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.

8 papers

Ibogaine treatment outcomes for opioid dependence from a twelve-month follow-up observational study

Geoff Noller, Chris Frampton, Berra Yazar‐Klosinski

A single ibogaine treatment reduced opioid withdrawal symptoms and achieved opioid cessation or sustained reduced use in dependent individuals as measured over 12 months. Ibogaine's legal availability in New Zealand may offer improved outcomes where legislation supports treatment providers to work closely with other health professionals.

Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Association between anaemia and adult depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Yong‐Jae Lee, Hong-Bae Kim

This meta-analysis combined 14 observational studies and found that anaemia was associated with higher odds of adult depression (pooled estimate 1.43; 95% CI 1.23 to 1.65). The analysis included 10,764 cases of depression from studies with average ages between 38.4 and 75.0 years. The authors reported moderate differences across studies,…

Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders Iron Metabolism and Disorders Pharmacological Effects and Toxicity Studies

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

Characteristics of and 3-month health outcomes for people seeking treatment with prescribed cannabis: Real-world evidence from Project Twenty21

Michael T. Lynskey, Anne Katrin Schlag, Alkyoni Athanasiou‐Fragkouli, David R. Badcock, David Nutt
Drug Science Policy and Law Summary & key facts 2023 19 citations

Project Twenty21 collected real-world data from people in the UK who sought prescribed medicinal cannabis. Data at treatment start were available for 2,833 patients and 1,410 had 3-month follow-up for anxiety, chronic pain or PTSD. On average, patients reported improvements in condition-specific symptoms and in general health and quality of…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Homelessness and Social Issues Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Changes in health-related quality of life over the first three months of medical marijuana use

Michelle R. Lent, Thomas R. McCalmont, Megan M. Short, Karen L. Dugosh
Journal of Cannabis Research Summary & key facts 2024 4 citations

This prospective observational study followed 438 adults who were new medical‑marijuana patients in Pennsylvania. Using the SF‑36 survey, participants reported statistically significant improvements in all eight areas of health‑related quality of life from before starting medical marijuana to three months later (P < .001 for all domains). Older participants showed…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Homelessness and Social Issues Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology

Improvements in health-related quality of life are maintained long-term in patients prescribed medicinal cannabis in Australia: The QUEST Initiative 12-month follow-up observational study

Margaret-Ann Tait, Daniel Costa, Rachel Campbell, Leon N. Warne, Richard Norman, Stephan A. Schug, et al.
PLoS ONE Summary & key facts 2025 3 citations

This large Australian real-world study followed 2,353 adults who were newly prescribed medicinal cannabis oil and found that patient-reported quality of life, fatigue, sleep, pain (in people with chronic pain), and mood (in people with anxiety or depression) showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements that were maintained up to…

Bipolar Disorder and Treatment Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Sleep and related disorders

Correlation of Iron Deficiency Anaemia With Depression Severity: Evidence From an Observational Study in Rural India

S. Divya Deepthi, Mohammed Abdul Salaam, Prasanna Kumar Kancharlapalli, Yadavalli RD Rajan
Cureus Summary & key facts 2025 1 citation

This cross-sectional study looked at 200 people aged 16–60 in rural India who had depression and iron deficiency anaemia. It found that lower haemoglobin and other red blood cell measures were linked to worse depression scores. Over half (55.5%) had severe depression, and the authors say treating anaemia alongside depression…

Erythropoietin and Anemia Treatment Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders Iron Metabolism and 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.