The research aims to address social isolation and psychological distress among retired urban older adults in China amid rapid population aging and its challenges to public health and social care systems, explore the role of traditional urban teahouses as accessible "third places" in alleviating these issues, and investigate how these teahouses foster emotional communities for older adults.

A qualitative grounded theory study was conducted at the Dongmao Street Teahouse in Changsha. Data were collected through participant observation and in-depth interviews with 25 older adults (aged 65+). The data were analyzed using a three-stage coding process (open, axial, and selective) to develop a theoretical model.

The analysis revealed a core process of emotional community formation, driven by a Nostalgic Spatial Setting. This setting facilitates Routinized Social Practices, enables Deep Emotional Interactions (including life-story sharing and public discourse), and encourages Cultural Identity Performance. These interconnected processes culminate in the generation of Emotional Belonging, characterized by place attachment, stress relief, and strong group identity, marking the establishment of a supportive emotional community. However, the sustainability of this community is challenged by the tension between maintaining authenticity for older patrons and adapting for cultural transmission to younger generations.

Urban teahouses can function as vital community-based assets for healthy aging. They provide low-cost, accessible environments that facilitate meaningful social engagement, strengthen social support networks, and enhance the mental wellbeing of older adults through organic emotional community building. Public health and urban planning initiatives should recognize and support such grassroots, culturally embedded social spaces as components of age-friendly communities.

In Lebanon, economic collapse, political instability, and a strained public health system have left people who use drugs (PWUD) with minimal access to care, while stigma and punitive drug laws further prevent their willingness to seek help. In this fragile context, integrating mental health and substance use care within primary healthcare centers (PHCCs) represents a promising approach to addressing unmet needs by leveraging existing infrastructure to deliver accessible, coordinated, and stigma-reducing care. To address this gap, Skoun and Médecins du Monde (MdM) introduced substance use and mental health services into PHCCs. Skoun was responsible for integrating substance use care and delivering treatment services. The intervention employed a three-pronged strategy: (1) training healthcare providers at PHCCs, (2) establishing institutional partnerships and co-management with PHCCs, and (3) developing locally contextualized clinical and operational guidelines. Two pilot community mental health and substance use centers (CMH-SUCs) were established within existing PHCCs. The early outcomes are promising, as reflected in the number of people who benefited from Skoun's services and in the improved capacity of PHCC providers to understand harm reduction and manage substance use within primary care. The pilot project demonstrated that integrating substance use disorder (SUD) care within PHCCs is feasible and effective, even in fragile settings. It enhanced access to services and strengthened coordination between governmental and non-governmental sectors. However, persistent barriers, such as stigma, restrictive drug laws, workforce instability, and fragmented funding, underscore the need for systemic reform. Embedding SUD services within primary care, supported by national policy change and sustainable financing, may offer a pathway toward equitable, rights-based, and cost-efficient drug policy reform in Lebanon and similar contexts.

Background and objective Postpartum depression (PPD) is a frequent maternal mental health disorder associated with adverse outcomes for both mothers and their children. Its burden may be particularly relevant in regions characterized by social vulnerability and limited access to specialized mental health services. Epidemiological data from southern Mexico remain scarce, especially in primary care settings where early identification is critical. The objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence of PPD among women attending a primary care unit in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, Mexico. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among postpartum women attending a family medicine unit of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca. Postpartum depressive symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Sociodemographic and obstetric variables were recorded. Prevalence was estimated with 95% CIs. Differences between women with and without probable PPD were explored using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate. Results A total of 120 postpartum women were included. The median age was 25.5 years (q25-q75: 20-32), and the median time from delivery to screening was six weeks (q25-q75: 4-6). The median EPDS score was 11 (q25-q75: 10-12). Using a cutoff score of ≥13, the prevalence of PPD was 21.7% (95% CI: 14.3-29.1). Cesarean section accounted for 65.0% of deliveries, and breastfeeding difficulties were reported by 59.2% of participants. Conclusions PPD was identified in approximately one in five women attending primary care in southern Mexico. In a referral setting serving a socioeconomically diverse population with limited access to specialized mental health services, this prevalence represents a clinically relevant and potentially underrecognized burden. Routine screening for PPD in primary care could facilitate earlier detection and improve access to timely mental health care.

