Today is National Opioid Awareness Day.

This day was created to raise awareness about the opioid crisis, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, and remember those affected or lost.

We should use this day to inform the public about the risks of prescription and illicit opioids, including potent synthetics like fentanyl. Today we should also highlight the critical need for expanded access to treatment options, recovery programs, and life-saving reversal medications like naloxone.

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🗞 Patrick Clancy speaks out after mistrial in ex-wife Lindsay Clancy's murder trial. Patrick Clancy is speaking publicly about the devastating loss of his three children and the aftermath of his former wife Lindsay Clancy’s mistrial. He described recognizing serious changes in Lindsay’s mental health in the months before the tragedy, including severe sleep disruption, depression and intrusive thoughts; her defense argued that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors disputed her criminal responsibility. Read more at ABC News

🗞 Cindy Crawford's son Presley Gerber dies at 27.  Presley Gerber, the 27-year-old son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, has died at a rehabilitation facility in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. His cause of death has not been released, and his family has asked for privacy. Gerber had been open about his struggles with mental health and substance use, using his platform to discuss recovery and even creating a “Mental Health Mondays” series in 2024. Read more at ABC News

🗞 Princess Diana showed ‘key ADHD symptoms as a child’, Earl Spencer reveals in new memoir. The Independent reports that Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, believes she showed signs consistent with ADHD during childhood, including difficulty concentrating, restlessness and being easily distracted. He says Diana was never formally assessed, so this is a retrospective interpretation rather than a confirmed diagnosis. Spencer also reflects on how better understanding neurodivergence might provide context for some of the emotional and relationship difficulties Diana experienced later in life. Read more at The Independent

🗞 Therapy Has Become the Default Answer to Everyday Stress and Social Connection, and Employers Are Paying for It. A Yahoo! News article asks whether therapy has become the default response to ordinary stress, relationship problems, and everyday emotional struggles. New research from Modern Health suggests workplace demand for mental-health support is growing, with employees increasingly using therapy not only for clinical concerns but also for stress, relationships, and navigating life challenges. Read more at Yahoo! News

Mental Health: In Crisis? Call or Text 988

Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press ‘1’ or Text 838255

Youth Helpline: 2NDFLOOR - (888) 222-2228

National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-SAFE (7233)

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: (800) 273-TALK (8255)

Addiction: Start Your Recovery - (800) 662-4357

AI programs can interfere with key lessons of childhood. Here’s what parents can do. The CNN article looks at how children are already turning to AI as a source of information, advice and companionship, sometimes without parents realizing how much they are using it. It highlights the appeal—AI is immediate, patient and always available—but also the concern that children may accept incorrect answers or begin relying on AI for questions that really require a trusted adult, teacher or professional. Recent research similarly found that nearly 1 in 5 adolescents and young adults had used an AI chatbot for emotional support, showing that this is becoming part of the way young people navigate stress and wellbeing. Read More at CNN

We are now in an era of what Gen Z calls ‘maxxing’: internet slang for ruthlessly quantifying and optimizing social or physiological traits in pursuit of better social standing or lifestyle.

For example, ‘looksmaxxing’, a sub-genre of maxxing that urges people, usually young men, to optimize their physical proportions and facial structure to meet ideal standards. The purpose of looksmaxxing is to dominate other men by being more attractive. Common interventions include smashing the jawbone to achieve facial symmetry, self-prescribed methamphetamine to manage weight, and the injection of peptides for supposed skincare benefits.

Looksmaxxing only scratches the surface of a subculture that’s fast becoming into a full-blown ideology. The proliferation of other forms of maxxing – sleepmaxxing, statusmaxxing, financemaxxing, even vibemaxxing – signals its tendency to expand beyond addressing one particular aspect of life to addressing life as a whole. What fundamentally motivates maxxing is the need to take control by forcefully reducing life to a series of fixable problems.

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