ObjectiveThe importance of multiple gene-environment interaction (G × E) has been highlighted in understanding the etiology of negative emotions. This study examines the impact of oxytocin (OXT) polymorphisms (rs2740210, rs6133010, and rs2740209) in combination with alcohol dependence on anxiety and depression symptoms during acute alcohol withdrawal under different social and environmental contexts.MethodA total of 414 Chinese Han male adults undergoing acute alcohol withdrawal were recruited. Participants provided blood samples for genotyping, self-reported measures of depression and anxiety, assessments of alcohol dependence severity, and demographic information regarding social and environmental contexts.ResultsResults revealed a positive correlation between severity of alcohol dependence and symptoms of depression and anxiety, while oxytocin polymorphism did not have a direct effect on depressive and anxiety symptoms. A significant interaction between OXT polymorphism (rs2740210 and rs2740209) and alcohol dependence in relation to anxiety symptoms solely among adults living with family and/or those who were married was observed. Further analyses indicate that the GG and CC genotypes are risk genotypes, while the T allele (rs2740210) and G allele (rs2740209) are non-risk alleles in the interaction between OXT genotypes (rs2740210, rs2740209) and alcohol dependence on anxiety among the aforementioned participants.ConclusionsThese findings provide evidence for distinct G × E interaction effects on anxiety and depression symptoms during acute alcohol withdrawal, supporting the weak diathesis-stress model. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of considering environmental factors when investigating the role of oxytocin as a biological substrate underlying social bonding and the regulation of negative emotions.
Contact Lenses Show Promise for Depression
Using specialized contact lenses to stimulate the brain could offer a novel route to treating depression, preclinical research suggests.
The research, in mice, demonstrates how wearable neuromodulation devices can provide a versatile platform for mood and other brain disorders.
It brings eye-based neurotherapies a step closer towards clinical reality and reveals the feasibility of using contact lenses as a bioelectronic strategy for the treatment of depression.
The findings appear in the latest issue of Cell Reports Physical Science.
“Our work opens up an entirely new frontier of treating brain disorders through the eye,” said lead author Jang-Ung Park, PhD, from Yonsei University.
“We believe this wearable, drug-free approach holds tremendous promise for transforming how depression and other brain conditions are treated, including anxiety, drug addiction, and cognitive decline.”
Depression is increasingly recognized as a disorder involving structural and functional abnormalities in brain networks.
Conventional treatments—such as pharmacological therapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and deep brain stimulation—target these abnormalities but can be invasive and are often limited in their efficacy or tolerability.
Park and team note that the eye provides a compelling gateway for indirect brain modulation due to its embryological derivation from the brain and extensive connectivity.
Studies also suggest that visual impairment with higher prevalence of depression, further recognizing the importance of the eye-brain axis.
To investigate this avenue further, the researchers developed a contact lens that uses transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) based on temporal interference (TI) to stimulate the brain. This delivers two electrical signals to the retina, which only become active where they intersect, allowing specific areas of the brain to be targeted.
The platform circumvents the invasiveness and limited tolerability of conventional brain stimulation therapies by using the retina as a precise interface for the eye-brain axis.
Electrodes made from ultrathin layers of gallium oxide and platinum allow the lens to be flexible and transparent, conforming to the cornea and preserving natural vision.
The researchers examined the efficacy of the lenses in a stress-induced mouse model that recapitulated key behavioral and biological features associated with depression.
Depressed mice received either no intervention, temporal interference, or the SSRI fluoxetine and were compared with control mice that were not depressed before and after treatment. Machine learning was applied for comprehensive efficacy evaluation.
The team reported that the lenses restored behavioral, neural, and biological deficits in depression.
TI-TES enhanced behavioral resilience, restored prefrontal-hippocampal oscillatory synchrony, and normalized depression-related biomarkers.
When machine-learning integration was used to integrate behavior, brain activity, and biomarkers, it consistently grouped the mice with lenses with the non-depressed control mice rather than the untreated depressed mice.
The researchers acknowledge their research is in its early stages, and that the current study employed a wired configuration to ensure precise waveform control and stimulation stability during proof-of-concept validation.
“Like any new medical technology, our contact lenses will need to go through rigorous clinical evaluation in patients before reaching the market,” said Park.
“Next, we plan to make the lens fully wireless, test it for long-term safety in larger animals, and personalize the stimulation for each user before advancing into clinical trials in patients.”
The post Contact Lenses Show Promise for Depression appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.
