Perinatal loss is common, but little is known about its impact on partners during the grieving process. This study examined psychological outcomes and coping strategies among recently bereaved partners (≤6 months post-loss; N = 73) at baseline (T1) and six-month follow-up (T2) via online survey. Participants were predominantly male (78%) and typically aged 25–44 (90%), and had experienced a range of perinatal losses (<20 weeks’ gestation to 28 days of life). Grief and depression symptoms were assessed using the Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) and PHQ-9 respectively, and multivariate regression analyses examined the role of coping styles, demographic characteristics, and loss-related factors. Participants reported varying levels of grief and depression symptoms, with 38% displaying moderate-to-severe depression symptoms at follow-up. Across the cohort, participants reported using a range of coping strategies; however, avoidant coping was uniquely associated with higher grief and depression scores at baseline (PHQ-9: β = .30, p = .007; PGS: β = .49, p <.001). Avoidant coping also predicted poorer grief and depression outcomes at follow-up, although these relationships were no longer significant after controlling for baseline symptoms. Additionally, stillbirth, female gender, and younger age were associated with greater psychological distress at baseline across outcomes (β = .21–.32, p ≤.05). Associations between gender, stillbirth, and psychological outcomes remained at follow-up, although these did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance (β = .24–.40, p ≤.073). These findings highlight the psychological impact of perinatal loss on partners and underscore the importance of improving access to support for this group. Avoidant coping may represent a key target for intervention. Future research should further investigate factors influencing grief trajectories and identify effective forms of support for bereaved partners.
Effect of Psilocybin and Structured Integrated Reframing Therapy on Gut-Brain Axis Biomarkers and Depression in Major Depressive Disorder
Conditions: Major Depressive Disorder; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Interventions: Drug: Psilocybin; Behavioral: Structured Integrated Reframing Therapy (SIRT); Drug: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI)
Sponsors: Khyber Medical University Peshawar; Hayatabad Medical Complex; KMU Institute of Health Science, Islamabad
Recruiting
Interventions: Drug: Psilocybin; Behavioral: Structured Integrated Reframing Therapy (SIRT); Drug: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI)
Sponsors: Khyber Medical University Peshawar; Hayatabad Medical Complex; KMU Institute of Health Science, Islamabad
Recruiting
VR-Based Behavioral Activation in Adults
Conditions: Depression – Major Depressive Disorder; Behavioral Activation; Virtual Reality Therapy; Behavioral Inhibition
Interventions: Device: Virtual Reality Behavioral Activation Software; Behavioral: Waitlist Control and Psychoeducation
Sponsors: KTO Karatay University
Completed
Interventions: Device: Virtual Reality Behavioral Activation Software; Behavioral: Waitlist Control and Psychoeducation
Sponsors: KTO Karatay University
Completed
A Web-Based Self-Management Intervention for Return-to-Work Among Persons With Common Mental Disorders on Sick Leave: Case Study of mWorks
Background: mWorks is a co-designed, web-based self-management intervention developed to empower persons with common mental disorders who are on sick leave during the return-to-work process. However, limited knowledge of how mWorks is delivered and engaged with in real-world settings constrains further development and implementation. In line with the Medical Research Council framework for complex intervention evaluation, such an approach is required to examine (1) contextual factors influencing implementation, (2) fidelity and variation in delivery, and (3) how service users and professionals experience and respond to the intervention. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the process of implementing mWorks, specifically focusing on assessing the intervention’s delivery in relation to the context, implementation process, and mechanisms of impact. Methods: This single-case study was bounded by the delivery period of 10 weeks in a primary and specialist mental health service context. During this period, return-to-work professionals (n=2) and service users (n=6) collaborated to initiate mWorks usage. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to triangulate multiple data sources. Results: The pandemic and mental health problems posed contextual barriers, particularly during recruitment. However, perceptions of mWorks as a credible and relevant intervention facilitated its implementation. The delivery was performed according to plan, with minimal adaptations. All users adhered to the intervention, and dialogue meetings were highly valued. mWorks was used flexibly according to users’ needs, both during sick leave and at work. The potential impacts included a transformative process for users, fostering acceptance, self-esteem, self-compassion, and a sense of control. It also had the potential to prevent mental ill health, transform negatives into positives, facilitate disclosure of mental health, and support goal setting. The use of quantitative measures for empowerment, engagement, self-efficacy, depression stigma, and quality of life proved feasible and supported the assumptions and direction of results. Conclusions: The recruitment stage of the implementation program encountered significant contextual barriers. However, once the delivery stage began, the implementation of mWorks proved to be feasible. Despite the limited scope of this study, with its small number of participants, the triangulation of data suggests that both users and professionals benefited from mWorks.
