Scrolling for Answers: How Reliable Is Mental Health and Neurodivergence-Related Information on Social Media?
A systematic review of 27 studies examined the accuracy of mental‑health and neurodivergence content across major social‑media platforms. The analysis of over 5,000 posts found misinformation rates ranging from 0% on YouTube Kids to 35% on TikTok, with YouTube generally offering higher‑quality information. Content produced by professionals tended to be more reliable than user‑generated posts, though variability remained across topics. The authors attribute these differences to platform algorithms, moderation practices, and the predominance of non‑expert creators.
Can Positive Expectations Tune the Immune System?
Researchers conducted a preregistered, double‑blind RCT with 85 healthy adults to test whether fMRI neurofeedback can boost reward‑related brain activity and affect immune response to a hepatitis B vaccine. Participants who learned to up‑regulate the ventral tegmental area (VTA) showed a...
Texting Anxiety Away: Does Text Message CBT Work for Young Adults?
A randomized controlled trial of 102 U.S. young adults tested a fully automated, text‑message‑delivered cognitive‑behavioral therapy (CBT) for generalized anxiety disorder. Over a 64‑day period participants received 350 tailored texts, resulting in a large treatment effect (d = 0.83) and a drop...
Asking Preadolescents About Suicide Does Not Increase Suicidal Thoughts
Researchers examined whether repeated suicide screening triggers new suicidal thoughts in preadolescents. In a 12‑month longitudinal study of 192 Missouri children aged 8‑12, monthly (low‑risk) or weekly (high‑risk) Ask Suicide‑Screening Questions (ASQ) surveys showed no increase in ideation. Statistical analyses,...
Body Clocks and Mental Health: Patients Set the Research Agenda
A new BMJ Mental Health study used the James Lind Alliance method to identify the top ten research priorities linking circadian rhythms and mental health. The priority‑setting partnership involved 247 respondents in an initial survey and 222 participants in a...
Stop, Reduce or Stay on Antipsychotics After First-Episode Psychosis?
A recent pragmatic RCT followed 347 first‑episode psychosis patients to compare continued antipsychotic maintenance with gradual dose reduction or discontinuation. In the first year, the reduction group faced a higher relapse rate, lower quality of life, and increased mortality. By...
Can You ‘Catch’ Suicide? What This Meta-Analysis Really Tells Us
A new meta‑analysis of 65 studies (over 1 million participants) finds that exposure to non‑familial suicidal thoughts or behaviors significantly raises an individual’s odds of suicidality, with a pooled odds ratio of 2.77. The risk is highest when exposure comes from...
Engagement with Digital Mental Health Interventions Remains Poorly Understood
Digital mental‑health interventions (DMHIs) are touted as scalable solutions, yet real‑world engagement remains elusive. Recent systematic reviews reveal that trial participants use DMHIs up to four times more often than everyday users, highlighting a gap between efficacy and adoption. Researchers...
Skin-Picking as Self-Soothing: Is Emotion Regulation the Missing Piece?
A 2025 systematic review examined the relationship between emotion‑regulation deficits and skin‑picking disorder (SPD), finding that SPD patients consistently exhibit higher emotional dysregulation than healthy controls. While these deficits are clear, they do not reliably predict overall SPD severity, though...
Can Crisis Planning Reduce Repeat Sectioning? FINCH Feasibility Trial
FINCH, a feasibility trial of an advanced crisis‑planning intervention, recruited 80 detained patients across three NHS trusts and met its recruitment and diversity targets within nine months. Participants received ongoing, clinician‑facilitated planning, though only two‑thirds achieved the minimum dose due...
Metformin Reduces Weight Gain in Young People Taking Antipsychotics
A large pragmatic trial involving 1,565 overweight or obese youths with bipolar spectrum disorders found that adding metformin to a brief lifestyle program significantly blunted weight gain associated with second‑generation antipsychotics. Over six months, the metformin group’s BMI rose only...
Embedding Psychologists in Trauma Centres Improves Patient Outcomes
Embedding specialist psychologists within UK Major Trauma Centres has demonstrably improved patient outcomes, according to a qualitative evaluation of clinicians at Southmead Hospital. Front‑line staff reported higher patient engagement, faster rehabilitation, and better emotional adjustment when psychologists participated in ward...
Carrying Heavy Secrets Alone: Sexual Trauma Disclosure in Boys and Men
A new systematic review examined sexual trauma disclosure among boys and men, synthesizing 69 studies that included 10,517 survivors across 23 countries. The analysis found that men typically wait 15‑21 years before disclosing, with shame, fear of disbelief, and masculine...