I’m scared of everything — what does it mean and how do I get over it?
What you’re describing sounds really overwhelming. I’m glad you reached out. The fears you mention — being scared of doing something against your will, worrying you might not have control, and feeling intensely concerned about being judged — are patterns I often see in people with anxiety and, sometimes, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A hallmark of OCD is a deep doubt about control: the fear that you might act in a way that goes against your values, even though you don’t want to. These kinds of fears are called intrusive thoughts. While intrusive thoughts can feel very real and frightening, they are not things you actually intend to do or predictions of things that you will do — they’re unwanted experiences that don’t define you.
Avoiding sports and other things for fear of being judged is also a symptom of anxiety. I can understand how hard it is to tell your family what you’re going through, especially if you have felt ignored in the past. At the same time, your pain deserves to be heard and taken seriously. I encourage you to try talking to your parents again, but if you truly feel like you can’t, consider telling one safe person — whether that’s another family member, a school counselor, or even a teacher you trust. You can write how you’re feeling in a note if speaking feels too hard.
The physical symptoms you mentioned — neck and shoulder pain, fidgeting — are also common in anxiety because our bodies can hold tension when our brains are on high alert. What this likely means is that your brain is caught in a fear loop, constantly scanning for danger around control and judgment.
The good news is that this is very treatable. A mental health professional may recommend a type of cognitive behavioral therapy called exposure and response prevention (ERP). ERP helps you gradually face the situations or thoughts you fear instead of looking for reassurance from someone else or avoiding those situations or thoughts altogether. Over time, ERP teaches your brain that thoughts are just thoughts, not actions, and that you can tolerate uncertainty without something bad happening.
For now, you might try gently labeling upsetting thoughts as anxiety, not facts, and practicing not accepting them as true when they show up. Taking small steps toward what you’ve been avoiding can help you rebuild your confidence, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.
While you can practice managing anxiety or intrusive thoughts on your own, it’s better to have help. Once you talk to someone you know and trust, have them help you reach out to a mental health professional who can provide a more thorough assessment and the appropriate treatment for you. You don’t have to go through this alone, and with the right support, this can get much better.
The post I’m scared of everything — what does it mean and how do I get over it? appeared first on Child Mind Institute.
Direct modulation of human GABA-A α1β2γ2 receptors by the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol: implications for cannabinoid-related ligands and limitations for anxiolytic drug development
Anxiety disorders are associated with impaired inhibitory neurotransmission mediated by γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA-A) receptors. Although benzodiazepines remain effective anxiolytics, their clinical utility is limited by sedation, cognitive impairment, tolerance, and dependence, prompting the search for mechanistically distinct GABAergic modulators. Among cannabinoid-related molecules, the strongest evidence for direct GABA-A receptor modulation concerns the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), which potentiates recombinant human α1β2γ2 receptors through residues located in the M4 helix of the β2 subunit. Here, we review the structural architecture, biophysical properties, and pharmacological profile of the human GABA-A α1β2γ2 isoform as the relevant molecular framework for evaluating this mechanism, while discussing the broader relevance of cannabinoid-related ligands and selected phytocannabinoids without assuming mechanistic equivalence. We further assess the hypothesis that 2-AG reaches the β2-M4 site through a membrane-access route and identify five conceptual barriers that currently limit translation of this mechanism into anxiolytic drug development: supraphysiological effective concentrations, unresolved synaptic-versus-extrasynaptic actions, uncertain subtype selectivity, incomplete validation of lipid-environment effects, and lack of clinical evidence linking this mechanism to anxiolysis in humans. We conclude that direct modulation through β2-M4 defines a mechanistically intriguing allosteric pathway distinct from benzodiazepine action; however, its location on a shared β2 subunit and the micromolar concentrations required for modulation represent substantial obstacles to the rational design of anxioselective agents based on this mechanism.
