MedPage Today (2/4, George) reports, “A large longitudinal study challenged longstanding assumptions about the gender prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).” Investigators found that “among 2.7 million people born in Sweden between 1985 and 2022 and followed from birth up to age 37, 2.8% were diagnosed with autism at a mean age of 14.3 years.” The data indicated that “diagnosis rates increased steadily throughout childhood, peaking at 645.5 per 100,000 person-years for males ages 10-14 and 602.6 per 100,000 person-years for females ages 15-19.” The findings were published in The BMJ.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (2/3) reports a systematic review of 110 studies across more than 20 countries found that “aggressive obsessions – intrusive thoughts of intentionally or unintentionally harming oneself or others – are a common feature of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).” Researchers observed that “lifetime and current (i.e., past-week) prevalence rates of aggressive obsessions were 70.3% and 52.6%, respectively. Aggressive obsessions were the primary and most distressing symptom for 28% of patients.” In addition, “patients with early-onset OCD and/or suicidal ideation were more likely to report aggressive obsessions than patients with late-onset OCD and/or no suicidal ideation.” The researchers “noted that the results underscore the importance of appropriate recognition and treatment of aggressive obsessions in OCD, given how commonly they are misidentified.” The review was published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

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— “Aggressive Obsessions Common in OCD, Psychiatric News, February 3, 2026

HealthDay (2/3, Thompson) reports a systematic review of 169 previous clinical trials found that “talk therapy is the best way to ease grief and depression following the death of a loved one.” Of the clinical trials reviewed, “76 evaluated whether psychotherapy could help people with their grief.” The review says, “Across studies, we found a positive effect of psychotherapy on grief disorder symptoms.” The researchers “also found some benefit from expert-facilitated support groups and enhanced contact from a person’s health care team, although the evidence there was not as strong.” The review was published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

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— “Grief Best Managed Through Talk Therapy, Evidence Shows,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, February 3, 2026

HealthDay (2/2, Thompson) reports a study found that “the symptoms women experience on the verge of menopause could be vastly different from what they might expect.” According to researchers, “women in perimenopause…expect to be plagued with hot flashes and night sweats. However, these women reported symptoms like exhaustion and fatigue far more frequently than those typically associated with menopause.” When middle-aged women participants were “asked which symptoms they associate with perimenopause, the women most often named hot flashes (71%), sleep problems (68%) and weight gain (65%). But women who actually were in perimenopause listed their most common symptoms as exhaustion (95%); fatigue (93%); irritability (91%); sleep problems (89%); depression (88%); and brain fog (87%).” The study was published in Menopause.

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— “Early Menopause Symptoms Might Not Be What Most Women Expect,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, February 2, 2026

The AP (2/2, Swenson) reports HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Monday that the agency “will devote $100 million toward a pilot program addressing homelessness and substance abuse in eight cities, building on an executive order” the President “signed last week related to addiction.” The agency “will also make faith-based organizations eligible for addiction-related grants and expand states’ ability to use federal health funding for substance abuse treatment in certain situations involving children, Kennedy said.” Kennedy also “said SAMHSA’s new pilot program will be called STREETS, or Safety Through Recovery, Engagement and Evidence-Based Treatment and Supports.” The initiatives “represent some quick momentum for” the President’s “executive order signed last Thursday launching what [he] calls the ‘Great American Recovery Initiative’ to better align federal resources on the addiction crisis.”

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— “HHS unveils program to address homelessness and addiction, part of a set of new initiatives,”Ali Swenson , AP, February 2, 2026