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.

Efficacy and Safety of Flexibly Dosed Esketamine Nasal Spray Combined With a Newly Initiated Oral Antidepressant in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Double-Blind Active-Controlled Study

Vanina Popova, Ella Daly, Madhukar H. Trivedi, Kimberly Cooper, Rosanne Lane, Pilar Lim, et al.

American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2019 839 citations

Researchers tested a nasal spray form of esketamine together with a newly started oral antidepressant in adults whose depression had not improved after trying at least two antidepressants. Over four weeks, people who got esketamine plus a new antidepressant had faster and larger drops in depression symptoms than those who…

Treatment‐resistant depression: definition, prevalence, detection, management, and investigational interventions

Roger S. McIntyre, Mohammad Alsuwaidan, Bernhard T. Baune, Michael Berk, Koen Demyttenaere, Joseph F. Goldberg, et al.

World Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2023 586 citations

Treatment-resistant depression means depression that does not get better after usual treatments. Scientists do not all agree on one clear definition, which makes it hard to know exactly how common it is or which treatments work best. Using the definition that regulators often use, about 30% of people with depression…

Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies Treatment of Major Depression Ketamine

Management of Treatment-Resistant Depression: Challenges and Strategies

Daphne Voineskos, Zafiris J. Daskalakis, Daniel M. Blumberger

Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment Summary & key facts 2020 411 citations

This paper is a careful review of research about treatment-resistant depression. The authors looked through medical studies to see how doctors define this kind of depression, what makes it hard to assess, and which treatments have been tried. They describe drug strategies like adding lithium or thyroid hormone, switching antidepressant…

Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders Ketamine Psilocybin

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 Canadian Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2024 240 citations

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

The Diagnosis and Management of Bipolar I and II Disorders: Clinical Practice Update

William V. Bobo

Mayo Clinic Proceedings Summary & key facts 2017 90 citations

This 2017 clinical review explains how bipolar I and II disorders are diagnosed and treated. It says bipolar illness involves swings between manic (or hypomanic) and depressive episodes. Treatment usually needs both medicines and psychosocial therapy, and care must be adjusted over time because relapses and incomplete responses — especially…

Bipolar Disorder and Treatment Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Schizophrenia research and treatment

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

Journal of Psychiatric Research Summary & key facts 2023 24 citations

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…