Internalizing and externalizing pathways to internet gaming disorder: the roles of anger and social anxiety
BackgroundInternet Gaming Disorder (IGD) represents a significant behavioral health concern, yet the roles of internalizing and externalizing psychological vulnerabilities in its development remain underexplored, particularly in Arabic-speaking populations.ObjectiveThis study examined anger and social anxiety as distinct externalizing and internalizing predictors of IGD severity in a Saudi Arabian community sample.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was administered to 303 participants (60.1% female; estimated mean age = 29.79 years, SD = 8.83) across five regions of Saudi Arabia. Participants completed the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS9-SF), a three-item Anger Screening Scale, and a two-item Social Anxiety screener. Hierarchical linear regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted to examine unique and incremental contributions of anger and social anxiety to IGD symptoms.ResultsAnger and social anxiety were strongly intercorrelated (r = .86, p <.001) but demonstrated divergent patterns in multivariate models. Hierarchical regression indicated that both predictors contributed unique variance when entered simultaneously, with anger positively and social anxiety negatively predicting IGD after controlling for shared variance. However, SEM clarified that only social anxiety significantly predicted latent IGD severity (β = .32, p = .027), whereas anger did not (β = .07, p = .68). The final model explained approximately 13% of variance in IGD symptoms.ConclusionsSocial anxiety was associated with IGD severity as a distinct internalizing correlate, consistent with avoidance-based coping and online social preference accounts. These preliminary, cross-sectional findings suggest that social anxiety warrants consideration in future IGD screening and research efforts in Arabic-speaking contexts.
From cats to cortex: T. gondii and psychosis, depression, and anxiety
This review examines whether cat ownership, via exposure to the neurotropic parasite T. gondii, contributes to vulnerability for psychotic, depressive, and anxiety symptoms. T. gondii establishes lifelong latent infection in the brain and muscle, where it can modulate dopaminergic signaling, neuroinflammation, and tryptophan–kynurenine metabolism, providing a biologically plausible pathway to altered cognition, mood, and behavior. Epidemiological and meta-analytic data indicate small-to-moderate associations between T. gondii seropositivity and schizophrenia, with more variable but suggestive links to depression and anxiety. Evidence for cat ownership as an independent risk factor is inconsistent: some cohorts and recent meta-analyses report elevated odds of schizophrenia-related outcomes in those exposed to cats, whereas rigorously controlled studies frequently find attenuated or null effects. Methodological limitations, alternative explanations, and cultural implications are discussed, and priorities for mechanism-informed, longitudinal and interventional research are outlined.
The dual-burden of professional and academic stress: a cross-sectional mapping of mental health status and coping efficacy among postgraduate students in Nairobi, Kenya
BackgroundPostgraduate students face a dual burden of intense academic rigour and professional responsibilities, a dynamic particularly pronounced in growing economic hubs such as Nairobi, Kenya. While global literature highlights rising psychological distress in higher education, there is limited evidence on how specific coping mechanisms mediate mental health outcomes among postgraduates at private African universities. Understanding these dynamics is critical for institutional psychosocial support systems.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the mental health status (depression, anxiety, and stress) of postgraduate students at Strathmore University. Grounded in Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping Mechanisms.MethodsAdopting a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design, data were collected from 242 actively enrolled postgraduate students using a random stratified sampling technique. Mental health status was measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and coping mechanisms were evaluated via the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) inventory. Data analysis utilised descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank correlation, and multiple linear regression models.FindingsResults indicated significant psychological strain, with participants reporting difficulty winding down and high levels of anticipatory anxiety (DASS means ranged from 2.23/to 2.73 on a scale of 0-3. Regression analysis showed that coping strategies accounted for 40.2% of the variation in mental health. Notably, emotion-focused coping (β = 0.307, p <.001) and avoidant coping (β = 0.344, p <.001) had significant positive effects on mental well-being in this context. Conversely, problem-focused coping (β = -0.189, p = .002) had a significant negative effect, suggesting that direct action-oriented strategies may exacerbate distress for students facing stressors beyond their immediate control.ConclusionThe study finds that postgraduate mental health is profoundly influenced by the “plasticity” of coping strategies. While active problem-solving is traditionally encouraged, for the Kenyan postgraduate master’s student, adaptive emotion-focused and strategic avoidant strategies currently offer greater psychological relief. Universities must move from generic support to “fit-for-purpose” interventions that destigmatise mental health services and promote adaptive emotional regulation to ensure academic and professional success.
Surf Therapy: A Powerful Low-Intensity Approach in Global Youth Mental Health Care
By Mai El Shoush, Partnerships Campaign Manager, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute
In Conversation with Waves for Change
The world’s oceans have long been profound forces that shape coastlines, cultures, and scientific discovery. And today, through targeted programs, they also serve as therapeutic environments transforming youth mental health worldwide.