Acute water intoxication is an uncommon but potentially fatal condition characterized by excessive water consumption over a brief period. It results in dilutional hyponatremia. The condition is frequently associated with psychiatric disorders, endurance athletics, or iatrogenic causes. Early recognition and prompt treatment are crucial for preventing serious complications and ensuring favorable outcomes. A 38-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department exhibiting sudden loss of consciousness followed by altered mental status, confusion, and an episode of seizure. The history revealed ingestion of approximately 8 liters of water within a three-hour period while waiting for uroflowmetry testing. Initial laboratory tests indicated severe hyponatremia with serum sodium of 120 mEq/L. He was diagnosed with acute water intoxication with dilutional hyponatremia. Management involved fluid restriction, electrolyte monitoring, and gradual correction of sodium levels utilizing 3% hypertonic saline. The patient's neurological status improved progressively, and he was discharged after five days. This case highlights the significance of identifying acute water intoxication as a potential etiology of dilutional hyponatremia, particularly in patients presenting with neurological symptoms and a history of excessive fluid intake. Expeditious diagnosis and appropriate management are essential to prevent severe complications such as cerebral edema and permanent neurological damage.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major maternal health concern in Malaysia, impacting both maternal well-being and infant development. Despite the availability of several validated screening tools, concerns remain about their cultural appropriateness and diagnostic accuracy in Malaysia's multiethnic context. This narrative review critically evaluates the psychometric properties, contextual relevance, and clinical limitations of PPD screening tools used in Malaysian healthcare. The objective is to assess whether current instruments sufficiently detect PPD in Malaysian women and explore the rationale for a culturally tailored alternative. A targeted literature search was conducted across six databases-PubMed, Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE, Wiley Online Library, Cochrane, and Google Scholar-for studies published between 2000 and 2024, using keywords such as "postpartum depression", "screening tools", "Malaysia", and "psychometric validation". The inclusion criteria focused on studies examining Malaysian populations and reporting on the implementation, psychometric properties, or contextual adaptation of common screening tools. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were the most commonly used tools. Although they demonstrated moderate validity and reliability, their use in Malaysia is limited by suboptimal linguistic translation, poor contextual adaptation, and inconsistent validation procedures. Furthermore, these tools often overlook key sociocultural determinants like postpartum confinement practices, stigma, and healthcare access disparities. This review highlights the inadequacy of foreign-developed PPD screening tools for Malaysian mothers. Thus, a culturally sensitive, empirically validated tool that incorporates biopsychosocial risk factors specific to Malaysia is warranted to enable timely detection, appropriate intervention, and improved maternal mental health outcomes.

This study explored how Hong Kong Chinese cancer patients in the UK perceived their cancer experiences, and how aspects of Chinese culture influenced their access to and engagement with UK health and psychosocial services.

We conducted reflexive thematic analysis on 10 semi-structured interviews with Hong Kong Chinese individuals who had cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants viewed cancer as a continuum that began with an overwhelming sense of death-related fear and worry, followed by physical and mental exhaustion, and frustration over the need to proactively seek help. Communication challenges due to language barriers and cultural differences hindered trust in professionals. However, support from family, friends, and spirituality aided adjustment to cancer.

This study highlights the cancer experiences of a small sample of Hong Kong Chinese people in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the unique cultural and language-related barriers faced by Hong Kong Chinese cancer patients in the UK. Culturally sensitive communication strategies and accessible practical support are essential to build trust and facilitate engagement with health and psychosocial services. Involving family, community, and spiritual resources in care planning may further support the wellbeing and adjustment of these patients.

Depression is among the most common mental health conditions worldwide. Despite the availability of effective treatments, many individuals delay or avoid seeking help. One important, yet underexplored, factor contributing to this treatment gap is information avoidance. Especially in the early stages of depression, the decision to avoid health information may hinder symptom recognition, self-management, and timely access to care. Therefore, the present study applies and refines the planned risk information avoidance (PRIA) model to explain depression-related information avoidance. The refined model was tested in a cross-sectional online survey (N = 471) among individuals currently experiencing depressive symptoms. The refined PRIA model accounted for 54.8% of the variance in avoidance intention, with attitudes toward avoidance and avoidance-related subjective norms serving as the strongest predictors of avoidance intention. Furthermore, cognitive load and anticipated regret over seeking information were found to be positively related to avoidance. These findings highlight the importance of affective and cognitive predictors and suggest that addressing social norms, attitudes, and regret over seeking may be key to reducing information avoidance and narrowing the mental health treatment gap.

Canadians living with mental illness experience poor access to care, worse health outcomes and premature mortality. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are uniquely positioned to address these inequities, yet their role in mental health remains underoptimized. This commentary highlights three evidence-informed priorities for nurse leaders: (1) removing systemic barriers to NP role integration, (2) strengthening NP education in mental health and (3) leveraging nursing leadership to drive policy and practice change. Drawing on recent evidence of the critical role of nurse leaders in integrating physical and mental healthcare, we stress the importance of nurse leader advocacy across policy, organizational and clinical domains, to champion the NP role and its contribution to comprehensive care. Doing so will improve mental healthcare delivery and reduce disparities. The time for action is now.

The 2026 International Workforce Forum highlighted a projected global shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030, more than half of whom are nurses. This paper examines the Forum's findings through a Canadian policy lens, drawing on the Canadian Nurses Association's Policy Roadmap for 2025 and Beyond and recent national workforce data. It identifies converging challenges, including workforce shortages, underutilization of nursing scope, barriers to mobility and declining workforce well-being. The analysis positions Canadian policy priorities as both aligned with and responsive to global imperatives, arguing that nursing leadership and strategic investment are essential to system transformation. This article establishes the foundation for focusing on the experience of internationally educated nurses and nurses' mental health and well-being.

Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with infant socioemotional problems. This longitudinal study investigated whether maternal resilience in the early postpartum period moderates the association between maternal ACEs and infant socioemotional problems at 6-months postpartum. One hundred twenty-eight mothers from Canada (92.2% White) reported their ACEs during pregnancy, resilience at 2-weeks postpartum, and their infants' socioemotional development at 6-months postpartum. Regression analyses revealed that higher maternal ACE exposure was associated with greater infant socioemotional problems. Higher maternal resilience at 2-weeks postpartum was associated with fewer infant socioemotional problems. A significant interaction between ACEs and resilience indicated that resilience buffered the association of ACEs and infant socioemotional problems, but only among mothers reporting three or fewer ACEs. These findings align with evidence suggesting that four or more ACEs represent a threshold of heightened risk and highlight the early postpartum period as a critical window for resilience-focused interventions.