Combined methylphenidate and citalopram may help older people with depression recover faster

Depressed older man

Lisa Burscheidt summarises a recent randomised controlled trial of combined methylphenidate and citalopram for depression in older people, which presents promising but limited findings.

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Individual placement and support for mental health vocational rehabilitation

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John Baker considers the findings of a recent RCT, which studies a time limited form of individual placement and support to help people with mental health problems back into work.

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CBT for anxiety in dementia

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Raluca Lucacel summarises a recent pilot randomised controlled trial of CBT for anxiety in dementia, which aims to find out if a cognitive behavioural therapy manual can be used to treat anxiety in people with dementia.

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Antidepressants for depression in cancer: Cochrane review highlights lack of evidence

Female cancer patient

Kirsten Lawson reports on a recent Cochrane systematic review, which highlights a lack of high quality trials about the efficacy and safety of antidepressants for depression in cancer.

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Staff understanding of recovery-orientated mental health practice: A critical note of caution?

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Andrew Shepherd considers the findings of a recent systematic review and narrative synthesis, which looks at staff understanding of recovery-orientated mental health practice.

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Varenicline is not associated with an increased risk of suicide or criminal behaviour

Champix Varenicline

Abi Rose summarises a recent cohort study, which concludes that the smoking cessation drug varenicline is not associated with increased risk of suicidal or criminal behaviour, and association with psychiatric disorders are likely due to other factors.  

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Psychodynamic therapy: time for a new approach?

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Mark Smith summarises a recent narrative review about the effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy for depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, somatic disorders and other mental health conditions.

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Medication for self-harm: new Cochrane review finds very limited evidence to support its use

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Dochka Hristova reports on a new Cochrane review of pharmacological interventions for self-harm in adults, which looks at the treatment effect on repetition of self-harm of antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilisers and dietary supplements.

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Does tobacco use cause psychosis?

Cigarettes

Marcus Munafo appraises a recent systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective, case-control and cross-sectional studies, which finds that daily tobacco use is associated with an increased risk of psychosis and an earlier age at onset of psychotic illness.

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