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.

4 papers

Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews

Ben Singh, Tim Olds, Rachel Curtis, Dorothea Dumuid, Rosa Virgara, Amanda Watson, et al.
PubMed Summary & key facts 2023 784 citations

This umbrella review pooled evidence from 97 systematic reviews (1,039 randomized trials, 128,119 participants) to examine whether physical activity affects symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adults. Overall, physical activity produced medium-sized reductions in symptoms (median effect size for depression = -0.43, for anxiety = -0.42; distress effect…

Behavioral Health and Interventions Eating Disorders and Behaviors Physical Activity and Health

The Effects of Tai Chi on Depression, Anxiety, and Psychological Well-Being: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Fang Wang, Eun‐Kyoung Othelia Lee, Taixiang Wu, Herbert Benson, Gregory L. Fricchione, Weidong Wang, et al.

This review collected studies of tai chi up to May 31, 2013 and found that many trials reported benefits for mood and psychological well-being. The authors included 37 randomized controlled trials and 5 quasi-experimental studies from English and Chinese databases. A small pooled analysis of three randomized trials that measured…

Art Therapy and Mental Health Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention Physical Activity and Health

The effects of physical activity on cortisol and sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Len De Nys, Kerry Anderson, Esther Frema Ofosu, Gemma C. Ryde, Jenni Connelly, Anna C. Whittaker
Psychoneuroendocrinology Summary & key facts 2022 227 citations

This review combined results from 10 intervention studies to see if physical activity programs change cortisol (a stress hormone) and sleep in adults. The pooled results found lower cortisol after activity programs and some improvement in sleep quality. The authors say the evidence is moderate for cortisol and low for…

Circadian rhythm and melatonin Physical Activity and Health Sleep and related disorders

Physical activity and mental health: a systematic review and best-evidence synthesis of mediation and moderation studies

Rhiannon White, Stewart A. Vella, Stuart Biddle, Jordan Sutcliffe, Justin M. Guagliano, Riaz Uddin, et al.

This paper reviewed studies that tested how and when physical activity (PA) relates to mental health. The authors searched four databases up to July 2024 and kept 247 studies. They found strong evidence that 12 specific factors help explain the PA–mental health link (for example, mood, self-esteem, and social support).…

Behavioral Health and Interventions Physical Activity and Health Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
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