Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.

9 papers

Cannabis, Cannabinoids, and Sleep: a Review of the Literature

Kimberly A. Babson, James Sottile, Danielle M. Morabito
PubMed Summary & key facts 2017 470 citations

This 2017 review of studies up to 2014 looked at how cannabis and related drugs affect sleep. The authors found early, mixed evidence: cannabidiol (CBD) showed possible benefit for insomnia and some sleep disorders, THC might make people fall asleep faster but could harm sleep quality over time, and some…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Sleep and related disorders Sleep and Wakefulness Research

Core symptoms of major depressive disorder: relevance to diagnosis and treatment

Sidney H Kennedy
PubMed Central (PMC) Summary & key facts 2008 370 citations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is defined without assuming a single cause and has two main symptoms: depressed mood and loss of interest or pleasure. The paper says we should also pay more attention to fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, thinking (cognitive) problems, and sexual problems when diagnosing and judging treatment. Some…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression

On the nature of burnout–insomnia relationships: A prospective study of employed adults

Galit Armon, Arie Shirom, Itzhak Shapira, Samuel Melamed

This study followed 1,356 apparently healthy, employed adults over about 18 months to see how burnout and insomnia change together. Using standard questionnaires, the researchers found that higher burnout predicted new cases of insomnia and higher insomnia predicted new cases of burnout, even after adjusting for depression and other factors.…

Health, psychology, and well-being Sleep and related disorders Workplace Health and Well-being

Reduction of depression and anxiety by 4 weeks Hericium erinaceus intake

Mayumi Nagano, Kuniyoshi Shimizu, Ryuichiro Kondo, Chickako Hayashi, Daigo SATO, Katsuyuki Kitagawa, et al.
Biomedical Research Summary & key facts 2010 117 citations

In a small, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 30 women ate Hericium erinaceus (HE) cookies or placebo cookies for 4 weeks. After HE intake, overall depression scores (CES-D) and scores for vague or indefinite complaints (ICI) were significantly lower than before. Two specific ICI items, written as "insentive" and "palpitatio," were lower…

Fungal Biology and Applications Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds Pharmacological Effects of Natural Compounds

Sleep disturbance, circadian preference and symptoms of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Bogdan Voinescu, Aurora Szentágotai, Daniel David
Journal of Neural Transmission Summary & key facts 2012 88 citations

The researchers surveyed more than 550 adults in Romania with self-report questionnaires to study links between ADHD symptoms, sleep problems, and morning/evening preference. They found that people with probable ADHD more often had insomnia-type sleep problems (over 50%), slept less, took longer to fall asleep, and woke up more at…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Sleep and related disorders Sleep and Wakefulness Research

The Effects of Cannabinoids on Sleep

Bhanu Prakash Kolla, Lisa Hayes, Chaun Cox, Lindy Eatwell, Mark Deyo-Svendsen, Meghna P. Mansukhani

This article reviews studies and a patient case about how cannabis and related compounds affect sleep. The authors found that the research is limited and often small or observational. Overall, cannabis products seem to have little or no clear benefit for sleep disorders and can cause sleep problems for some…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Sleep and related disorders Sleep and Wakefulness Research

Use of Cannabidiol in the Management of Insomnia: A Systematic Review

Rylea Ranum, Mary O. Whipple, Ivana T. Croghan, Brent Bauer, Loren Toussaint, Ann Vincent

This review looked at 34 studies that tested cannabidiol (CBD) for sleep problems. Some studies used mostly CBD and others used CBD with similar amounts of THC. Many studies reported that at least some participants had better sleep, but very few studies focused only on people with insomnia and most…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Sleep and related disorders Sleep and Wakefulness Research

Triggers for acute mood episodes in bipolar disorder: A systematic review

Catarina Cordeiro, Beatriz Côrte‐Real, Rodrigo Saraiva, Benício N. Frey, Flávio Kapczinski, Taiane de Azevedo Cardoso

This systematic review looked for events that can trigger sudden mood episodes in people with bipolar disorder. The authors examined 108 studies published up to May 23, 2022. They found the strongest evidence that antidepressant use is linked to manic or hypomanic episodes. Other reported triggers for mania included brain…

Bipolar Disorder and Treatment Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Schizophrenia research and treatment

Associations Between Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, Sleep Quality, and Anxiety Among Healthy Pain-Free Adults in Saudi Arabia: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey

Mansour Abdullah Alshehri, Areej Ali Alzylai, Joree Abdulrahman Alshehri, Lana Zaid Alsharif, Wafa Saleem Almalki, Hammad Alhasan, et al.
Sports Summary & key facts 2025 0 citations

This online study surveyed 185 healthy, pain-free adults in Saudi Arabia between December 2024 and April 2025 using validated Arabic questionnaires for physical activity, sleep quality, and anxiety. On average participants reported 1730.02 MET·min/week of physical activity and 6.77 hours/day of sedentary time. The researchers found no significant links between…

Behavioral Health and Interventions Physical Activity and Health Sleep and related disorders
Summaries and links are for general information and education only. They are not a substitute for reading the original publication or for professional medical, legal, or other advice. Always refer to the linked source for the full study.