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.

19 papers

A Randomized Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression

Carlos A. Zarate, Jaskaran Singh, Paul J. Carlson, Nancy E. Brutsché, Rezvan Ameli, David A. Luckenbaugh, et al.
Archives of General Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2006 3,698 citations

In a small, controlled study of 18 people with treatment-resistant major depression, a single intravenous dose of the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) produced rapid drops in depression scores. Improvement began within about 2 hours and remained statistically significant compared with placebo for up to 1 week. The study…

Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Mortality Rates in Patients With Anorexia Nervosa and Other Eating Disorders

Jon Arcelus, Alex J. Mitchell, Jackie Wales, Søren Nielsen
Archives of General Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2011 2,760 citations

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…

Eating Disorders and Behaviors Impact of Technology on Adolescents Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in ADHD Diagnosis From Kindergarten to Eighth Grade

Paul L. Morgan, Jeremy Staff, Marianne M. Hillemeier, George Farkas, Steve Maczuga
PEDIATRICS Summary & key facts 2013 290 citations

This study followed a nationally representative group of U.S. children who started kindergarten in 1998–99 to track ADHD diagnosis from kindergarten through eighth grade. It found that racial and ethnic minority children were less likely than white children to be diagnosed by kindergarten and that these differences continued through eighth…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Infant Development and Preterm Care

Association between depression and anemia in otherwise healthy adults

Hélène Vulser, Emmanuel Wiernik, Nicolas Hoertel, Fred B. Thomas, Bruno Pannier, Sébastien Czernichow, et al.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Summary & key facts 2016 129 citations

In healthy adults from the general population, we found a significant and robust association between depression and anemia. Further studies are needed to assess the longitudinal relationship between both conditions and determine the mechanisms underlying this association.

Dialysis and Renal Disease Management Erythropoietin and Anemia Treatment Iron Metabolism and Disorders

Green space exposure on depression and anxiety outcomes: A meta-analysis

Ziquan Liu, Xuemei Chen, Huanhuan Cui, Yuxuan Ma, Ning Gao, Xinyu Li, et al.
PubMed Summary & key facts 2023 118 citations

This meta-analysis of observational studies found that higher exposure to green space was linked with slightly lower odds of depression and possibly lower odds of anxiety. A 10% increase in the amount of green space was associated with lower odds of depression (OR 0.963; 95% CI 0.948–0.979) and with a…

Land Use and Ecosystem Services Urban Agriculture and Sustainability Urban Green Space and Health

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

Anorexia nervosa and the long‐term risk of mortality in women

Nathalie Auger, Brian J. Potter, Ugochinyere Vivian Ukah, Nancy Low, Mimi Israël, Howard Steiger, et al.
World Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2021 105 citations

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…

Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues Eating Disorders and Behaviors Impact of Technology on Adolescents

Psychiatric disorders risk in patients with iron deficiency anemia and association with iron supplementation medications: a nationwide database analysis

Herng‐Sheng Lee, Hsin-Hao Chao, Wan‐Ting Huang, Solomon Chih‐Cheng Chen, Hsin‐Yi Yang
BMC Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2020 89 citations

This population study used Taiwan's national health insurance records to compare adults with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) to matched people without IDA from 2000–2013. After adjusting for other factors, people with IDA had a higher risk of being diagnosed with psychiatric disorders (adjusted hazard ratio 1.52, 95% CI 1.45–1.59). The…

Erythropoietin and Anemia Treatment Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders Iron Metabolism and Disorders

Association between iron‐deficiency anemia and depression: A web‐based Japanese investigation

Shinsuke Hidese, Kenji Saito, Shinya Asano, Hiroshi Kunugi

Self-reported history of iron-deficiency anemia was associated with self-reported history of depression. Furthermore, self-reported history of iron-deficiency anemia was associated with higher psychological distress.

Folate and B Vitamins Research Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders Iron Metabolism and Disorders

Deep Brain Stimulation in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Efficacy and Safety

Youliang Wu, Jiajie Mo, Lisen Sui, Jianguo Zhang, Wenhan Hu, Chao Zhang, et al.
Frontiers in Neuroscience Summary & key facts 2021 74 citations

This review combined 17 studies of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for people with treatment-resistant depression. Across studies, about 56% of patients showed a clinical response and 35% reached remission, while 14% later had recurrence. Adverse events were common (about 67%), and the two randomized trials did not show a clear,…

Neurological disorders and treatments Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies

Psychotherapies for Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Adults: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Davide Papola, Clara Miguel, Mariacristina Mazzaglia, Pamela Franco, Federico Tedeschi, Sara A Romero, et al.
PubMed Central (PMC) Summary & key facts 2023 63 citations

This review combined 65 randomized trials with 5,048 adults who had generalized anxiety disorder. The authors found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was linked with better short-term and long-term outcomes than treatment as usual. Third‑wave CBTs and relaxation therapy were linked with short-term benefits, but after removing studies judged to…

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

Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Ketamine for Acute Pain Management in the Emergency Setting: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Yee Sin Seak, Junainah Nor, Tuan Hairulnizam Tuan Kamauzaman, A Arithra, Md Asiful Islam
Journal of Clinical Medicine Summary & key facts 2021 27 citations

This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled seven randomized trials with 1760 adults seen in emergency departments (search to 21 May 2021). It found no clear difference in short-term pain scores between intranasal (IN) ketamine and IV analgesics or placebo at 5, 15, 25, 30, and 60 minutes. The need for…

Anesthesia and Pain Management Anesthesia and Sedative Agents Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
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