The Department of Veterans Affairs has introduced a new policy for younger veterans prescribed antidepressants. Clinicians must now obtain signed consent forms and document discussions about the medications' risks and benefits before writing a prescription, according to a New York Times report cited by MedPage Today.
In a separate development, an investigational smartphone app reduced the severity of negative symptoms in schizophrenia in a randomized trial, as reported in JAMA Network Open. The app is not yet approved, and the source does not specify its name or mechanism.
Another study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, found that patients with major depressive disorder reported lower depression and anxiety scores when they reduced their intake of ultraprocessed foods. This small pilot crossover trial suggests a link between diet and mental health, though the source notes it was a pilot study.
These items are unrelated and were part of a broader roundup of psychiatry news.