Loneliness and Isolation May Cut Years Lived Without Mental Illness, Large Study Finds
Researchers at Tulane University followed more than 277,000 adults aged 40 to 69 who started out without several major chronic conditions, and estimated how many years they could expect to live free of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Men who reported both feeling lonely and having few social connections lost roughly 5.8 of those healthy years, while women in the same situation lost about 3.7 years, a gap the researchers link in part to differences in vulnerability and life expectancy. Healthier daily habits appeared to lessen the toll linked to having few connections, but did not show the same buffering effect for the subjective feeling of loneliness, suggesting the two problems may need different responses.
Source: ScienceDaily (Tulane University study, October 10, 2026)
One Dose of a Short-Acting Nasal Spray Showed Promise for Hard-to-Treat Depression
In a trial published in JAMA, 193 adults whose depression had not improved after two to five earlier treatments received a single dose of an experimental nasal spray at 38 clinics in the United States, Europe and Australia, along with psychological support. Four weeks later, about a third of those given the higher doses had seen their symptom scores drop by at least half, compared with about 12% in the low-dose comparison group, and most higher-dose participants were judged ready to leave the clinic within two hours. The study was an intermediate-stage trial with only eight weeks of follow-up, so longer and larger studies are still needed to learn how lasting the benefit is and how it compares with other options.
Source: Knowridge (trial published in JAMA, October 30, 2026)
Canadian Workplace Mental Health Claims Have Risen Sharply Since 2019, Sun Life Data Show
Claims for mental health practitioners under Canadian group benefits plans have climbed nearly three and a half times since 2019, according to Sun Life's Designed for Health report, which draws on claims from 2019 to 2025 covering 1.7 million members across nearly 7,000 plans. The report attributes most of the rise to more people making a claim at all, rather than to existing claimants using services far more often, with workers under 30 showing the fastest growth. By now, mental health practitioner claims account for almost as many claims per covered member as chiropractor claims, a shift the report frames as part of a broader change in how workplace benefits are used.
Source: Benefits and Pensions Monitor (Sun Life report, October 30, 2026)
Researchers at Tulane University followed more than 277,000 adults aged 40 to 69 who started out without several major chronic conditions, and estimated how many years they could expect to live free of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Men who reported both feeling lonely and having few social connections lost roughly 5.8 of those healthy years, while women in the same situation lost about 3.7 years, a gap the researchers link in part to differences in vulnerability and life expectancy. Healthier daily habits appeared to lessen the toll linked to having few connections, but did not show the same buffering effect for the subjective feeling of loneliness, suggesting the two problems may need different responses.
Source: ScienceDaily (Tulane University study, October 10, 2026)
One Dose of a Short-Acting Nasal Spray Showed Promise for Hard-to-Treat Depression
In a trial published in JAMA, 193 adults whose depression had not improved after two to five earlier treatments received a single dose of an experimental nasal spray at 38 clinics in the United States, Europe and Australia, along with psychological support. Four weeks later, about a third of those given the higher doses had seen their symptom scores drop by at least half, compared with about 12% in the low-dose comparison group, and most higher-dose participants were judged ready to leave the clinic within two hours. The study was an intermediate-stage trial with only eight weeks of follow-up, so longer and larger studies are still needed to learn how lasting the benefit is and how it compares with other options.
Source: Knowridge (trial published in JAMA, October 30, 2026)
Canadian Workplace Mental Health Claims Have Risen Sharply Since 2019, Sun Life Data Show
Claims for mental health practitioners under Canadian group benefits plans have climbed nearly three and a half times since 2019, according to Sun Life's Designed for Health report, which draws on claims from 2019 to 2025 covering 1.7 million members across nearly 7,000 plans. The report attributes most of the rise to more people making a claim at all, rather than to existing claimants using services far more often, with workers under 30 showing the fastest growth. By now, mental health practitioner claims account for almost as many claims per covered member as chiropractor claims, a shift the report frames as part of a broader change in how workplace benefits are used.
Source: Benefits and Pensions Monitor (Sun Life report, October 30, 2026)