Smartphone apps for depression: do they work?

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Michelle Eskinazi and Clara Belessiotis write their debut elf blog on a recent meta-analysis of smartphone‐based mental health interventions for depression, which concludes that there is a possibly promising role for apps in the prevention and treatment of sub-clinical, mild and moderate depressive symptoms.

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The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on psychological treatments #SeeingFurther

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Ioana Cristea highlights some of the key ideas from the recently published Lancet Psychiatry Commission on psychological treatments research in tomorrow’s science. She also raises a number of objections to the 50-page report, which we hope will generate some much needed discussion on this topic.

Look out for our #SeeingFurther podcast with the authors of the Commission and a Twitter chat at 12:30pm GMT on Monday 19th March.

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Person-centred care for dementia: impact on quality of life, agitation and antipsychotic use

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Hilary Shepherd reports on a recent paper from the WHELD trial on the impact of person-centred care training and person-centred activities on quality of life, agitation, and antipsychotic use in people with dementia living in nursing homes.

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Antipsychotic effectiveness: the numbers don’t lie, check the scoreboard

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Students and Teachers from the King’s College London PNoMH Distance Learning MSc summarise a major new meta-analysis that brings together the last 60 years of placebo-controlled antipsychotic drug trials in acute schizophrenia.

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Community treatment orders and social outcomes in psychosis

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Ian Cummins considers the findings of a recent 48-month follow-up study of social outcomes for patients with psychosis, which concludes that community treatment orders did not offer any long term benefits.

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What relationship do stressful life events, neglect and abuse have with functional neurological disorder (conversion disorder)?

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Mark Edwards considers the findings of a new meta-analysis of case-control studies, which looks at the relationship between stressful life events, neglect and abuse with functional neurological disorder.

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Non-medical use of prescription drugs #NonMedicalDrugs

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Ian Hamilton and Julia Buxton from the University of York preview the #NonMedicalDrugs event that will take place in York on Friday 16th March 2018.

The meeting will bring together people who can offer personal and professional insights of the extent of the issue and how we can support people who develop problems.

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Blended psychotherapy: barriers and facilitators identified by psychotherapists

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Stefan Rennick-Egglestone on a qualitative study of psychotherapists’ views about the barriers and facilitators to implementing blended psychotherapy for depression.

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SSRIs and suicidality: effects of SSRIs on rating-scale-assessed suicidality in adults with depression

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Rina Dutta and Patrick McLaughlin summarise a new study looking at the effects of SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) on rating-scale-assessed suicidality in adults with depression.

This study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry supports the conclusion that SSRIs remain a safe and effective treatment in depression for those aged 18 and over.

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Perinatal depression in mothers: how can treatment help with parenting and child development?

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Eloise Stark publishes her debut blog on a recent systematic review, which looks at the effect that treatment for perinatal depression in mothers can have on parenting and child development.

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