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.
7 papers
Research points to two clear groups of treatments for anxiety. First, ordinary approaches like exercise — especially walking and other regular physical activity — have strong, high-quality evidence showing medium-sized reductions in anxiety symptoms. These are proven in many randomized trials and reviews. Second, newer substance-assisted therapies (often called psychedelic‑assisted therapy) are promising. Small clinical trials and reviews show reductions in anxiety and related problems after carefully supervised doses of drugs such as psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, and ayahuasca. However, these drug approaches are mostly early-stage or done in special research settings and need more, larger trials before they can become routine care. People thinking about or treating anxiety should know that drug‑assisted therapies are almost always given together with serious psychological support. How the drug is given, the preparation before it, and follow-up therapy matter a lot. There are also safety and equity issues to watch: some psychedelics can have rare lasting side effects, many studies are small, and people of color have been underrepresented in trials. For now, exercise has the clearest and broadest evidence. Other treatments are promising but still need more testing and careful medical oversight.
This systematic review looked at 33 studies about social anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The studies suggest social anxiety increased in the general population. Women and people with low incomes appeared more likely to report higher social anxiety. Other links to higher social anxiety included poor coping, weaker social support,…
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 looks at recent research where drugs like MDMA and psilocybin are given inside carefully run therapy programs. People get hours of preparation, one or more drug sessions, and several follow-up therapy sessions to help make sense of the experience. Trials so far show big improvements for some people…
Researchers ran a national online survey of U.S. adults from November 2020 to March 2021 that was weighted to represent the adult population. They asked about use of psychedelic mushrooms (psilocybin), reasons for use, and mental health. Many users said they took mushrooms for general mental health and well-being. Users…
Researchers followed 62 older adults (age 60 and up) and 62 younger adults who planned to take part in guided psychedelic group sessions. People in both age groups reported better well-being in the weeks after the sessions, but older adults experienced weaker immediate drug effects during the sessions. For older…
This paper reviews research on three naturally occurring psychedelics: psilocybin, ibogaine, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (the active part of the brew ayahuasca). It explains that these drugs work on the brain's serotonin system and summarizes growing studies that suggest they might help with problems like post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety, and…
Researchers reported a single case where a traditional Amazonian healer gave a weeklong, ritual treatment that included drinking a liquid made from the native tobacco plant. The patient was a 37-year-old woman with diagnosed low mood, anxiety, and attention problems plus a long-term physical health issue. The team used both…
