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.

44 papers

The Worldwide Prevalence of ADHD: A Systematic Review and Metaregression Analysis

Guilherme V. Polanczyk, Maurício Silva de Lima, Bernardo Lessa Horta, Joseph Biederman, Luís Augusto Rohde
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2007 5,230 citations

Our findings suggest that geographic location plays a limited role in the reasons for the large variability of ADHD/HD prevalence estimates worldwide. Instead, this variability seems to be explained primarily by the methodological characteristics of studies.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Cognitive Abilities and Testing

The Relationship Between Burnout, Depression, and Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Koutsimani, Panagiota, Montgomery, Anthony, Georganta, Katerina
www.frontiersin.org Summary & key facts 2019 1,003 citations

This review pooled studies from 2007–2018 to measure how strongly burnout is related to depression and to anxiety. The authors found a moderate positive link with depression (r = 0.52) and a moderate link with anxiety (r = 0.46). They also report that measurement choice and study quality changed the…

Health and Well-being Studies Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout Stress and Burnout Research

Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews

Ben Singh, Tim Olds, Rachel Curtis, Dorothea Dumuid, Rosa Virgara, Amanda Watson, et al.
PubMed Summary & key facts 2023 784 citations

This umbrella review pooled evidence from 97 systematic reviews (1,039 randomized trials, 128,119 participants) to examine whether physical activity affects symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adults. Overall, physical activity produced medium-sized reductions in symptoms (median effect size for depression = -0.43, for anxiety = -0.42; distress effect…

Behavioral Health and Interventions Eating Disorders and Behaviors Physical Activity and Health

Adoption of Digital Technologies in Health Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review of Early Scientific Literature

Davide Golinelli, Erik Boetto, Gherardo Carullo, Andrea Giovanni Nuzzolese, Maria Paola Landini, Maria Pia Fantini

This review looks at how large disasters, including COVID-19, affect mental health and discusses digital solutions. The authors report higher rates of anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress after disasters and give survey numbers from the COVID-19 outbreak. They say many countries have limited mental health services that could be stretched…

COVID-19 and healthcare impacts COVID-19 diagnosis using AI COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing

The global prevalence of ADHD in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Nader Salari, Hooman Ghasemi, Nasrin Abdoli, Adibeh Rahmani, Mohammad Hossain Shiri, Amir Hossein Hashemian, et al.

The authors pooled results from 61 cross-sectional studies to estimate how common ADHD is in children and adolescents worldwide. They found a pooled prevalence of 7.6% (95% CI 6.1–9.4%) in children aged 3–12 (from 96,907 children) and 5.6% (95% CI 4.8–7%) in adolescents aged 12–18. Prevalence estimates varied by age…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children's Physical and Motor Development

The Effects of Tai Chi on Depression, Anxiety, and Psychological Well-Being: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Fang Wang, Eun‐Kyoung Othelia Lee, Taixiang Wu, Herbert Benson, Gregory L. Fricchione, Weidong Wang, et al.

This review collected studies of tai chi up to May 31, 2013 and found that many trials reported benefits for mood and psychological well-being. The authors included 37 randomized controlled trials and 5 quasi-experimental studies from English and Chinese databases. A small pooled analysis of three randomized trials that measured…

Art Therapy and Mental Health Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention Physical Activity and Health

Fatigue and Human Performance: An Updated Framework

Martin Behrens, Martin Gube, Hélmi Chaabène, Olaf Prieske, Alexandre Zénon, Kim‐Charline Broscheid, et al.
Sports Medicine Summary & key facts 2022 249 citations

This narrative review updates an earlier fatigue framework and proposes a clearer way to think about fatigue during tasks. It defines motor or cognitive task-induced state fatigue as a psychophysiological condition that can show up as a drop in performance and/or a stronger feeling of tiredness. The authors add cognitive…

Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control Occupational Health and Performance Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue

Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on levels of cortisol as a stress biomarker: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Michele Antonelli, Grazia Barbieri, Davide Donelli

This review looked at studies that measured cortisol (a stress hormone) after people visited forests, a practice called forest bathing or shinrin-yoku. The authors found that people in forest groups had lower salivary cortisol than people in urban groups, both before and after the visits. The reviewers say the change…

Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies Biofield Effects and Biophysics Stress Responses and Cortisol

Medicinal cannabis for psychiatric disorders: a clinically-focused systematic review

Jerome Sarris, Justin Sinclair, Diana Karamacoska, Margaret Davidson, Joseph Firth
BMC Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2020 243 citations

This 2019 systematic review looked at human studies of medicinal cannabis and cannabis-derived isolates for major psychiatric disorders. The authors found that the evidence is very new and limited, so it is too early to recommend cannabis medicines for psychiatric conditions. Some small or isolated studies suggest benefits for a…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Infant Health and Development Sleep and Wakefulness Research

Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) 2023 Update on Clinical Guidelines for Management of Major Depressive Disorder in Adults: Réseau canadien pour les traitements de l’humeur et de l’anxiété (CANMAT) 2023 : Mise à jour des lignes directrices cliniques pour la prise en charge du trouble dépressif majeur chez les adultes

Raymond W. Lam, Sidney H. Kennedy, G. Camelia Adams, Anees Bahji, Serge Beaulieu, Venkat Bhat, et al.

The CANMAT 2023 update gives doctors clear, up-to-date advice for treating adults with major depressive disorder. It puts evidence into a practical, clinician-friendly format. The update says treatment should be a team effort between patients and clinicians, be tailored to each person, and follow a planned, systematic process with regular…

Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

A comprehensive review of the psychological effects of brainwave entrainment.

PubMed 2009 179 citations

This paper reviewed 20 peer-reviewed studies on brainwave entrainment (BWE). BWE uses rhythmic sounds or flashes of light to change brainwave frequencies. The review found that BWE appears to help with thinking problems, stress and anxiety, pain, headaches or migraines, mood and behavior issues, and premenstrual syndrome. The authors say…

Infant Health and Development Menstrual Health and Disorders Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior

Ketamine for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders: comprehensive systematic review

Zach Walsh, Özden Merve Mollaahmetoğlu, Joseph M. Rootman, Shannon Golsof, Johanna Louise Keeler, Beth Marsh, et al.
BJPsych Open Summary & key facts 2021 168 citations

This systematic review looked at 83 published reports on ketamine for mental health and substance use disorders. It found strong evidence that ketamine can produce rapid antidepressant and anti‑suicidal effects, but these benefits tend to be short‑lived. Evidence for other conditions was weaker but often showed similar short-term effects. Many…

Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders Ketamine
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