Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

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

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

Efficacy and Safety of Flexibly Dosed Esketamine Nasal Spray Combined With a Newly Initiated Oral Antidepressant in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Double-Blind Active-Controlled Study

Vanina Popova, Ella Daly, Madhukar H. Trivedi, Kimberly Cooper, Rosanne Lane, Pilar Lim, et al.

American Journal of Psychiatry • Summary & key facts • 2019 • 839 citations

Researchers tested a nasal spray form of esketamine together with a newly started oral antidepressant in adults whose depression had not improved after trying at least two antidepressants. Over four weeks, people who got esketamine plus a new antidepressant had faster and larger drops in depression symptoms than those who…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders Ketamine

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression

Stefan G Hofmann, Angelina F Gómez

PubMed Central (PMC) • Summary & key facts • 2017 • 706 citations

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…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes COVID-19 and Mental Health Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions

A Randomized Controlled Effectiveness Trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Therapy for Anxiety and Depression

Evan M. Forman, James D. Herbert, Ethan Moitra, Peter D. Yeomans, Pamela A. Geller

Behavior Modification • Summary & key facts • 2007 • 682 citations

The source explains what Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is and reports research comparing ACT with cognitive therapy (CT). In a randomized trial of 101 outpatients with moderate to severe anxiety or depression, people assigned to ACT or to CT showed large, similar improvements in depression, anxiety, daily functioning, quality…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions

Why do people with anxiety disorders become depressed? A prospective‐longitudinal community study

Hans‐Ulrich Wïttchen, Ronald C. Kessler, Hildegard Pfister, Michael Höfler, R. Lieb

Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica • Summary & key facts • 2000 • 442 citations

In a community study of 3,021 adolescents and young adults followed for 4–5 years, researchers used structured interviews (DSM‑IV CIDI) and found that most anxiety disorders (except panic disorder) began before depression and were linked to a higher chance of later major depression. Rates of people having both anxiety and…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Core symptoms of major depressive disorder: relevance to diagnosis and treatment

Sidney H Kennedy

PubMed Central (PMC) • Summary & key facts • 2008 • 370 citations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is defined without assuming a single cause and has two main symptoms: depressed mood and loss of interest or pleasure. The paper says we should also pay more attention to fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, thinking (cognitive) problems, and sexual problems when diagnosing and judging treatment. Some…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression

The prevalence and burden of subthreshold generalized anxiety disorder: a systematic review

Heidemarie Haller, Holger Cramer, Romy Lauche, Florian Gaß, Gustav Dobos

BMC Psychiatry • Summary & key facts • 2014 • 270 citations

The article describes “high functioning anxiety” as a way some people with anxiety symptoms talk about their experience, not as an official medical diagnosis. It says people can look successful and cope outwardly while having common anxiety symptoms, and that diagnosis can be hard because the symptom effects may be…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

A Hypothesis of Gender Differences in Self-Reporting Symptom of Depression: Implications to Solve Under-Diagnosis and Under-Treatment of Depression in Males

Peixia Shi, Aigang Yang, Qing Zhao, Zhaohua Chen, Xiaomei Ren, Qin Dai

Frontiers in Psychiatry • Summary & key facts • 2021 • 206 citations

This article proposes a new hypothesis: women report mild-to-moderate depression more often, while men report more severe depression and more suicide. The authors point to possible reasons such as hormone links, men’s tendency to hide feelings or avoid help, and different symptom patterns in men. They say this could mean…

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

The relevance of ‘mixed anxiety and depression’ as a diagnostic category in clinical practice

Hans‐Jürgen Möller, Borwin Bandelow, Hans‐Peter Volz, Utako Birgit Barnikol, Erich Seifritz, Siegfried Kasper

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience • Summary & key facts • 2016 • 122 citations

This paper looks at whether 'mixed anxiety and depressive disorder' should be an official diagnosis. That label describes people who have both anxiety and depression symptoms that are real and limiting, but not strong enough to count as a full disorder on their own. The authors review studies that support…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

Understanding anhedonia: a qualitative study exploring loss of interest and pleasure in adolescent depression

Rebecca Watson, Kate Harvey, Ciara McCabe, Shirley Reynolds

PubMed Central (PMC) • Summary & key facts • 2019 • 121 citations

Researchers interviewed 34 teenagers (aged 13–18) who had diagnosed depression or high depressive symptoms. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, they found four main experiences linked to anhedonia: loss of joy and flattened emotion; problems with motivation and taking part in activities; loss of connection and belonging; and questioning identity,…

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Youth Substance Use and School Attendance

Effect of Internet vs Face-to-Face Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Health Anxiety: A Randomized Noninferiority Clinical Trial

Erland Axelsson, Erik Andersson, Brjánn Ljótsson, Daniel Björkander, Maria Hedman-Lagerlöf, Erik Hedman-Lagerlöf

PubMed Central (PMC) • Summary & key facts • 2020 • 116 citations

This randomized noninferiority clinical trial examines the effect of internet-delivered vs face-to-face cognitive behavior therapy especially in light of resources, access, and cost.

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Digital Mental Health Interventions Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments