Mental Health

North Chicago, Illinois – September 24, 2026 -- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFU) neuroscientist Nicole Ferrara, PhD, has secured a five-year, $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate how social disruptions, including COVID-19 lockdowns, alter brain development in adolescents.

NIH funds five-year study on amygdala development and social behavior

The project, titled "Social Experience Guides BMA Mediated Social Development," will examine how the basomedial amygdala (BMA) responds to restricted or inconsistent social contact during adolescence and young adulthood. Dr. Ferrara's preliminary data indicate the BMA functions differently during teen and young adult years compared with other brain regions, making it potentially more vulnerable to social disruption.

New York – September 20, 2026 -- Project Healthy Minds, a mental health tech nonprofit, will host its fourth annual World Mental Health Day Gala on Thursday, October 8, and its fifth annual World Mental Health Day Festival on Saturday, October 10, both at New York's Spring Studios. The nonprofit says its programmatic initiatives have already served more than 500,000 people, with a goal of connecting over 10 million Americans to mental health services over the next decade.

Aurora, Colo. – September 19, 2026 -- A new study from the University of Colorado Anschutz Marcus Institute for Brain Health finds that irritability following chronic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in military veterans stems from a combination of PTSD symptoms, chronic pain and difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments, not a single psychological cause.

Study of 124 veterans links irritability to three distinct factors

Published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, the research examined 124 military veterans, including 61 with chronic mTBI and 63 without any history of brain injury. Participants underwent standardized assessments measuring irritability, PTSD symptoms, chronic pain, balance and auditory processing, including speech-in-noise comprehension.

Natick, Mass. – September 16, 2026 -- Franklin Pierce University has partnered with Uwill to expand mental health and wellness support for its graduate students, granting them unlimited access to licensed counselors through Uwill's teletherapy matching platform.

Nearly 40% of graduate students report anxiety or depression symptoms, six times the general population rate

The partnership responds to survey data showing 90% of adults believe the U.S. faces a mental health crisis, with graduate students facing disproportionately high rates of psychological distress tied to academic, career and family pressures.

Austin – September 15, 2026 -- SHIFT, a health and performance platform built for industrial and frontline workforces, has launched a Clinical & Performance Advisory Council and named clinical psychologist Dr. Brandi Luedtke, PsyD, HSPP, as its Founding Advisor.

Construction suicide rates far exceed workplace fatality figures

Approximately 5,200 construction workers aged 16 to 64 died by suicide in 2022, more than five times the number who died from fatal workplace injuries, according to data analyzed by CPWR–The Center for Construction Research and Training. CDC figures for 2021 show men in construction had a suicide rate of 56.0 per 100,000, compared with 32.0 per 100,000 among men in the overall working population.

Las Vegas – September 15, 2026 -- Employees of nonprofit managed care organization CareSource raised $75,000 for The Children's Cabinet of Nevada through the company's 2026 Workplace Giving campaign.

CareSource Foundation directs employee-driven giving toward mental health programs

The contribution stems from CareSource's "Together We Give, Together We Impact" campaign, administered by the CareSource Foundation, which this year focuses on addressing the mental health crisis affecting communities nationwide. The Foundation has awarded more than $39 million to nonprofits since 2006, targeting poverty elimination and healthy-community initiatives for low- and moderate-income families.

Arlington, Va. – September 15, 2026 -- Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), has been named to The NonProfit Times 2026 Power & Influence Top 50 list, an honor tied to a $59 million gift secured from donor MacKenzie Scott. Gillison will be recognized at the 20th Power & Influence Top 50 Gala on September 17 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

NPT credits Gillison with modernizing NAMI's crisis infrastructure

The NonProfit Times stated that Gillison "modernized the nation's largest grassroots mental health nonprofit, built cross-sector coalitions and secured investments from donors, including MacKenzie Scott, who gifted $59 million." Under his leadership, NAMI launched the National Collaborative for Crisis Systems Innovation, a hub designed to align and strengthen behavioral health crisis care, including the 988 Suicide and Crisis helpline program.