News Team Member Laniah Bowdery explains the negative impact of short-form content on the cognitive skills of adolescents.
AI Psychosis Is Rarely Psychosis at All
By Robert Hart, WIRED
Reports show a new trend wherein people develop false beliefs and thoughts after long conversations with AI chatbots. A catchier definition has called this “AI psychosis”, but many psychiatrists are worried about the oversimplification the term brings.
True psychosis involves delusions, hallucinations, and cognitive difficulties. However, case reports of AI psychosis almost exclusively focus on delusions, when people are fixated on false beliefs. Scientists consider “AI delusional disorder” would be a better term as the focus directly connects to distorted beliefs in people.
Experts explain that chatbots may contribute to serious mental health concerns among patients. Because chatbots are designed to be agreeable and emotionally engaging, they can frame harmful beliefs as appropriate, especially for people who are already vulnerable to distorted thinking.
Specialists warn against rushing to label these cases as “AI psychosis.” This may pathologize normal struggles and increase stigma around mental illness diagnoses. At the same time, this issue deserves serious attention as new mental health challenges may emerge with millions using AI on a regular basis. The task ahead is to balance accurate medical language with responsible AI design. Only by acknowledging and solving this problem can we protect vulnerable users and make the best use of AI.
— by Yiying Zhang
RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Votes Down Its Own Proposal to Require Prescriptions for Covid-19 Shots
By Emily Mullin, WIRED
On the second day of a disjointed proceeding, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — a long-standing federal advisory panel recently repopulated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — appeared confused about the purpose of the deliberation they were called in for. The group of advisers, known as ACIP, plunged into heated debate at the chaotic meeting, eventually voting against requiring a prescription to receive a Covid-19 vaccination.
The proposal, which would reverse the current over-the-counter availability of Covid-19 vaccines for adults, was intended to reinforce the manufactured notion that frames vaccines are a significant health threat. In a shocking turnabout, this panel’s experts, whose principles are deeply rooted in vaccine skepticism, pushed back. One committee member, Catherine Stein, defied expectations by voting “no”. She said she was concerned that the requirement would burden an underinsured population who already lack access to health care and would be unable to get a prescription.
This story highlights how political campaigns co-opt evidence for ideology, raising ethical concerns about legitimizing fringe views and amplifying fear-mongering doubts in research. On Friday, the committee discussed a number of other unfounded claims about vaccines including the combined MMRV, hepatitis B, and other infant vaccine requirements, frustrating observers with expertise in the field.
— by Emily Zhou
A New Shot for Cancer is Convenient, but Poised to Keep Prices High
By Rebecca Robbins, The New York Times
A new version of Keytruda, the best-selling drug worldwide and a cancer medication manufactured by Merck, has been developed in response to more affordable competition expected to emerge in 2028. This launch is called the hop approach when a newer formulation of the original drug makes it to the market before a competitor arrives. The new version is set for debut in fall 2025 and is administered as an injection shot. Merck claims that it is easier and faster than the original version, which was administered intravenously.
The original Keytruda is approved and used widely to treat various types of cancer, accounting for almost half of the company’s revenue. The new version’s price will be about $204,000 per year, the same as the original. The shot can be administered in clinics and physician offices instead of infusion centers, making the shot more geographically accessible and creating more spots in infusion centers to treat patients — a popular incentive for hospitals.
The shot, which only takes around two minutes in comparison to the original infusion’s 30 minutes, is expected to save hours in treatment for patients. However, it is unclear whether this shift will actually benefit patients in the long run or not: The shot is a less time-consuming treatment option but may be financially detrimental. Merck’s strategy is to switch patients to the new shot version before cheaper infusion options arrive, so that patients who have already switched to the shot will be unwilling to go back to infusions.
For traditional Medicare patients without supplementary insurance, this could result in having to pay more. It is also unclear whether expected 2029 Medicare price cuts will affect payment for the new shot. Experts predict that this new version is likely to maintain higher prices for longer by discouraging cheaper competitor versions of the infusion.
— by Kimberly Yang
A Maternity Ward Reaches Its Breaking Point As U.S. Aid Dries Up
By Ruth Maclean, The New York Times
In Aboutengué, a refugee camp in Chad, a maternity ward is losing its midwives. Following the Trump administration’s dissolution of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in February, two of the eight midwives working in the ward were immediately laid off. Midwives salaries were paid with American funds, which have quickly run out. Three more midwives are expected to be laid off by December.
The majority of refugees in the Aboutengué camp are women and children fleeing civil war in Sudan. Many patients of the maternity ward are victims of widespread sexual violence in Sudan, which, combined with President Trump’s decision to stop funding family-planning programs, has resulted in more pregnancies than ever before.
Many war refugees residing in the Aboutengué camp have no way to get themselves and their families off the ground again. Support for opportunities to earn income disappeared quickly after the aid cuts were implemented. A patient was reported to have sacrificed proper nutrition during her pregnancy in order to ensure her children had enough to eat. As the maternity ward loses staff, its outreach in the camp has diminished. The few midwives left struggle to sufficiently encourage women to come to the ward to give birth instead of making the dangerous decision to deliver at home.
President Trump’s dissolution of USAID came after decades of American officials justifying foreign aid expenditure due to its ability to both save lives and spread American influence abroad. The Trump Administration has accused the agency of fraudulence and wastefulness. While only a fraction of the global impact of the cuts to US aid, the story of the maternity ward in Aboutengué serves as an example of the tangible effects these cuts have on the health of individuals in developing nations.
— by Clara Silvestri
Items summarized by: Yiying Zhang, Emily Zhou, Kimberly Yang and Clara Silvestri
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