Wearable bracelet tracks bipolar mood swings: changing electrical signals in skin linked to manic or depressed moods

Researchers have announced preliminary results of using wearable technology to measure electrical impulses in the skin and other physiological biomarkers which might be associated with mood changes in bipolar disorder. The work is at an early stage, but they hope that they will be able to build on these patterns to detect mood swings in bipolar disorder sufferers, so helping […]

Co-users of tobacco and cannabis risk more anxiety and depression than non-users

Co-users of tobacco and cannabis report more anxiety and depression than users of tobacco only and users of neither substance. Researchers reported these findings in PLOS ONE on September 13, 2023. “Little is known about whether people who use both tobacco and cannabis (co-use) are more or less likely to have mental health disorders than single substance users or non-users,” […]

Exercise apps a good prescription to boost healthcare workers’ mental health

Simple home workouts using exercise apps can effectively reduce depressive symptoms in healthcare workers and could be a major tool to combat the global mental health crisis in the sector, says new University of British Columbia research. The study, published today in JAMA Psychiatry, divided participants into either a waitlisted control group or an exercise group who were given free access […]

How to diagnose and manage depression in adolescents: a new review for clinicians

How do you diagnose and manage depression in adolescents? A new review published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.220966 aims to help primary care clinicians address this increasingly common, yet under-detected condition, in teenagers. “Although more than 40% of people with depression experience onset before adulthood, depression remains undetected in many adolescents in Canada, and most are untreated,” writes Dr. Daphne Korczak, a psychiatrist […]

Survey: Nearly 7 in 10 parents believe social media image editing apps and filters have a negative influence on their children’s body image

With children more plugged in to social media than ever before, a wave of new image editing apps and filters along with trends related to appearance have parents concerned about damage to body image. According to a new national survey conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of The On Our Sleeves Movement For Children’s Mental Health, 69% of parents […]

Young men at highest risk of schizophrenia linked with cannabis use disorder

Young men with cannabis (marijuana) use disorder have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a study led by researchers at the Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health. The study, published in Psychological Medicine, analyzed detailed health records data spanning 5 decades and representing […]

Severe mental illness linked to low attendance at cancer screening

People with severe mental illness are less likely to attend cancer screening compared to those who do not have such conditions, according to new research from the University of Surrey and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) at the Department of Health and Social Care. Funded by OHID and NHS England, with support from Cancer Research UK, the […]

ECT and psychiatric medicines may lower suicide rates in boys

A new study from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden suggests that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), lithium, and clozapine may be associated with reduced suicide rates in adolescent males with severe mental illness, consistent with previous findings in adults. The study, published in Nature Communications, compared treatment and suicide rates across different regions in Sweden. Annually, there are at least 800,000 suicide deaths worldwide. […]

Adjunctive antipsychotic treatment appears to help elderly with treatment-resistant depression

Among patients over 60 with treatment-resistant depression, adding the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole (Abilify) to their treatment appears to be a more effective strategy than switching antidepressants. Researchers reported these findings on March 3, 2023 in the New England Journal of Medicine. “Often, unless a patient responds to the first treatment prescribed for depression, physicians follow a pattern in which they […]