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.

8 papers

Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy: A Systematic Narrative Review of the Literature

Sandra J Drozdz, Akash Goel, Matthew W McGarr, Joel Katz, Paul Ritvo, Gabriella Mattina, et al.
PubMed Summary & key facts 2022 92 citations

This systematic review looked at 17 studies with a total of 603 participants on ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP). The reviewed reports say KAP can, in some cases, start and lengthen meaningful reductions in pain, anxiety, and depression, and help with rapport, treatment engagement, and abstinence for people with substance problems. However,…

Mental Health Research Topics Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders

Exercise addiction: A narrative overview of research issues

Aviv Weinstein, Attila Szabó

This review looked at research on exercise addiction from 2010 to 2022. It says there are over 1,000 papers, but exercise addiction is not a formal clinical diagnosis. Many studies use scales and questionnaires that mix up true addiction with high commitment or exercise used for other problems (like eating…

Behavioral Health and Interventions Eating Disorders and Behaviors Impact of Technology on Adolescents

Couple therapy in the 2020s: Current status and emerging developments

Jay Lebow, Douglas K Snyder
PubMed Central (PMC) Summary & key facts 2022 66 citations

This paper reviews couple therapy in the 2020s. It says couple therapy has become a main way to help couples and is grounded in strong research from studies of couple therapy and relational science. The review reports that couple therapy is widely accepted for reducing relationship distress and improving relationship…

Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Digital Mental Health Interventions Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications

Maternity Blues: A Narrative Review

Valentina Tosto, Margherita Ceccobelli, Emanuela Lucarini, Alfonso Tortorella, Sandro Gerli, Fabio Parazzini, et al.

Maternity blues, also called baby blues, are short-lived mood changes after childbirth that can include tearfulness, irritability, anxiety, sleep and concentration problems. A recent review reports an overall prevalence of about 39% (studies ranged from 13.7% to 76%), but definitions and measurements vary widely. Symptoms usually start in the first…

Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Infant Development and Preterm Care Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Current Discoveries and Future Implications of Eating Disorders

Bing Feng, Jerney Harms, Emily Chen, Peiyu Gao, Pingwen Xu, Yanlin He

This narrative review summarizes what is known about eating disorders, focusing on anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED). The authors say these conditions often start in adolescence or early adulthood, are diagnosed more often in young women, and can harm physical, mental, and social health.…

Eating Disorders and Behaviors Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders

Psychedelic therapies reconsidered: compounds, clinical indications, and cautious optimism

Jennifer Mitchell, B. Anderson
Neuropsychopharmacology Summary & key facts 2023 44 citations

This review describes a rapid rise in medical research on psychedelic drugs over the past five years. Several later-stage clinical trials have been published, and many different drugs — including psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, ayahuasca, and ibogaine — are being tested for conditions such as depression, post‑traumatic stress, addiction, obsessive‑compulsive…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies Ayahuasca Ibogaine

We didn’t start the fire…or did we?—a narrative review of medical gaslighting and introduction to medical invalidation

Alexandra Fuss, Christina H Jagielski, Tiffany Taft

This paper reviews what is known about “medical gaslighting,” especially in gastroenterology. The authors found no studies that directly measure gaslighting in chronic digestive diseases, so they drew on related research about gaslighting, doctor–patient communication, burnout, and stigma. They propose the new term “medical invalidation” to cover situations where a…

Climate Change and Health Impacts

The Role of Ketamine in Treatment-resistant Depression: A Narrative Review

Ashwini Reddy, Swati Patel, Amiya Kumar Barik, Priya Thappa, Kiran Jangra, Kirandeep Kaur, et al.

SPRAVATO (esketamine) is a prescription nasal spray for adults with treatment‑resistant depression to be used together with an oral antidepressant. It must be given and watched by a healthcare provider because it can cause sedation, dissociation, and increases in blood pressure. Patients are observed for at least two hours after…

Stress Responses and Cortisol Treatment of Major Depression Tryptophan and brain disorders Ketamine
Summaries and links are for general information and education only. They are not a substitute for reading the original publication or for professional medical, legal, or other advice. Always refer to the linked source for the full study.