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.
Treatment-resistant depression means depression that does not get better after usual treatments. Scientists do not all agree on one clear definition, which makes it hard to know exactly how common it is or which treatments work best. Using the definition that regulators often use, about 30% of people with depression…
This paper is a careful review of research about treatment-resistant depression. The authors looked through medical studies to see how doctors define this kind of depression, what makes it hard to assess, and which treatments have been tried. They describe drug strategies like adding lithium or thyroid hormone, switching antidepressant…
Social isolation and discrimination are linked with worse physical and mental health, more illness and higher death rates, and a lower quality of life. This review combines animal and human research and clinical studies. Animal studies show that social separation, especially early in life, activates the body's stress‑hormone system (the…
Several long-term studies find that people who use cannabis in adolescence or young adulthood are more likely later to have psychotic symptoms or be diagnosed with schizophrenia. The link is stronger with heavier or more frequent use and often stays present after researchers adjust for other risk factors. Biological studies…
This review looks at research on how cannabis and its active chemicals relate to psychosis. It says there are three patterns: short psychotic symptoms during intoxication, short psychosis that can last beyond intoxication (often resolving within a month in case reports), and persistent psychosis that is not clearly tied to…
This review looks at cognitive remediation (CR), which are training methods meant to improve thinking skills in people with psychiatric disorders. It notes that thinking problems are common and hurt daily life. Over the past 50 years the evidence for CR has grown, with the clearest support for treating schizophrenia…
Many studies find that cannabis use is linked with a higher chance of later psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, and with an earlier start of psychotic symptoms. Pooled analyses report a modestly increased risk, and heavy or frequent use and use that begins in adolescence show stronger links. Biological systems affected…
The authors reviewed 31 studies (from a search of 304 articles published 1949–Feb 2013) of adults with depression plus measured anxiety. They report that SSRIs, SNRIs, and TCAs often reduce symptoms in this “anxious depression” group, but these patients are less likely to keep their improvement or reach lasting remission…
This small, single-centre study of 50 caregivers found that the amount of burden felt by caregivers of people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) was about the same as for caregivers of people with schizophrenia. Caregivers who had a high burden were more likely to report anxiety, depression, and worse quality…
Current literature shows that benzodiazepines and probably lamotrigine reduce ketamine's treatment outcome, which should be taken into account when considering ketamine treatment. There is evidence for an interaction between ketamine and clozapine, haloperidol, and risperidone. Due to small sample sizes, different subject groups and various outcome parameters, the evidence is…
This review looks at research on cannabis compounds and the body’s endocannabinoid system as possible treatments for depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, PTSD, and schizophrenia. It says the evidence is mixed and mostly preliminary. Some studies show biological links between the endocannabinoid system and mood disorders, and early clinical work suggests…
