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.

4 papers

Attachment Studies with Borderline Patients: A Review

Hans R. Agrawal, John G. Gunderson, Bjarne Holmes, Karlen Lyons‐Ruth
Harvard Review of Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2004 483 citations

This review looked at 13 studies of attachment in people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) or BPD traits. Every study found a strong link between BPD and insecure attachment. The insecure types most often seen were labeled unresolved, preoccupied, and fearful. The authors note that differences in how attachment was…

Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Personality Disorders and Psychopathology Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications

The Neurobiology of Panic: A Chronic Stress Disorder

Andrew W. Goddard
Chronic Stress Summary & key facts 2017 36 citations

Panic disorder is a common, often long-lasting anxiety condition that causes sudden attacks of intense fear and ongoing worry. This review says many kinds of biology are involved — genes (heritability ~43%), long-term stress, temperament, brain circuits of fear, and changes to gene activity — but notes that few specific…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Mental Health Research Topics

Pathological Narcissism and Emotional Responses to Rejection: The Impact of Adult Attachment

Samantha Reis, Elizabeth Huxley, Bryan Eng Yong Feng, Brin F. S. Grenyer
Frontiers in Psychology Summary & key facts 2021 17 citations

Researchers tested 269 people (about 76% female, median age 21) using a virtual ball-tossing game that simulated social rejection. They measured two kinds of pathological narcissism (vulnerable and grandiose), adult attachment style, and emotional reactivity before and after the rejection. People higher in vulnerable narcissism tended to feel more insecure…

Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Personality Disorders and Psychopathology Personality Traits and Psychology

Hand Washing: When Ritual Behavior Protects! Obsessive–Compulsive Symptoms in Young People during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review

Francesco Demaria, Maria Pontillo, Cristina Di Vincenzo, Michelangelo Di Luzio, Stefano Vicari
Journal of Clinical Medicine Summary & key facts 2022 13 citations

This narrative review looked at research up to 12 March 2022 on how the COVID-19 pandemic related to obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms in children and adolescents. The authors found six studies that fit their criteria (four clinical samples with OCD and two community samples). Five of those six studies reported increased…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum 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.