Apples and oranges? Rethinking the evidence behind young people’s depression treatments

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What works better for young people with depression: therapy or medication? This new analysis shows why the trials may be too different to compare, and why value-based decisions matter more than ever.

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When helping hurts: potential harms from CBT and mindfulness in schools

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With classroom mental health programmes on the rise, this review raises an important question: are we doing more harm than good? The evidence suggests universal interventions may not be right for everyone.

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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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Alarm bells ringing: how do people with ADHD process sensory information?

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People with ADHD are often stereotyped as sensory seekers, but this new review shows a more complex picture where touch, sound, and movement can feel overwhelming, absent, or both.

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Will standardised questionnaires improve CAMHS care? New trial says: not necessarily

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Referrals to CAMHS have skyrocketed, but are we getting any better at diagnosing youth mental health problems? Could standardised diagnostic tools like the DAWBA help? A new RCT suggests the answer is more complicated than expected.

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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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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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Teen drug use today, mental health struggles tomorrow? What the evidence says

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Ian Hamilton unpacks a new study revealing how teenage substance use can pave the way to serious mental health struggles later in life. A clear warning: early use today could mean bigger problems tomorrow.

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Brushstrokes and breakthroughs: how can gallery-based art therapy improve young people’s mental health?

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KCL MSc student Amanda Lunsford explores the impact of gallery-based art therapy on mental wellbeing, self-expression, and personal growth. What could this creative, community-based approach mean for young people?

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Preventing the intergenerational transmission of anxiety: encouraging insights from new online RCT

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Francesca Zecchinato summarises a recent trial investigating the effectiveness of an unguided modular online intervention for anxious parents in preventing anxiety in their offspring.

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