Psych Meds Scrutinized in Murder Trial; LSD's Phase III Win; Bipolar Mortality Study

In the murder trial of former nurse Lindsay Clancy, attention shifted to the psychiatric medications she was taking before she killed her three children. Meanwhile, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced the commencement of PIVOT, a randomized trial of psilocybin for major depression.

House Democrats sent a letter to the VA secretary following an investigation revealing deteriorating access to mental healthcare for veterans. A phase III trial of Definium Therapeutics' LSD pill met its primary endpoint, demonstrating improvement in symptoms for generalized anxiety disorder. However, Vistagen's investigational fasedienol nasal spray for social anxiety disorder failed to outperform placebo in a phase II study, though the company plans to proceed with development.

The International Olympic Committee released a consensus statement recommending routine screening and surveillance of mental health for elite athletes. A new study found that older adults with bipolar disorder had significantly worse mortality rates compared to age- and sex-matched controls over an 8-year period. Research published in CNS Spectrums supported the use of valbenazine (Ingrezza) for improving patient-reported quality of life and daily functioning in adults with tardive dyskinesia.

The University of Michigan will implement pass/fail grading for first-semester freshmen to enhance student mental health. In a landmark lawsuit, the family of actor Robert Carradine is suing the University of California Los Angeles neuropsychiatric hospital over his suicide, alleging the facility permitted him to retain his belt in a locked psychiatric unit. K-pop influencer Mina Chan, 25, tragically died by suicide during a social media livestream in South Korea.