MFP/ANA e-Newsletter: August 8, 2025

MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE USE, AND NURSING ARTICLES

OpenAI Takes Calculated Move To Navigate Treacherous Waters (opens new window)

In today’s column, I examine the newly announced changes to ChatGPT by OpenAI that are being undertaken to navigate the treacherous waters of AI producing mental health advice. I say that this is a treacherous predicament because generative AI and large language models (LLMs) can potentially produce foul psychological advice and even generate therapeutically harmful guidance. The difficulty for AI makers is that, on the one hand, they relish that users are flocking to AI for mental health insights, but at the same time, the AI makers desperately want to avoid legal liability and reputational ruin if their AI spurs people toward mental ruin rather than mental well-being. Read more (opens new window)

Meaningful Moments of Connection: How People Affected by Dementia and Their Carers Living at Home Understand, Interpret and Experience Everyday Aesthetics (opens new window)

Language is powerful. It reflects and shapes our understanding of the difficulties people face, the paradigms in which researchers and There are approximately 55 million people living with dementia worldwide with around one million individuals in the United Kingdom (UK) alone, this is predicted to increase to over 1.6 million by 2050. Symptoms range from memory deficits to sensory processing difficulties, problems with planning, communication and activities of daily living. These symptoms impact the physical and emotional health of those affected, changing the way they engage with, find meaning in, and view their self and their identity in their everyday lives. Read more (opens new window)

Does Mental Health Awareness Make Things Worse? (opens new window)

Last week, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law mandating mental health screenings for students attending the state's public schools. The bill orders that students be screened at least once per year, starting in third grade, though it did not specify what the screenings would consist of. "Mental health is essential to academic readiness and lifelong success," Illinois State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders said in the Thursday press release. "Too often, we only recognize a student's distress when it becomes a crisis. With universal screening, we shift from reaction to prevention. The earlier we identify a need, the better support we can provide to that student to help them thrive—in school and in life." Read more (opens new window)

Chloe Kim's Latest Interview Proves That Mental Health Is About the Journey, Not the Destination (opens new window)

If you ask a stranger to name a professional snowboarder not named Shaun White, Chloe Kim is most likely their answer. It’s an honor well-deserved: she has two Olympic gold medals, 10 X Games medals, and three FIS World Championships. She has 1 million followers on Instagram, second only to White in the world of snowboarding. She’s been in the spotlight since she was 16 years old. We’ve heard her family’s quintessential American dream-like story about how her father quit his job to support her snowboarding career. We’ve heard how she faced a backlash of hate after she started seeing an influx of success in the halfpipe. We’ve heard how she started to resent snowboarding, and nearly walked away entirely. Read more (opens new window)

'I just couldn't stop crying': How prison affects Black men's mental health long after they've been released (opens new window)

Mike, who was in his late 40s when we spoke, told me about his childhood filled with abuse, his first arrest at age 14, and the over 20 years of his life that he spent behind bars. As a registered nurse and nurse scientist who studies how incarceration affects mental health, I know Mike's experience after release from prison is not uncommon. Studies show that Black men who have experienced incarceration have higher rates of PTSD, depression and psychological distress compared with Black men who have never been incarcerated. Read more (opens new window)  (opens new window)

An overlooked challenge during and after pregnancy (opens new window)

Black maternal mental health is a unique and often overlooked challenge that mothers face during and after pregnancy. Lucinda Zeinelabdin with Metro Health explains. One in five new moms experiences a maternal mental health condition. Forty percent of Black women report symptoms like sadness, hopelessness, or loss of interest, but many never receive help. You are not alone. You have a right to be heard, respected, and safe. Read more (opens new window)

Heed young people’s messages about mental health (opens new window)

With the start of another school year, it is important to understand what our youth are saying. I have often discussed the mental health challenges facing our youth and how those challenges can be intertwined with mental health concerns. So many of our youth are struggling with their mental health, and I think it is vital to find ways to support them. Hope Means Nevada, a nonprofit led by teens, has become one of the leading voices across the state for our young people. Read more (opens new window)

HOTLINE RESOURCES

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (opens new window) or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 

The Substance and Mental Health Services Administration (opens new window) provides COVID-19 guidance and resources to assist individuals, providers, communities and sates across the country. The website is updated daily.

The National CLAS Standards

The National CLAS Standards are a set of 15 action steps intended to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities by providing a blueprint for individuals and health and health care organizations to implement culturally and linguistically appropriate services. View the standards here (opens new window)