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.

10 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 Prevalence and Correlates of Adult ADHD in the United States: Results From the National Comorbidity Survey Replication

Ronald C. Kessler
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2006 2,956 citations

This U.S. study used a nationally representative household survey of 3,199 adults aged 18–44, plus clinical follow-up interviews, to measure adult ADHD. Researchers estimated that 4.4% of adults had current ADHD. Adult ADHD was more common in men, people who were previously married, those who were unemployed, and non-Hispanic white…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Functional Brain Connectivity Studies

Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: A Two-Site Randomized Controlled Trial

James W. Murrough, Dan V. Iosifescu, Lee C. Chang, Rayan K. Al Jurdi, Charles E. Green, Andrew M. Perez, et al.
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2013 1,186 citations

Researchers tested a single intravenous dose of ketamine in 73 people with major depression that had not gotten better with usual treatments. In a two-site, double-blind trial, people were randomly given either ketamine or an active placebo (the anesthetic midazolam). Twenty-four hours after the infusion, people who got ketamine were…

Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders Ketamine

Emotion Dysregulation in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Philip Shaw, Argyris Stringaris, Joel T. Nigg, Ellen Leibenluft
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2014 1,128 citations

This review looked at research on emotion dysregulation (problems managing emotions) in people with ADHD. It found three main points: emotion dysregulation is common across the lifespan and causes substantial problems; it may come from trouble noticing, recognizing, or paying attention to emotional cues tied to a brain circuit that…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Mind wandering and attention Sleep and related disorders

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…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders Ketamine

Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation

Roger S. McIntyre, Joshua D. Rosenblat, Charles B. Nemeroff, Gerard Sanacora, James W. Murrough, Michael Berk, et al.
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2021 646 citations

A group of international mood-disorder experts reviewed the research on ketamine and esketamine for adults whose depression did not get better with usual antidepressants. They found that these drugs work differently from standard antidepressants and can lift symptoms more quickly for some people with treatment-resistant depression. However, the experts also…

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

Ketamine for Rapid Reduction of Suicidal Thoughts in Major Depression: A Midazolam-Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial

Michael F. Grunebaum, Hanga Galfalvy, Tse‐Hwei Choo, John G. Keilp, Vivek K. Moitra, Michelle S. Parris, et al.
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2017 412 citations

Adjunctive ketamine demonstrated a greater reduction in clinically significant suicidal ideation in depressed patients within 24 hours compared with midazolam, partially independently of antidepressant effect.

Functional Brain Connectivity Studies Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Single, Repeated, and Maintenance Ketamine Infusions for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Jennifer L. Phillips, Sandhaya Norris, Jeanne Talbot, Meagan Birmingham, Taylor Hatchard, Abigail Ortiz, et al.
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2019 396 citations

Repeated ketamine infusions have cumulative and sustained antidepressant effects. Reductions in depressive symptoms were maintained among responders through once-weekly infusions. These findings provide novel data on efficacious administration strategies for ketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Future studies should further expand on optimizing administration to better translate the use of…

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

Adjunctive Ketamine With Relapse Prevention–Based Psychological Therapy in the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder

Meryem Grabski, Amy McAndrew, Will Lawn, Beth Marsh, Laura Raymen, Tobias Stevens, et al.
American Journal of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2022 152 citations

This study demonstrated that treatment with three infusions of ketamine was well tolerated in patients with alcohol use disorder and was associated with more days of abstinence from alcohol at 6-month follow-up. The findings suggest a possible beneficial effect of adding psychological therapy alongside ketamine treatment.

Alcoholism and Thiamine Deficiency Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders
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