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Perspectives on Remote Monitoring via Smartphones and Wearables Among Individuals With Lived Experience or at Risk of Eating Disorders (“This Could Go Very, Very Wrong”): Qualitative Interview Study
Background: Remote measurement technology (RMT) is increasingly used in health research to collect real-world data relevant to clinical states (eg, sleep, activity, and stress). Concerns exist about the impact of remote tracking via personal devices and wearables on individuals with or at risk of eating disorders (EDs) by promoting a focus on exercise, diet, and appearance. There is a lack of research applying RMT to EDs. Objective: This study aimed to explore how smartphone- and wearable-based RMTs influence eating-, exercise-, and weight-related experiences among individuals with a history of or at risk of EDs and to identify perceived benefits, harms, and recommendations for their use in this population. Methods: In total, 14 semistructured interviews were conducted with former participants of Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse: Major Depressive Disorder, a 2-year digital health study tracking depression outcomes via RMTs. Participants were included in this follow-up if they had disclosed a history of a comorbid ED or were within the at-risk age range (18-30 years) for EDs during Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse: Major Depressive Disorder and displayed subclinical ED symptoms (Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale). Interviews explored the impact of app engagement and wearables (Fitbits) on food, activity, and weight-related behaviors and attitudes. Template analysis was adopted to capture themes guided by the focus on ED-relevant domains. Results: In total, 6 themes captured participants’ experiences with RMTs across clinical status and presentation. Participants broadly appreciated the convenience and reflective potential, while some described emotional strain linked to constant self-tracking. Health data impacted participants’ eating and exercise habits through a dynamic process from awareness to cognition to action, fostering healthy routines or obsessive patterns, depending on emotional state, ED presentation, and recovery stage. Self-tracking appeared to mirror illness stage, supporting ED recovery among those with greater distance from illness, but risking reinforcement of compulsive patterns among those with residual or emerging symptoms. Participants’ recommendations for future studies in EDs stressed balancing autonomy with safeguards for vulnerable individuals. Conclusions: These exploratory findings, drawn from individuals with lived ED experience and young people at subclinical risk, suggest that RMT use was shaped by recovery stage and contextual factors, rather than being inherently beneficial or harmful. While findings should not be interpreted as evidence of RMT safety or acceptability in ED cohorts broadly, they raise important questions about ethical RMT design, including the selection of wearables, access to data, and researcher communication with participants.
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STAT+: HHS presses ahead with effort to curb antidepressant use
WASHINGTON — Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pressing forward with his effort to help Americans stop taking psychiatric drugs, a medical practice known as deprescribing.
Earlier this month, dozens of mental health professionals met with federal health officials to map out forthcoming clinical guidance they hope will help providers instruct patients on how to come off of antidepressant medications. While the Department of Health and Human Services has discussed plans to hold such a meeting, the outlines of the discussion haven’t been reported.
During those talks, they reviewed guidance from European nations and worked on recommendations for nonmedication-based options for patients to address their mental health, such as therapy. A senior HHS official said they discussed gaps in the research around deprescribing SSRIs, including the side effects a person may experience, which vary depending on the drug and how long the person was on it, and how to recognize the difference between those side effects and a return of a patient’s depressive symptoms.
Efficacy of a Gamified Blended Mindfulness Program to Reduce Burnout, Stress, and Anxiety in Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Conditions: Burnout Syndrome; Psychological Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Associated With Academic Pressure; Anxiety
Interventions: Behavioral: Psychoeducation and Free App Recommendation; Behavioral: Standard Blended Mindfulness Program; Behavioral: Gamified Blended Mindfulness Program
Sponsors: Universidad de Granada
Completed
Interventions: Behavioral: Psychoeducation and Free App Recommendation; Behavioral: Standard Blended Mindfulness Program; Behavioral: Gamified Blended Mindfulness Program
Sponsors: Universidad de Granada
Completed
<![CDATA[Why sleep checks matter in ADHD: spot apnea, executive dysfunction, and hidden ADHD behind treatment-resistant depression.]]>
<![CDATA[At the Southern California Psychiatry Conference, Jason Kellogg, MD, shares insights into the evolution of the MDD pipeline, with an eye on rapid-acting novel mechanisms. ]]>
How diet therapy affects obesity-associated depressive symptoms: from mechanism to therapeutics
Obesity stands as a formidable 21st-century public health crisis, with its capacity to aggravate depressive symptoms gaining increasing clinical attention. Traditional treatment models often treat these two conditions separately. However, recent research evidence suggests a complex network linking obesity and depressive symptoms across metabolism, behavior, and mental health, with dietary patterns proposed as a key upstream modulator of both metabolic and psychological pathways. The specific mechanisms by which diet influences obesity and depressive symptoms remain unclear. Therefore, this narrative review focuses on analyzing molecular connections between diet, obesity, and depressive symptoms, including adipose tissue inflammation, the gut-brain axis, the hypothalamus-pituitary–adrenal axis, insulin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels, and neuroplasticity. We discuss the possible pathways and effects of different diet therapies in regulating metabolism and simultaneously impacting mental health, including calorie restriction diet, intermittent fasting, ketogenic diet, low glycemic index diet, plant-based diet, Mediterranean diet, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, among others. This review aims to provide a scientific basis for precision nutrition and personalized, sustainable diet therapies in clinical practice, promoting awareness and improving treatment strategies for depressive symptoms in obese patients.