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.
11 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 study reviewed surveys and used global models to measure how the COVID-19 pandemic changed rates of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders in 2020. It found that places with higher COVID-19 infection rates and bigger drops in movement had larger increases in these disorders. The authors estimate about 53.2…
MBSR is able to reduce stress levels in healthy people. However, important limitations of the included studies as well as the paucity of evidence about possible specific effects of MBSR in comparison to other nonspecific treatments underline the necessity of further research.
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), especially Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), teach people to pay nonjudgmental attention to the present moment. Reviews and randomized trials show MBIs can reduce anxiety and depression symptom severity across many groups, often doing better than non-evidence treatments or active controls and performing…
This study surveyed 426 Filipino adults online during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic to see if perceived stress helps explain links between social support and mental health. Using standard questionnaires, the researchers found that lower perceived stress was linked to more positive feelings and less anxiety and depression when…
In a remote, randomized trial (NCT05304000), people did one of three five-minute daily breathing exercises or five minutes of mindfulness meditation each day for one month. The researchers measured mood, anxiety, and physiological arousal (breathing rate, heart rate, and heart rate variability). Breathwork—especially exhale-focused cyclic sighing—produced bigger mood gains and…
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,…
This small, nonrandomized pilot study gave a 30-day app-based mindfulness program (about 10 minutes per day) to 34 physicians who reported anxiety. Average anxiety scores fell by 48% after 1 month and by 57% after 3 months. Measures of burnout (cynicism and emotional exhaustion) were correlated with anxiety and also…
This study analyzed Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 data from 204 countries to track anxiety disorders in 10–24 year olds from 1990 to 2021. It found a 52% rise in incidence over those 31 years, a sharp increase after 2019, higher rates in females, and rising disability (DALYs) especially…
This review looked at short, single-session psychological techniques aimed at lowering state anxiety. The authors found 12 randomized trials and reported that cognitive and embodiment exercises tended to reduce anxiety, while breathing-only exercises gave mixed results. Combined approaches like mindfulness showed moderate benefits when they used passive attention, but results…
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a therapy that teaches people to accept hard thoughts and feelings and to act in line with their values. This review reports that many studies, including randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses, find ACT can improve parts of psychological well-being such as emotional regulation, life…
