mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System to update trends in suicide mortality from 1999 through 2017 and to describe differences by sex, age group, and urbanization level of the decedent’s county of residence.

• This report from CDC updates statistics on deaths from drug overdoses in the U.S. and includes information on trends since 1999 as well as key statistics for 2017.

• This Department of Justice (DOJ) blog post highlights a recently released study funded by the Office of Justice Programs' National Institute of Justice, which reveals the prevalence of teen dating violence and focuses on preventing it.

• January 22-27, 2019: National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week® - National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW) is a week-long series of events that links teens to science-based facts to shatter the myths about drugs. Healthcare professionals can participate in NDAFW by providing teens with free resources about drugs.
• This depression research study tests the effects of the combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and psychotherapy on brain function. Participation includes research evaluations, brain scans, and active TMS and psychotherapy, or inactive TMS and psychotherapy. Recruiting ages 18-65 with major depressive disorder, who are free of other serious medical conditions. If you are currently taking anti-depressants, you may still be eligible.
• What’s the “next big thing” that could help people with mental illnesses get the treatment and services they need? This important question was the theme of the NIMH’s 24th biennial Mental Health Services Research conference held August 1-2 in Rockville, MD.