Mental health
The NHS is rolling out an expanded mental health support service for Armed Forces veterans after a survey found that more than half find it difficult to speak up about mental health issues. The health service has now launched a new campaign to highlight its Op COURAGE service, which now includes enhanced specialist support for [...]
New UK-led research has revealed why rapid-acting antidepressants such as ketamine and the psychedelic drug psilocybin have an immediate and lasting positive effect on mood in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The research, led by the University of Bristol, found that psilocybin, ketamine and scopolamine can modulate affective biases associated with learning and memory. [...]
Life changes that combine both physical activity and mindfulness are most effective at lifting mood and improving health and wellbeing, a new study has found. Both physical activity and mindfulness have well-established psychological benefits. However, the new study is one of the first to show how the positive effects can be increased when the two [...]
Video games may help tackle depression in young people, new research suggests. Researcher Anouk Tuijnman has co-developed two applied video games to target depression in adolescents and will defend her PhD at Radboud University on November 28. Tuijnman: “I wanted to explore whether we could develop materials that help and support young people in finding [...]
A virtual reality treatment has for the first time been recommended for use in NHS mental health services. The “gameChange” VR automated therapy programme has been recommended for use in the NHS for the treatment of severe agoraphobia in patients with psychosis, as more evidence is gathered. The recommendation follows the largest ever clinical trial [...]
A special kind of genetic test that helps determine the best antidepressant for patients with moderate-to-severe depression could generate substantive health system savings and greatly improve patient outcomes, according to new research from Canada. The study, published today in CMAJ, shows that in British Columbia. alone, implementing pharmacogenomic testing could save the provincial public health [...]
Rumination can be reduced through an intervention called Rumination-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (RF-CBT), new research has found. In the new study, the use of fMRI technology allowed researchers to observe correlated shifts in the brain connectivity associated with overthinking. Study findings are published in the journal Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science. corresponding author Scott Langenecker, [...]
Measuring changes in how pupils react to light could help predict recovery from depression and personalise transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment of major depressive disorder, new research suggests. TMS is a non-invasive therapy that uses magnetic fields to stimulate parts of the brain involved in mood regulation. While the treatment is proven effective, not all [...]
ChatGPT may be better than doctors at evidence-based management of clinical depression without gender or social class bias, new research finds. ChatGPT may be better than a doctor at following recognised treatment standards for clinical depression, finds research published in the open access journal Family Medicine and Community Health. The study also found that the [...]
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects around four per cent of UK adults, yet the condition remains poorly misunderstood and under-diagnosed. Adults seeking NHS diagnosis and treatment face long waiting lists, with many having to find ways to muddle through without help. In the US, millions of adults misdiagnosed during childhood navigate life with executive [...]
