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.
This fact sheet reports that people with eating disorders have higher death rates than the general population. Death rates are highest for anorexia nervosa (AN). Bulimia nervosa (BN) and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) have similar death rates. The sheet says older age at assessment was linked to higher…
This small randomized trial tested a fully automated text-based conversational agent called Woebot as a way to deliver cognitive behavioral therapy to college-age young adults with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Over 2 weeks, the Woebot group (n=34) showed a statistically larger drop in depression scores (PHQ-9) than an information-only…
This systematic review looked at research on social media and mental health. The authors state that social media are responsible for making mental health problems worse. They searched 50 papers and, after applying selection rules, included 16 studies. The final papers were checked for quality and included a mix of…
This review looked at smartphone apps made for treating eating disorders. The authors found that research on whether these apps work is scarce. They also found that most existing apps include few proven treatment methods and do not use the special abilities of smartphones (like real-time interaction and sensors). The…
In a study of 1,298,890 women in Quebec, 5,169 who had been hospitalized for anorexia nervosa were followed up to March 31, 2018. Women with hospital-treated anorexia had higher death rates over time than women without anorexia. The higher risk was strongest in the first 10 years after hospitalization and…
This review looked at research on exercise addiction from 2010 to 2022. It says there are over 1,000 papers, but exercise addiction is not a formal clinical diagnosis. Many studies use scales and questionnaires that mix up true addiction with high commitment or exercise used for other problems (like eating…
The researchers did a large, careful search for studies of digital mental health tools (things like websites, phone apps, text messages, or online therapy) aimed at reducing depression and anxiety in low- and middle-income countries. They only kept randomized controlled trials, which are studies where people are randomly put into…
This review pooled data from trials that directly compared therapist-guided internet-delivered CBT (ICBT) with face-to-face CBT for anxiety disorders. Eight randomized studies were included, and the combined result showed a near-zero difference between the two formats (Hedges' g = 0.01, 95% CI −0.16 to 0.18). The authors concluded that ICBT…
This study surveyed 211 young adults about exposure to “fitspiration” or athletic images on social media and how that related to their body esteem. It found 37% of participants said such images lowered their self-esteem, with women more likely to report this (p = 0.004) and gender also linked to…
Researchers interviewed 16 teens who frequently used public libraries to learn how they experience anxiety and what digital tools might help them. Teens said they felt loss of control, unpredictability, and anger from anxiety and used tools like breathing exercises, journaling, and mood tracking. They viewed libraries as safe places…
