On December 31, 2025, the DEA, working jointly with HHS, issued a fourth temporary extension of the COVID-era telemedicine flexibilities that allow clinicians to prescribe Schedule II–V controlled medications via telehealth without first conducting an in-person visit. The rule takes effect January 1, 2026, and extends the current framework through December 31, 2026, preventing an abrupt “telemedicine cliff” for patients who rely on remote care.

On November 5, 2025, the American Hospital Association highlighted new research tracking a major shift in state policy: more states are banning prior authorization requirements in private health plans for medications used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). The Health Affairs study (published November 3, 2025) found that from 2015 to 2023, the number of states with these prohibitions grew from two to 22, reflecting rising urgency to remove administrative barriers that can delay time-sensitive treatment. 

On August 4, 2025, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act (HB 1806), restricting the use of artificial intelligence to provide mental health therapy or make therapeutic decisions without licensed clinical oversight, while still allowing AI for limited administrative or supplemental support.

Emerging research suggests that how we sleep may play a more important role in cognitive health than previously understood. A recent study highlighted by TheStreet explains that spending less time in two of the brain’s most restorative sleep stages—slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep—may be associated with brain changes that are also seen in Alzheimer’s disease. These deeper stages of sleep are believed to support memory consolidation, emotional processing, and brain maintenance functions that help clear harmful proteins linked to neurodegeneration.

The senior housing sector enters 2026 on strong footing, supported by rising occupancy, stable rent growth, and increased transaction activity, even as major long-term challenges remain. According to NIC MAP data, occupancy across primary markets climbed steadily in 2025 with independent living exceeding 90 percent and assisted living rising toward pre-pandemic levels. This persistent demand has been driven by historically low inventory growth and strong absorption, suggesting that industry-wide occupancy could approach 90 percent again in 2026.

NRx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: NRXP) and neurocare Group AG announced a nationwide partnership to offer integrated neuroplastic therapy for depression, PTSD, and other serious mental health conditions. The program will connect neurocare’s clinic footprint and 400+ Apollo® TMS devices with HOPE Therapeutics clinics, unify treatment protocols and training, and pursue payer contracts to make care available “within driving distance of any American home” by year-end 2026.

Medscape’s commentary, “No Pill for the Human Condition,” makes a timely, clear point: drugs can lower symptom burden, but they cannot eliminate the deeply human pain of loss, isolation, shame, and meaning-disruption—what the piece calls psychache. The article urges clinicians and systems to name and measure psychache explicitly, then pair medication (when indicated) with psychotherapy that restores agency, connection, and purpose. In short: pharmacology can open a door; psychotherapy helps patients walk through it.

In this comprehensive clinical review published by JAMA, experts examine the current evidence for therapeutic cannabis and cannabinoid use, emphasizing implications for clinical practice, risk assessment, and addiction medicine. The authors underscore that while nearly one in four adults report using cannabis or cannabinoids for medical purposes, robust evidence supporting their benefit remains limited for most conditions routinely cited by patients and clinicians. 

In this authoritative translational review published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, leading researchers synthesize cutting-edge evidence on how cannabis use impacts adolescent neurodevelopment and behavior. Leveraging longitudinal human neuroimaging alongside rigorously controlled animal models, the article highlights compelling associations between early and frequent cannabis exposure, especially high-THC products, and disruptions in critical brain maturation processes that underlie cognition and emotional regulation. 

Alcohol and other substance use disorders (ASUDs) remain chronic, multifaceted, and undertreated medical conditions with profound individual and societal impacts. Despite compelling advances in neuroscience and evidence-based psychosocial treatments, pharmacotherapies for ASUDs are limited and underutilized in clinical practice. Innovative approaches that bridge metabolic science and addiction biology are critically needed in the addiction treatment landscape.