As global health systems continue to explore solutions that minimize resource constraints while addressing child and adolescent mental health demands, innovative approaches like surf therapy are demonstrating remarkable effectiveness as low-intensity initiatives. From the beaches of California to the coastal communities of South Africa, Australia, Hawai’i, the United Kingdom, and Senegal, these programs are creating accessible entry points for young people.
Wave for Change (W4C) — a South Africa-based organization and valued implementation partner of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Global Center at the Child Mind Institute — has developed an evidence-based Surf Therapy program for youth in underserved communities. We spoke with their chief development officer Paula Yarrow and senior grant manager Jill Sloan about the award-winning program. As a highly regarded Cape Town‑based NGO that uses surfing as a therapeutic tool to support youth mental health, W4C offers safe spaces, evidence‑based emotional regulation tools, community mentorship, and a pathway to resilience for young people growing up in challenging environments.
The partnership includes the identification of workforce gaps and training needs for frontline workers such as NGOs, to further expand evidence-based support and brief interventions through culturally appropriate, low-intensity psychological therapy approaches. The context-specific training materials are expected to be piloted later in the year in South Africa and are intended to improve access to quality mental health care for young people.
W4C launched Surf Therapy in 2009, which has since helped more than 10,000 adolescents experiencing high-stress environments gain valuable coping skills across its hubs in the Western and Eastern Cape as well as Cape Town. Participants learn how to build positive social networks and develop self-regulation skills to support healthy emotional and behavioral responses to stress, with coaches themselves aged between 18-25. The program creates a fun, culturally relevant environment through the Take 5 model — a framework W4C has designed to be adapted for a range of sports, arts, and cultural initiatives. The model has been utilized by several leading global organizations, including UNICEF.
Waves for Change also played a key role in the founding of the International Surf Therapy Organization (ISTO), connecting practitioners, clinicians, and researchers to advance science research, raise awareness, and support surf therapy.
How does Waves for Change use evidence-based Surf Therapy and capacity building as a solution to fill the gap in youth mental health care?
Approximately 90 percent of the world’s adolescents live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In the most underserved communities, adolescents may experience repeated exposure to violence, unmet basic needs, and limited access to safe spaces or trusted caregivers. Typically, there are very few mental health services that are accessible to such youth.
The more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) a child or adolescent has whilst growing up, the more likely they are to develop toxic stress — an ongoing stress state without respite. This can often lead to mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, substance misuse, and cognitive impairment. This can also result in the development of physical health conditions such as heart disease as they grow into adulthood.
The main problem we’ve identified is that there aren’t enough trained workforces (e.g., sports coaches, youth facilitators) that are able to deliver simple, fun, structured play-based sessions with consistency at scale. Our work provides a response to this issue within the adolescent mental health promotion and illness prevention arena. Additionally, our initiatives significantly increase the number of individuals — coaches, teachers, mentors or others — who are already in contact with young adolescents and can provide them with mental health support to foster their immediate and longer-term mental health.
How has Waves for Change adapted the organization’s Surf Therapy program to develop the Take 5 model?
Waves for Change’s Take 5 training model has been incubated, tested, and rigorously evaluated within W4C’s award-winning Surf Therapy program. Take 5 distils the key components of our Surf Therapy program, providing coaches with the essential skills they need to build and sustain caring relationships with children. And it uses a simple teaching routine that creates consistently engaging, fun, structured programs for children and adolescents that suit their language, culture, and context.
Take 5 is low intensity and cost-effective — tailored for high-stress environments and the unique mental wellness needs of adolescents living in multidimensional poverty, conflict, or crisis.
How has partnering with young people to research and co-develop programs made the work more impactful?
In research studies we’ve conducted, adolescent participants (ages 10-16) reported experiencing between 6-8 adverse events every year, including violence and abuse. When asked what sorts of spaces they wanted to see at Waves for Change, the adolescents identified core components such as access to a safe space where they could have fun, be heard, and learn skills to cope. These components now form the bedrock of our Surf Therapy program. We initially worked with 9-12-year-olds and have since developed the follow-on programme for adolescents up to age 16 who have graduated the Surf Therapy programme. This is called Surf Club and is available to all Surf Therapy graduates.
Waves for Change also conducts pre- and post-intervention surveys with participants to monitor the impact of our work. Our coaches (ages 18-25) are at the frontline of delivering our services. A key role they play is to listen with care and respect to the adolescents’ concerns, and to share them with our Child Protection team for review and follow-up when needed.
What makes your partnership with the SNF Global Center at the Child Mind Institute unique?
