Mental health awareness: what we have gained, and what we did not expect

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Mental health awareness campaigns have reduced stigma and encouraged help-seeking, but a new review asks whether they also have unintended psychological costs such as inflating distress, driving self-diagnosis, and overwhelming services.

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Spotting teen depression: what Brazil, Nepal and Nigeria can teach us

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A cross-cultural study explores why depressed adolescents in Brazil, Nepal and Nigeria often slip through the net, and what we can do about it.

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Carrying heavy secrets alone: sexual trauma disclosure in boys and men

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Boys and men take 15-20 years on average to disclose sexual trauma. Masculine norms, shame, and fear of disbelief create unique barriers to help-seeking.

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South Asian survivors face barriers to childhood sexual abuse support

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In this qualitative study, mental health professionals identify gaps in trauma care for South Asian survivors of childhood sexual abuse: from long waiting lists to cultural mismatches in therapy.

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Alcohol use disorder and IQ: Does social context matter?

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Recent research suggests that lower IQ and cognitive performance link to higher alcohol use disorder risk, but education and societal factors can amplify or reduce this vulnerability, not genetics alone.

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The Lancet Commission on self-harm: a global call for compassionate, culturally informed care

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Self-harm is a global public health issue, yet it remains under-recognised and poorly addressed. A landmark Lancet Commission reframes self-harm as a complex behaviour shaped by culture, society, and inequality—and sets out 12 key recommendations for change.

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Pragmatic prescribing: why GPs offer beta-blockers for anxiety, despite guideline gaps

GPs’ perceived benefits of beta-blockers for anxiety underscore a need for further research and updated clinical guidance to align practice with evidence.

Beta-blockers like propranolol are being prescribed more often for anxiety in UK primary care, even though they don’t appear in national guidelines. This new qualitative study explores why GPs turn to them, and what that says about evidence, safety, and patient choice.

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AWARE and INSPIRE: school mental health trials show mixed results and unexpected harms

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The Education for Wellbeing programme, funded by the Department for Education, was one of England’s largest school-based mental health research initiatives. It included two major trials (AWARE and INSPIRE) testing universal mental health approaches in schools between 2018 and 2024. What did these big studies really find?

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Psychosis stigma in the Middle East: shining a light on hidden struggles

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Shuichi Suetani and Jon Paul Teo consider a new systematic review, which highlights the significant stigma faced by people with psychosis and their families in Middle Eastern communities, and suggests culturally sensitive ways forward.

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Should I share or stay silent? New study shows how tackling mental health stigma at work can double employment rates

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Disclosure dilemmas stop many people with mental health problems from getting into work. A new feasibility study suggests that empowering employment specialists to talk openly about stigma and support disclosure decisions can help people find and keep jobs. Embedding these tools in practice could be key to closing the employment gap and reducing reliance on benefits.

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