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.

34 papers

Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry

Christina Maslach, Michael P. Leiter
World Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2016 3,519 citations

Researchers have studied burnout for several decades. They have made tests and theories and used studies from many countries. Most work has looked at human service jobs, especially health care. Research on psychiatrists shows similar causes and results as other fields. But psychiatry also faces some unique stresses, such as…

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

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

Females with ADHD: An expert consensus statement taking a lifespan approach providing guidance for the identification and treatment of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder in girls and women

Susan Young, Nicoletta Adamo, Bryndís Björk Ásgeirsdóttir, Polly Branney, Michelle Beckett, William Colley, et al.
BMC Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2020 431 citations

This ADDA article explains ADHD masking — when people hide or copy others to appear "normal." Masking can help someone function but often uses a lot of mental and emotional energy. The article says masking can delay diagnosis, cause burnout or mood problems, and may help explain why women are…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional 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

TikTok and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study of Social Media Content Quality

Anthony T. Yeung, Enoch Ng, Elia Abi‐Jaoude

The study examined the 100 most popular English TikTok videos tagged #ADHD (searched July 18, 2021). Raters classified videos as useful, personal experience, or misleading and found that about half were misleading. Videos were generally easy to understand but gave little actionable guidance, and healthcare providers’ videos tended to be…

Digital Mental Health Interventions Health Literacy and Information Accessibility Mobile Health and mHealth Applications

Mental Health as a Complete State: How the Salutogenic Perspective Completes the Picture

Keyes, Corey L. M.
SpringerLink Summary & key facts 2014 274 citations

This chapter explains three ways people think about health. It says the best view — the "complete state" — includes both the lack of disease and the presence of positive mental capacities and functioning. The author reviews studies that support using this complete-state view for mental health and suggests that…

Health, psychology, and well-being Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction Resilience and Mental Health

Exercise for Mental Health

Ashish Sharma

This article reviews evidence that regular physical activity can help mental health. Studies suggest aerobic exercise (like walking, swimming, or cycling) can lessen anxiety and depression and improve mood, self-esteem, sleep, and thinking. A 3-month exercise program showed benefits for people with schizophrenia, and the authors say short, moderate workouts…

Diet and metabolism studies Eating Disorders and Behaviors Physical Activity and Health

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

Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials

Guy W. Fincham, Clara Strauss, Jesús Montero‐Marín, Kate Cavanagh
Scientific Reports Summary & key facts 2023 158 citations

This meta-analysis looked at randomized trials to see if deliberate breathing practices (breathwork) reduce self-reported stress. Across 12 trials with 785 adults, breathwork was linked with a small-to-medium drop in stress compared with non-breathwork controls (g = -0.35). Similar small-to-medium effects were seen for anxiety and depression. Most included studies…

Health and Wellbeing Research Health, psychology, and well-being Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control

Physical activity and mental health: a systematic review and best-evidence synthesis of mediation and moderation studies

Rhiannon White, Stewart A. Vella, Stuart Biddle, Jordan Sutcliffe, Justin M. Guagliano, Riaz Uddin, et al.

This paper reviewed studies that tested how and when physical activity (PA) relates to mental health. The authors searched four databases up to July 2024 and kept 247 studies. They found strong evidence that 12 specific factors help explain the PA–mental health link (for example, mood, self-esteem, and social support).…

Behavioral Health and Interventions Physical Activity and Health Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Prevalence and course of somatic symptoms in patients with stress-related exhaustion: does sex or age matter

Kristina Glise, Gunnar Ahlborg, Ingibjörg H. Jónsdóttir
BMC Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2014 119 citations

This study followed 228 patients diagnosed with stress-related Exhaustion Disorder (mean age 43, 69% women). Almost all patients (98%) reported at least one physical symptom and 45% reported six or more. The most common symptoms were nausea/gas/indigestion (67%), headaches (65%) and dizziness (57%). Over 18 months of individualized treatment for…

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments Workplace Health and Well-being

Absolute and relative outcomes of psychotherapies for eight mental disorders: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Pim Cuijpers, Clara Miguel, Marketa Ciharova, Mathias Harrer, Djordje Basic, Ioana A Cristea, et al.
PubMed Central (PMC) Summary & key facts 2024 107 citations

This large review combined 441 randomized trials with 33,881 patients to measure how many people show a clear response to psychotherapy across eight mental disorders. Response was defined as at least a 50% reduction in symptoms from before to after treatment. Pooled response rates were modest (for example, about 42%…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments Treatment of Major Depression
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.