Working with the Child Mind Institute allows Waves for Change to collaborate with and learn from colleagues doing similar work in the adolescent mental health space across South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. The partnership offers an opportunity to learn about approaches that have been successful in other health systems. It has also allowed Waves for Change to share detailed information about the training and supervision protocol used to develop key competencies in the coach workforce that leads Surf Therapy in South Africa. This has helped the Child Mind Institute to develop a comprehensive guide for other similar workforces.
Can you expand on the importance of partnerships in strengthening youth mental health care and community empowerment?
Partnerships allow for the consolidation of skills and resources so that a greater impact can be achieved. For example, at Waves for Change, we work with over 70 referral partners every year to identify young adolescents who can benefit from our Surf Therapy program. We are also partnering with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport to use our Take 5 model to train MOD and YearBeyond coaches and mentors, who are already reaching large numbers of children and young adolescents through their work. And we’re contributing to building the broader ecosystem of mental health support for adolescents and children by training large national NGOs, government agencies, and humanitarian organizations with our Take 5 model.
How can non-profits further help foster strong peer networks and inclusive safe spaces?
Some of the key lessons we have learnt are the following:
- In the field of youth mental health, make youth the leaders on program implementation
- Provide youth with skills, opportunities, supervision, and support so that they can grow and develop further
- Maintain a strong culture of protection, respect, and communication so that all participants feel safe, welcome, accepted, and heard
Read more about W4C’s Surf Therapy from Youth Liaison Officer, Azola Sibanda and Training Manager Jamie-Lee Davids
The post Surf Therapy: A Powerful Low-Intensity Approach in Global Youth Mental Health Care appeared first on Child Mind Institute.
The correlation between phubbing and depression anxiety stress of first-year medical students: the mediating role of sedentary behavior
BackgroundFreshmen often experience challenges when adjusting from high school to college, which may elevate levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in medical schools, where the overall academic atmosphere is widely regarded as exceptionally demanding and stressful.ObjectivesTo examine the indirect effect of sedentary behavior on the relationship between phubbing and depression anxiety stress of first-year medical students.MethodsThis study conducted a cross-sectional survey with 795 first-year medical students from Soochow University in China from October 2024 to November 2024 by using electronic questionnaire. The instruments were Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Generic Scale of Phubbing (GSP), and Adolescent Sedentary Activity Questionnaire (ASAQ).ResultsThe findings indicate that first-year medical students’ phubbing and sedentary behavior positively affects their depression anxiety stress (r = 0.120 ~ 0.815, both p < 0.01), and phubbing positively impacts medical students’ sedentary behavior (r = 0.128, p < 0.01). Additionally, sedentary behavior acts as a significant mediator between phubbing and depression, anxiety, and stress. The indirect effect contributes to 1.9%~2.5% of the total effect.ConclusionThese findings indicate that reducing depression anxiety stress in first-year medical students can be achieved not only through direct improvements in phubbing but also through the indirect effects of reducing sedentary behavior.
Autonomic nervous system reactions to secondary exposure to disaster-related imagery
AimThis study investigated how disaster-related imagery affects emotional and autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses, using heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), in individuals with indirect exposure to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE).MethodsThirty-six healthy adults who had experienced strong ground shaking during the GEJE, but not the tsunami directly, viewed four types of videos: natural scenery (neutral), earthquake scenes, tsunami footage, and promotional videos repeatedly broadcast after the disaster. Subjective emotional responses (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), HR, and HRV indices were measured before, during, and after each video.ResultsCompared to the neutral video, disaster-related videos significantly decreased HR and HRV during viewing, indicating an orienting or freeze-type ANS response. Earthquake footage, likely to evoke autobiographic fear, predominantly suppressed parasympathetic indices, while tsunami footage, associated with vicarious fear, predominantly suppressed sympathetic activity. Immediately after viewing, sympathetic activation increased significantly, consistent with a rebound active defense pattern. Notably, promotional videos did not induce subjective distress but still altered HR and HRV indices, suggesting unconscious physiological reactivity.ConclusionDisaster-related imagery evokes distinct ANS responses depending on the emotional content and the viewer’s trauma history. Autobiographic and vicarious fear may differentially affect sympathetic and parasympathetic suppression, respectively. Furthermore, this cross-sectional evaluation demonstrates that even seemingly non-invasive media exposure years after a disaster can trigger autonomic changes. These findings underscore the urgent need for appropriate media broadcasting guidelines to protect public health following both seismic and climatic catastrophes.