What if perinatal mental health started in the gut? New research from Finland suggests certain bacteria may be associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy and after birth, raising questions about inflammation, causality, and the future of microbiome-based screening and treatment.
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What if therapy focused not on thoughts or voices, but on the vivid images that often accompany them? The iMAPS-2 trial tested a novel imagery-focused therapy for psychosis, showing it’s safe, acceptable, and ready for a full-scale trial.
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What happens when talking therapies or antidepressants don’t work? This new RCT tested whether mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), delivered via Zoom, could help people with hard-to-treat depression, and whether it’s worth the cost. The results will interest NHS decision-makers.
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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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Is teenage depression more likely to come back later in life? A new population study challenges assumptions and finds similar recurrence risks in both adolescents and adults.
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Sex and gender differences in mental health are real; the mechanisms are under-explored. This review pulls together evidence on sex-steroids, brain development, neuroinflammation, and the social world to show where practice and policy must catch up.
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This big meta-analysis pooled 155 studies from 37 countries and found many more delusional themes than standard assessment tools capture. Clinicians should watch for “non-classical” content, and researchers should widen how we measure delusions.
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No drugs are officially approved for borderline personality disorder, yet prescribing is widespread. This systematic review explores why clinicians prescribe, the pressures they face, and what it means for patient care.
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A big new study suggests that certain genetic traits—like insomnia risk and neuroticism—may make depression harder to treat, while protective traits include education and cognitive ability.
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Nervousness, irritability, excessive worry, uncontrollable worry… not all anxiety symptoms weigh the same at different ages. This new Chineses study shows how anxiety networks tighten as young people grow older, and where the best intervention targets may lie.
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