Mental

• A recent survey by Piper Sandler's Chief Investment Officer (CIO) found that spending on Artificial Intelligence (AI) has moved beyond the experimental phase. • The survey indicates a significant shift in how companies approach AI, with investments becoming more substantial and integrated into core business operations. • This development suggests that AI is becoming a crucial component of business strategy, driven by its potential to enhance efficiency, decision-making, and innovation.

Commissioner calls for overhaul of state support after reporting 10% rise in young patient referrals last yearMore than 1 million children were referred to mental health services across England last year, with referrals up 10% from the year previous, according to a report by the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza. She said the country faced a “crisis” in young people’s mental health.The number of patients who had an active referral to children and young people’s mental health services across England surpassed 1 million for the first time in 2024-25. This was almost double the number recorded in 2018-19, and an almost 10% rise on the previous year. Continue reading...

• WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that clinical trials for two experimental drugs will launch next week in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. • The trials will evaluate whether the antivirals MBP134 and remdesivir, provided via donations from the United States and Gilead Sciences, can reduce mortality rates. • This intervention is critical because the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola currently has no approved vaccines or therapeutics, and this is only the third such outbreak in history.

• The U.S. government has provided doses of an experimental antibody drug developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Congo. • This decision marks a shift in policy, as the U.S. previously stated the treatment would only be available to high-risk American citizens. • The provision of these doses allows for the drug to be used in clinical trials, accelerating the process of determining its efficacy against the virus.

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on major AI companies on June 23 to publicly disclose the full environmental costs of their data centers. • The initiative demands that these firms transition to renewable power to mitigate the high energy and water consumption required to fuel the AI revolution. • This push follows increasing scrutiny from environmental groups regarding the lack of transparency surrounding the ecological footprint of global data center expansion.

• U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced over $700 million in new funding opportunities on Wednesday to address mental illness, addiction, and homelessness. • The financial package includes $238.6 million for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and $223.1 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. • Additional allocations consist of $80 million for substance use prevention and recovery programs, alongside more than $70 million for general mental health services.

• UCLA researchers have developed an experimental drug called AD-NP1, designed to block the protein ENPP1 to prevent heart failure and promote heart tissue healing after a heart attack. • New lab experiments indicate the drug may also be effective for kidney repair, as biopsies from patients with chronic kidney disease show elevated levels of the same ENPP1 protein. • This discovery is significant because it suggests a potential first-in-class treatment for multiple organ systems, expanding the drug's therapeutic potential beyond cardiology.

Exclusive: Oxevision system used by 40% of NHS mental health trusts being scrutinised by information commissioner over privacy concernsThe information commissioner has launched an investigation into a controversial camera-based system for monitoring patients in their bedrooms, used by 40% of NHS mental health trusts, over data protection concerns.Oxevision is described by patients as “creepy” and a form of “spying”, and has been blamed by a bereaved mother for contributing to her daughter’s sense of paranoia before she took her own life.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...