Can preventing childhood maltreatment reduce depression?

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Researchers pulled together evidence from more than half a million people to test a simple but important idea: if childhood maltreatment raises the risk of adult depression, could reducing maltreatment help prevent it? The answer, as always, is more complicated than it first appears.

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How childhood trauma affects our ability to understand minds: a systematic review of mentalisation in clinical populations

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What happens when childhood trauma disrupts our ability to understand what others think and feel? This systematic review pulls together 29 studies across psychiatric diagnoses to explore how early neglect and abuse shape mentalisation, and what that means for prevention, assessment, and care.

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A cancer diagnosis brings a suicide risk: The sooner after diagnosis, and the more aggressive the cancer, the higher the risk

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Does a first cancer diagnosis increase a person’s risk of suicide? This national study from Denmark offers rare clarity, tracking 30 cancer types across two decades to uncover patterns that clinicians and policymakers cannot afford to ignore.

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Racism and psychosis: how discrimination shapes mental health risk

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People from racialised communities face higher risks of psychosis, yet racism itself is rarely studied. A new umbrella review shows why discrimination needs to be recognised as a genuine risk factor, not just a background influence.

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Genes, brains and self-harm: New study links adolescent risk to biology and disadvantage

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Self-harm is common among adolescents and a strong predictor of suicide risk. A major new cohort study in the British Journal of Psychiatry explores how genetic risk and brain differences might explain who’s most at risk, and why.

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Dirty air, ageing brains: How midlife pollution exposure may accelerate cognitive decline

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Could years of commuting through city smog be leaving lasting marks on our brains? A major UK birth cohort study suggests that midlife exposure to nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants may lead to smaller hippocampal volumes and slower cognitive processing in later life, even after accounting for social and educational factors.

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“It’s not just for attention”: New research highlights the increased risk of PMDD in women with ADHD

With better public and clinician education,  timely assessment and intervention could bypass several years of diagnostic and interventional delay, for women with ADHD and PMDD.

Women with ADHD are up to 4 times more likely to experience severe premenstrual mood symptoms than those without ADHD, especially if they also live with depression or anxiety. This new UK study shines a light on a neglected area of research, and calls for better awareness, assessment, and support.

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Prevention in name only: Are national dementia plans delivering on their promises?

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With dementia rates rising fast, prevention is critical. But do countries’ plans reflect that urgency? This new paper analyses 16 national dementia strategies—and finds good intentions often aren’t backed by clear actions.

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Does harsh parenting increase the risk of self-harm and suicide in young people?

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This brand new Lancet Psychiatry paper looks across 38 longitudinal cohort studies to uncover how parenting and family dysfunction predict later self-harm or suicidality. The findings may surprise you.

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The scars that shape the mind: childhood adversity and the risk of psychosis

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Emotional abuse in childhood was linked to a more than 3.5x greater chance of developing psychosis later in life. This comprehensive new meta-analysis explores the role of early trauma, sex differences, and symptom onset timing in psychosis risk.

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