Are antidepressants safe? A new umbrella review of observational studies suggests they are, but we need more accurate data

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Andrea Cipriani and Anneka Tomlinson scrutinise a brand new umbrella review of the associations between antidepressants and adverse health outcomes, which suggests that antidepressants are safe for most people who experience mental health difficulties.

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Persistent and severe postnatal depression predicts adverse outcomes in children

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Sophie Graham and Jennifer Burgess explore the associations between persistent and severe postnatal depression in mothers and mental health and educational outcomes in their offspring.

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Traumatic brain injury increases the long-term risk of dementia #DAW18

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Eleanor Kennedy summarises a Danish observational cohort study, which looks at the long-term risk of dementia among people with traumatic brain injury.

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Risk factors and peripheral biomarkers for schizophrenia spectrum disorders

This 'umbrella review' aimed to systematically appraise the meta-analyses of observational studies on risk factors and peripheral biomarkers for schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Marcus Munafo considers the findings of a systematic review of meta-analyses of observational studies, which looks at risk factors and peripheral biomarkers for psychotic disorders on the schizophrenia spectrum.

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The Origins of Happiness: can we predict life satisfaction?

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Paul Ramchandani considers the methods, findings and implications of a new book by Andrew E. Clark, Sarah Fleche, Richard Layard, Nattavudh Powdthavee and George Ward, entitled: ‘The Origins of Happiness: The science of well-being over the life course’.

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Should people with schizophrenia be offered depot antipsychotics as first line treatment?

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Murtada Alsaif reports on a new nationwide Swedish cohort study that explores the real-world effectiveness of oral and depot antipsychotics for people with schizophrenia.

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“Won’t you be my neighbour?” Psychosis and violent reoffending: does where you live matter?

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Derek Tracy and Krisna Patel consider neighbourhood influences on violent reoffending risk in released prisoners diagnosed with psychotic disorders.

The blog also features a half hour audio podcast with the lead researcher Amir Sariaslan, the blogger Derek Tracy and Chief Elf André Tomlin.

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Antipsychotic efficacy measured by real-world observational study

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Tracey Roberts examines whether a retrospective observational study accurately investigates the effectiveness of second and first generation antipsychotics.

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Locked wards vs open wards: does control = safety?

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André Tomlin summarises a 15 year observational study published today in The Lancet Psychiatry, which provides fascinating insight into suicide risk and absconding in psychiatric inpatient units with locked wards and open door policies.

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The moral and emotional labour of care workers in residential homes

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Jill Manthorpe discusses a case study on how the emotional and moral labour of care workers operates in residential settings.

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