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…

Core symptoms of major depressive disorder: relevance to diagnosis and treatment

Sidney H Kennedy

PubMed Central (PMC) Summary & key facts 2008 370 citations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is defined without assuming a single cause and has two main symptoms: depressed mood and loss of interest or pleasure. The paper says we should also pay more attention to fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, thinking (cognitive) problems, and sexual problems when diagnosing and judging treatment. Some…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression

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

Ketamine treatment for refractory anxiety: A systematic review

Jamie L. Tully, Amelia D. Dahlén, Connor J. Haggarty, Helgi B. Schiöth, Samantha J. Brooks

British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Summary & key facts 2022 84 citations

This systematic review looked at clinical studies of ketamine for people whose anxiety did not get better with standard treatments. The authors found early signs that single doses of ketamine can reduce anxiety quickly, but the benefits are often temporary (typically lasting days to about a week). The existing studies…

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

Pharmacologic Treatment of Dimensional Anxious Depression

Dawn F. Ionescu, Mark J. Niciu, Erica M. Richards, Carlos A. Zarate

The Primary Care Companion For CNS Disorders Summary & key facts 2014 54 citations

The authors reviewed 31 studies (from a search of 304 articles published 1949–Feb 2013) of adults with depression plus measured anxiety. They report that SSRIs, SNRIs, and TCAs often reduce symptoms in this “anxious depression” group, but these patients are less likely to keep their improvement or reach lasting remission…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Functional Brain Connectivity Studies 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.