A new review by a public health expert from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reveals that finasteride, a common hair-loss drug, has been linked to depression and suicide for over two decades — yet regulators and manufacturers failed to act. Drawing on data from adverse event reports and healthcare records around the world, the study shows consistent psychiatric harm associated with the drug. Despite mounting evidence, neither Merck nor the FDA initiated critical safety studies. The author calls for urgent reform in how medications are monitored and approved.

Young people are increasingly turning to sodium nitrite and nitrate as a method of suicide after buying the products online, according to research presented during the 2025 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition at the Colorado Convention Center Sept. 26-30. The chemicals, which when ingested may cause hypoxia and eventual death, are often readily available for purchase online, according to the author. He said his findings indicate the need for a robust system with collaboration between public health officials, emergency responders and healthcare workers to address this growing concern.

Most children and teens between ages 10 to 17 who died by firearm suicide used a firearm that belonged to their parent, and often the firearm had been stored unlocked, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition. The research, “Who are the Firearm Owners in Youth Firearm Suicide?”  will be presented during the conference, held at the Colorado Convention Center from Sept. 26-30. The retrospective cohort study of 1,021 firearm suicides by youth ages 10-24 years was based on data from nine states from 2018-2021 reported to the CDC National Violent Death Reporting System. Compared to suicides by young adults (ages 20-24 years), the gun used in child suicide (ages 10-17) was 10 times more likely to be owned by a parent, the study found.

Discussion around safe firearms storage could be the key to preventing both unintentional and intentional firearm injuries and death, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition at the Colorado Convention Center Sept. 26-30. The research, “Store it Safe: Quality Improvement, Community Engagement and Advocacy to Prevent Accidental Firearm Injuries/Death in Children and Suicide by Firearms in Adolescents,” describes a program developed in 2015 to train healthcare providers to screen for depression and suicide, discuss lethal means, distribute safe storage lock boxes, and provide resources for families. The program, “Store it Safe,” was developed in Ohio alongside firearms organizations in an effort to curtail unintentional firearm injury and death in young children and suicide by firearm in adolescents.

Depression is a heterogeneous mental illness with substantial personal and societal burdens, yet its diagnosis still relies heavily on subjective assessments. Recent advances in blood-based metabolomics have opened new avenues for identifying objective biomarkers associated with depressive symptoms. This review highlights key findings from multicenter clinical and translational research that demonstrate reproducible associations between specific plasma metabolites—such as 3-hydroxybutyrate, betaine, citrate, creatinine, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)—and the severity of depressive states. Several metabolites also appear to be linked to distinct symptom domains, including suicidal ideation (SI), a critical risk factor for self-harm. Notably, combinations of citrate and kynurenine have shown potential for SI severity estimation through machine learning models, suggesting a basis for minimally invasive risk stratification. In parallel, rodent models of stress-induced depression reveal consistent alterations in tryptophan and alanine metabolism, providing insight into possible causal mechanisms involving neurotransmitter biosynthesis and intestinal absorption under stress. Personality-based biotyping and artificial intelligence further refine the stratification of depressive phenotypes, offering prospects for more personalized diagnostics. Although methodological standardization and broader validation remain necessary, accumulating evidence supports the clinical utility of blood metabolomics as a complementary tool for early detection, subtype classification, and suicide risk assessment in depression.