Implementation intentions: helping people achieve their goals

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Alan Underwood highlights a new meta-analysis, which suggests that people with mental health problems can benefit if they are prompted to form if-then plans, which specify when, where and how they will achieve their goals.

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Antipsychotics for treatment-resistant schizophrenia

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Murtada Alsaif summarises a recent network meta-analysis, which looks at the efficacy, acceptability and tolerability of antipsychotics for treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

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Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can prevent recurrent depression

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Sarah McDonald reports on a meta-analysis published yesterday, which found that when compared with active treatment, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy resulted in a reduced risk of depressive relapse.

This blog also features a podcast interview with the lead author of the research, Professor Willem Kuyken.

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Will it hurt? Chronic pain and psychological functioning

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Kirsten Lawson examines a recent meta-analysis of psychological functioning in people living with chronic pain. She discovers that anxiety is more common than depression in people with chronic pain and that practitioners should prioritise psychological functioning when caring for patients suffering from chronic pain.

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Does the placebo effect inflate the effectiveness of psychotherapy?

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Sarah Knowles reviews a recent meta-analysis about the effects of blinding on the outcomes of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for adult depression.

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What happens to people after discharge from secure psychiatric hospital?

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Laura Hemming considers a recent systematic review of patient outcomes following discharge from secure psychiatric hospitals. The review finds that patients from secure units have a higher chance of mortality and suicide following discharge, than people from other settings.

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Methylphenidate for ADHD: have Cochrane got it wrong this time?

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Chris Hollis appraises a recent Cochrane systematic review, which casts doubt over the quality of trial evidence and the clinical effectiveness of Methylphenidate for ADHD.

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Commonly prescribed psychiatric drugs: do they work?

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John Baker summarises a review of commonly prescribed medication that covers seven psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, methylphenidate and cholinesterase inhibitors.

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Transcranial magnetic stimulation for schizophrenia

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Joanne Wallace considers the findings of a new Cochrane systematic review on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for schizophrenia.

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Later menopause linked with lower risk of depression

The menopause is about more than just hot flushes, night sweats and mood swings!

Meg Fluharty summarises a recent systematic review and meta-analysis that looks at the association of age at menopause and duration of reproductive period with depression after menopause.

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