Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions

Joseph A. Durlak, Roger P. Weissberg, Allison B. Dymnicki, Rebecca D. Taylor, Kriston B. Schellinger

Child Development • Summary & key facts • 2011 • 8,084 citations

This meta-analysis combined results from 213 school-based, universal social and emotional learning (SEL) programs involving 270,034 kindergarten-through-high-school students. Compared with control groups, students in SEL programs showed better social and emotional skills, attitudes, and behavior, and their school achievement was higher by about 11 percentile points. Regular school teaching staff…

Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Early Childhood Education and Development Parental Involvement in Education

Global prevalence and burden of depressive and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 Mental Disorders Collaborators

PubMed Central (PMC) • Summary & key facts • 2021 • 5,135 citations

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…

COVID-19 and Mental Health Health disparities and outcomes Long-Term Effects of COVID-19

Antidepressant effects of ketamine in depressed patients

Robert Berman, Angela Cappiello, Amit Anand, Dan A. Oren, George R. Heninger, Dennis S. Charney, et al.

Biological Psychiatry • Summary & key facts • 2000 • 3,784 citations

In a small, carefully controlled study, seven people with major depression each received a single low-dose ketamine infusion on one day and a saline infusion on another day, without anyone knowing which was which. People who got ketamine showed clear improvement in their depressive symptoms within three days, while those…

Functional Brain Connectivity Studies Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders Ketamine

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

The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure.

Piers Steel

Psychological Bulletin • Summary & key facts • 2007 • 3,145 citations

This paper reviews research on procrastination and runs a meta-analysis of 691 correlations. It finds that some personality traits (neuroticism, rebelliousness, sensation seeking) have only weak links to procrastination. Strong and consistent predictors include task aversiveness, task delay, low self-efficacy, impulsiveness, and low conscientiousness (including poor self-control, distractibility, poor organization,…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Perfectionism, Procrastination, Anxiety Studies Work-Family Balance Challenges

Delivering Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Young Adults With Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Using a Fully Automated Conversational Agent (Woebot): A Randomized Controlled Trial

Kathleen Kara Fitzpatrick, Alison Darcy, Molly Vierhile

JMIR Mental Health • Summary & key facts • 2017 • 2,318 citations

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…

Digital Mental Health Interventions Impact of Technology on Adolescents Mental Health Research Topics

Risks of all-cause and suicide mortality in mental disorders: a meta-review

Edward Chesney, Guy M. Goodwin, Seena Fazel

World Psychiatry • Summary & key facts • 2014 • 2,040 citations

This study reviewed systematic reviews to measure death risks in major mental disorders. The authors screened 407 reviews and found 20 that reported mortality risks for 20 different disorders, covering over 1.7 million patients and more than a quarter of a million deaths. Every disorder showed higher all-cause death rates…

Bipolar Disorder and Treatment Mental Health Treatment and Access Suicide and Self-Harm Studies

Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress

Peter Salmon

Clinical Psychology Review • Summary & key facts • 2001 • 1,332 citations

This 2001 review looked at studies on exercise, anxiety, depression, and stress. It found that short-term emotional effects of exercise are mixed, but many cross-sectional and longitudinal studies report that regular aerobic exercise training reduces anxiety and depression symptoms and may protect against the harmful effects of stress. The clearest…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Eating Disorders and Behaviors Mental Health Research Topics

Loneliness in Older Persons

Carla Perissinotto, Irena Cenzer, Kenneth E. Covinsky

Archives of Internal Medicine • Summary & key facts • 2012 • 1,225 citations

This study followed 1,604 U.S. adults older than 60 for six years. It found that people who said they felt lonely (43% of the group) were more likely to have worse day-to-day function and were more likely to die. After the researchers adjusted for age, wealth, living situation, depression, and…

Aging and Gerontology Research Health and Wellbeing Research Health disparities and outcomes

Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: A Two-Site Randomized Controlled Trial

James W. Murrough, Dan V. Iosifescu, Lee C. Chang, Rayan K. Al Jurdi, Charles E. Green, Andrew M. Perez, et al.

American Journal of Psychiatry • Summary & key facts • 2013 • 1,186 citations

Researchers tested a single intravenous dose of ketamine in 73 people with major depression that had not gotten better with usual treatments. In a two-site, double-blind trial, people were randomly given either ketamine or an active placebo (the anesthetic midazolam). Twenty-four hours after the infusion, people who got ketamine were…

Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders Ketamine

The Relationship Between Burnout, Depression, and Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Koutsimani, Panagiota, Montgomery, Anthony, Georganta, Katerina

www.frontiersin.org • Summary & key facts • 2019 • 1,003 citations

This review pooled studies from 2007–2018 to measure how strongly burnout is related to depression and to anxiety. The authors found a moderate positive link with depression (r = 0.52) and a moderate link with anxiety (r = 0.46). They also report that measurement choice and study quality changed the…

Health and Well-being Studies Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout Stress and Burnout Research

A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial)

Jacka, Felice N., O’Neil, Adrienne, Opie, Rachelle, et al.

SpringerLink • Summary & key facts • 2017 • 1,000 citations

This 12-week randomised trial tested a structured dietary program (a modified Mediterranean-style diet) against a social-support control in adults with moderate to severe major depression. Sixty-seven people were randomised (33 to diet, 34 to control). The diet group showed larger drops in depressive symptoms on the MADRS scale at 12…

Diet and metabolism studies Eating Disorders and Behaviors Nutritional Studies and Diet