Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

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18 papers

A systematic study of microdosing psychedelics

Vince Polito, Richard J. Stevenson
PLoS ONE Summary & key facts 2019 234 citations

This observational study followed 98 people who microdosed psychedelics over six weeks and found that people reported better psychological functioning on days they took a microdose, but there was little evidence that those effects lasted into the next days. Among 63 people who completed formal tests before and after the…

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

Ibogaine treatment outcomes for opioid dependence from a twelve-month follow-up observational study

Geoff Noller, Chris Frampton, Berra Yazar‐Klosinski

A single ibogaine treatment reduced opioid withdrawal symptoms and achieved opioid cessation or sustained reduced use in dependent individuals as measured over 12 months. Ibogaine's legal availability in New Zealand may offer improved outcomes where legislation supports treatment providers to work closely with other health professionals.

Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

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

Psychedelic therapy in the treatment of addiction: the past, present and future

Rayyan Zafar, Maxim Siegel, Rebecca Harding, Tommaso Barba, Claudio Agnorelli, Shayam Suseelan, et al.
Frontiers in Psychiatry Summary & key facts 2023 87 citations

This paper reviews research on using psychedelic drugs to treat addiction. The authors say scientific and medical interest has grown a lot in the last ten years and that early evidence is starting to show these treatments can be safe and may help with psychiatric problems including addiction. The review…

Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Do Wellness Tourists Get Well? An Observational Study of Multiple Dimensions of Health and Well-Being After a Week-Long Retreat

Marc Cohen, Fiona Elliott, Liza Oates, Adrian Schembri, Nitin Mantri

Researchers followed 37 people who attended a one-week residential wellness retreat in rural Queensland. They measured many health and well-being outcomes on arrival, at departure, and again 6 weeks later (17 people were followed at 6 weeks). After one week, participants showed statistically significant improvements in most measures, including weight,…

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies Outdoor and Experiential Education Urban Green Space and Health

Association between anaemia and adult depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Yong‐Jae Lee, Hong-Bae Kim

This meta-analysis combined 14 observational studies and found that anaemia was associated with higher odds of adult depression (pooled estimate 1.43; 95% CI 1.23 to 1.65). The analysis included 10,764 cases of depression from studies with average ages between 38.4 and 75.0 years. The authors reported moderate differences across studies,…

Hemoglobinopathies and Related Disorders Iron Metabolism and Disorders Pharmacological Effects and Toxicity Studies

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment

Ronan Lordan, Cristiano Storni, Chiara A. De Benedictis
Exon Publications eBooks Summary & key facts 2021 33 citations

This chapter explains how autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed and treated today. Doctors mostly use observations and screening tools (like DSM-5 criteria and M-CHAT) to judge social and communication skills because there are no reliable biological tests. Treatments range from behavior programs to medicines and supplements, but no treatment…

Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Behavioral and Psychological Studies Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues

Triggers for acute mood episodes in bipolar disorder: A systematic review

Catarina Cordeiro, Beatriz Côrte‐Real, Rodrigo Saraiva, Benício N. Frey, Flávio Kapczinski, Taiane de Azevedo Cardoso

This systematic review looked for events that can trigger sudden mood episodes in people with bipolar disorder. The authors examined 108 studies published up to May 23, 2022. They found the strongest evidence that antidepressant use is linked to manic or hypomanic episodes. Other reported triggers for mania included brain…

Bipolar Disorder and Treatment Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies Schizophrenia research and treatment

Impact of body-positive social media content on body image perception

Ana Jiménez-García, Natalia Arias, Elena Picazo Hontanaya, Ana Sanz, Olivia García-Velasco
Journal of Eating Disorders Summary & key facts 2025 19 citations

This review and meta-analysis looked at studies up to 2024 on body-positive social media content. It reviewed 56 studies (19 were left out of the meta-analysis for bad or missing data). Overall, short-term exposure to body-positive posts was linked to better body satisfaction and improved mood, especially when posts showed…

Consumer Perception and Purchasing Behavior Diverse Topics in Contemporary Research Eating Disorders and Behaviors

Characteristics of and 3-month health outcomes for people seeking treatment with prescribed cannabis: Real-world evidence from Project Twenty21

Michael T. Lynskey, Anne Katrin Schlag, Alkyoni Athanasiou‐Fragkouli, David R. Badcock, David Nutt
Drug Science Policy and Law Summary & key facts 2023 19 citations

Project Twenty21 collected real-world data from people in the UK who sought prescribed medicinal cannabis. Data at treatment start were available for 2,833 patients and 1,410 had 3-month follow-up for anxiety, chronic pain or PTSD. On average, patients reported improvements in condition-specific symptoms and in general health and quality of…

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Homelessness and Social Issues Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Psychological effects of psychedelics in adolescents

Nadhrah Izmi, Robin Carhart‐Harris, Hannes Kettner

Researchers followed people who chose to take a psychedelic on their own and filled out online surveys before, and two and four weeks after, the experience. About 430 adolescents aged 16 to 24 and about 650 adults aged 25 and older were included. Adolescents showed a measurable improvement in mental…

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