Active coping could protect young people from depression after adversity 🌱
A new study from Latin America finds that how adolescents respond to stress matters as much as the stress itself.
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#YouthMentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #LatinAmerica
Can your thoughts actually influence your immune system?
A new RCT used neurofeedback to train reward brain activity, then measured antibody responses after vaccination.
Intriguing, if preliminary. 💉🔬
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#Neurofeedback #Vaccination #MindBodyConnection
350 automated texts over 64 days reduced generalised anxiety from severe to mild. That's a headline worth examining. 📱
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#AnxietyDisorders #CBT #DigitalHealth #YoungPeople #MentalHealth
Numbers can tell you how many people have dementia. They can't show you what it's like. 📸
A photovoice study gave cameras to people with memory loss. Their images went on show. The audience left changed.
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#Dementia #Photovoice #LivedExperience
Asking preadolescents about suicide does not increase suicidal thoughts 🧒
A 12-month study of 8–12 year olds found no evidence of harm, even in those already at higher risk.
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#SuicidePrevention #ChildMentalHealth
🕐 Who decides what gets researched about body clocks and mental health? Until now, mostly researchers.
A new study asked patients, carers and clinicians instead. First ever top 10 research priorities. 👇
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#CircadianRhythms #MentalHealth #BodyClock
Schools spend the equivalent of 3 full-time staff managing smartphones each year, whether we ban them or not. 📵
Banning phones may cut some costs. But new research shows it won't improve pupils' wellbeing.
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#MentalHealth #SchoolPolicy
Stop, reduce or stay on antipsychotics after first-episode psychosis? 💊
New RCT: dose reduction raised relapse risk in year 1, but improved functioning by year 3.
The message: personalised, collaborative care.
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#MentalHealth #Psychosis #Schizophrenia
Can you 'catch' suicidality from a close friend? 🫂
A meta-analysis of 1M+ people found that exposure to a friend's suicidal thoughts or behaviours triples your risk (OR 3.22). Effect strongest in adolescents.
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#MentalHealth #SuicidePrevention
Depersonalisation-Derealisation Disorder affects around 2% of people yet there is limited guidance on treatments specifically for the condition.
A feasibility trial of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy shows promise. 🌀
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#Depersonalisation #MentalHealth #CBT #Dissociation
📱 Engagement with digital mental health interventions remains poorly understood.
Four reviews, no agreed definition. Real-world use of mental health apps falls well below trial levels. One consistent finding: human contact helps.
buff.ly/E5Gm7H0 #DigitalMentalHealth
Skin-picking as self-soothing: is emotion regulation the missing piece? 🩹
Adults with skin picking (excoriation) disorder show higher emotion dysregulation 📊, lower distress tolerance 😔, and trouble naming their feelings.
Could DBT 🌱 or ACT 💬 help? 🔍
#MentalHealth #BFRB #SPD
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🌱 Culturally inclusive parenting programme benefits UK families in deprived urban areas
RCT of 674 diverse parents: Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities improved wellbeing & parent-child relationships at modest cost.
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#MentalHealth #Parenting
🔍 Spotting bipolar and psychosis risk earlier using routine clinical records
A 28-predictor model correctly identified risk 80% of the time, outperforming existing tools in 127,000 people.
buff.ly/MKZDIhZ #MentalHealth #Bipolar #Psychosis
🌿 Medical cannabinoids for mental health: helpful or hazardous?
Systematic review of 54 RCTs: limited evidence across most conditions. No significant effect for psychosis, anxiety, PTSD. More adverse events overall (NNTH=7).
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#Cannabis #MentalHealth #Cannabinoids
👶 What predicts difficult-to-treat postpartum depression?
Swedish study of 58,618 women: 6% experienced 'treatment-resistance' within a year.
Risk factors: lower socioeconomic status, smoking, pre-existing health conditions, caesarean or preterm birth.
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#PostpartumDepression #Risk
🏥 Can crisis planning reduce repeat sectioning under the Mental Health Act?
FINCH trial of 80 people: intervention was deliverable, results leaned towards fewer repeat detentions, but study designed to prove feasibility not effectiveness.
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#MentalHealthAct #CrisisPlanning
💊 Can metformin mitigate antipsychotic-related weight gain in young people with bipolar disorder?
Large trial of 1,565 young people: yes, but effect modest. At 6 months BMI increased 0.05 (metformin) vs 0.64 (lifestyle only).
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#BipolarDisorder #Antipsychotics #Metformin #WeightGain
🌟 New Hope For Bipolar Disorder
🗓️ Webinar, 11:00-12:30 BST, Mon 30 March
🎟️ Get your tickets now! buff.ly/XZ7l6a8
#BipolarDisorder #Treatment #Research
💊 Study of 3 million adults prescribed opioids found 84% of self-harm events and 81% of suicides didn't involve opioids.
Challenges belief that prescribing opioids increases self-harm risk.
Higher doses/longer exposure did show association.
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#Opioids #SelfHarm #SuicidePrevention
😴 Can changing sleep patterns predict cognitive decline and dementia?
Sleep's bidirectional relationship with dementia makes causation unclear. Changes may be symptom, not cause.
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#Sleep #Dementia #CognitiveHealth
🧡 Small service evaluation: 12 participants attended compassion-focused therapy groups in two CMHTs.
Some showed improvements in self-compassion and depression, but this was a service evaluation without comparison group, not evidence of effectiveness.
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#CFT #CMHT #MentalHealth
🏥 First NHS evaluation: embedded psychologists improve patient engagement, emotional adjustment, and recovery in new Bristol Major Trauma Centre.
Clinicians also valued support for themselves: "quite difficult emotionally for us day in, day out."
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#MajorTrauma #Psychology #NHS
🍽️ About 1 in 4 children in the ALSPAC cohort experienced food insecurity in early childhood.
Even when it resolved by age 5, elevated risk of binge eating and compensatory behaviours remained in adolescence.
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#FoodInsecurity #EatingDisorders #ChildHealth
Appearing back on bluesky to say: new blog post! 🧬
Eimear, André and team provided stellar support with this⭐️
💔 Boys and men take 15-20 years on average to disclose sexual trauma.
New review found masculine norms, shame & fear of disbelief create unique barriers.
Disclosure less likely when perpetrator was someone close.
Gender-sensitive support needed.
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#SexualTrauma #MensMentalHealth
🧬 Study of 1,056,201 cases found genetic variants shared across 14 psychiatric disorders, clustered into 5 main factors.
Understanding shared biology could improve treatment, but more diverse genetic datasets urgently needed.
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#PsychiatricGenetics #MentalHealth #HealthEquity
How do people with lived experience vs professionals define anorexia recovery?
Lived experience: absence of disordered thoughts
Staff: living well despite residual symptoms
Both agreed psychological markers (not just weight) should define recovery.
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#AnorexiaNervosa #Recovery
It is really cool to see the #MentalElf pick up and explain a study on computerized adaptive testing!
Psychometricians, what is your favourite application or study in the field of computerized adaptive testing with health-related constructs?
#Psychometrics
📊 Simulation study suggests computerised adaptive testing could reduce paranoia assessment from 10 items to 4 tailored questions, while maintaining accuracy (r = 0.87 to 0.95).
Real-world clinical feasibility now needed.
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#Paranoia #Psychosis #MentalHealth