Tag: News Approved

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Effects of psychedelic drug use on neurocognitive function and the psychological and social domains of quality of life: an international online study

BackgroundThe past few decades have seen a revived interest in psychedelic-assisted and ketamine-assisted therapy for mental health disorders, but data concerning the acute, subacute, and long-term effects of serotonergic psychedelics on cognitive functioning are scarce. This international, online study (N = 759) sought to investigate the potential acute, subacute, and long-term effects of psychedelic drug use on cognition through cognitive task assessment. Questionnaires assessing mental health and quality of life were also administered.MethodsParticipants completed cognitive tasks assessing working memory, selective attention, and visual/spatial perception, as well as questionnaires assessing mental health outcomes and quality of life. Based on self-reported substance use, participants were classified as non-users, lifetime users, and recent users.ResultsRecent users had significantly lower accuracy across all cognitive tasks, and lifetime users had the highest task accuracy without corresponding reaction time deficits, with the exception of the 2D mental rotation task. Lifetime use was not associated with long-term cognitive decline. Recent users reported more depressive and dissociative symptoms, whereas lifetime users reported lower scores. Lifetime users scored lower on psychological and social quality of life domains, indicating possible long-term psychosocial effects.ConclusionsThese findings highlight the need to differentiate between the acute and long-term effects of psychedelics; lab-controlled, longitudinal studies are needed to enable safe clinical application.
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Effect of transcranial alternating current stimulation (NET Device™) on psychostimulant withdrawal severity and time course: a real-world data analysis

BackgroundPsychostimulant use disorder is a life-threatening condition with no FDA-approved treatment. Stimulant withdrawal symptoms impede treatment engagement and are unaddressed by standard of care. The NET Device, a non-invasive transcranial alternating current stimulator, is FDA-cleared for opioid withdrawal suppression. No studies have evaluated whether NET Device use attenuates psychostimulant withdrawal.MethodsElectronic health record and device utilization data were collected from 109 stimulant-only users and 112 stimulant/opioid co-users (N = 221 adults total; Mage=39.2, SDage=10.7; 119M) entering residential addiction treatment (n = 168) or detention centers (n = 53). The Amphetamine Cessation Symptom Assessment (ACSA) was administered at baseline and 1 hour (day 1), and twice daily on days 1–7. A linear mixed model (LMM) with random intercepts and slopes was used to analyze the trajectory of ACSA scores.ResultsACSA severity and time course were similar across settings (residential vs. detention). A two-phase LMM separated acute (baseline to 1 hour) and post-acute withdrawal symptom reductions. Relative to baseline ACSA scores, stimulant-only and co-user groups each reported significant reductions at 1 hour (46% and 33%), day 2 morning (59% and 42%), and decelerating log-time trajectory through day 4 (79 hours), the primary analysis window. Estimates beyond day 4 rest on 6.9% of observations and are reported as exploratory only.ConclusionNET Device monotherapy was associated with rapid reduction in psychostimulant withdrawal severity regardless of setting and opioid co-use. No device-related adverse events were reported. These real-world data support initiation of a sham-controlled randomized trial to evaluate NET Device efficacy for stimulant use disorder.
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Exploring the interplay of discrimination perception, alexithymia, and shyness among hearing-impaired college students: a network approach

BackgroundHearing-impaired college students face limitations in auditory and verbal communication, placing them at higher risk for mental health problems. While previous studies have mostly used traditional structural equation models to examine the relationship between discrimination perception and psychological adaptation issues, these approaches have difficulty capturing complex nonlinear associations and dynamic interactions between variables. This study adopted a network analysis perspective to explore the association patterns between discrimination perception, shyness, and alexithymia among hearing-impaired college students, and to identify influential intervention targets.MethodsThis study was conducted in March 2026 on college students with hearing -impairments mainly from Fujian and Sichuan provinces using the Hearing-impaired Children perceived discrimination Questionnaire, the Social Withdrawal Subtypes and Peer Isolation Questionnaire, the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire, and SPSS software for descriptive statistical analysis, and R software for network analysis.ResultsThe discrimination perception–shyness network had 12 cross-community edges (range: −0.044 to 0.057). Most were small (below 0.06), suggesting weak conditional associations. The strongest edge was Pd3–S5 (0.057). Pd3 showed the highest BEI (0.057). The discrimination perception–alexithymia network had 5 cross-community edges (range: 0.012 to 0.050). All were small (below 0.06). The strongest edge was Pd5–A2 (0.050). Pd6 showed the highest BEI (0.071).ConclusionThis study explored the relationships between discrimination perception, shyness, and alexithymia in hearing-impaired college students using network analysis methods. The Pd3 (Excluded from games) in the shyness network and Pd6 (Dishonesty) in the alexithymia network were identified as the highest bridge centrality nodes, suggesting that these are core symptoms connecting external stress to internal psychological adaptation difficulties and key triggers for social avoidance and emotional recognition difficulties in hearing-impaired college students. Thus, they represent the optimal targets for psychological intervention.
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Case Report: Rapid resolution of psychogenic cough in an adolescent following bromazepam treatment

BackgroundSomatic cough syndrome, formerly termed psychogenic cough or habit cough, is an under-recognized cause of chronic cough in pediatric populations, characterized by repetitive, dry, and honking cough that is absent during sleep. Behavioral interventions are first-line treatment with high success rates of 80%–90%. However, when access to behavioral therapy is unavailable, alternative pharmacological interventions, particularly benzodiazepines, have received minimal investigation in this population.Case presentationI report a 13-year-old previously healthy male patient with abrupt-onset, near-continuous dry cough occurring every 2 seconds during waking hours. The cough had a distinctive honking quality and disappeared completely during sleep. The patient presented with severe impairment in function, including inability to eat for 3 days, multiple emergency presentations requiring intravenous hydration, and complete school absence. Medical evaluation, including physical examination, laboratory investigations, spirometry, and chest X-ray, was unremarkable. Empirical trials of inhaled bronchodilators and nasal corticosteroids yielded no improvement. Psychiatric assessment excluded psychotic features, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and tic disorder but noted family stressors, including high expressed emotion and overprotective parenting behavior. Based on the sign of sleep-related cough cessation and exclusion of organic pathology, somatic cough syndrome was diagnosed. Given the severity of impairment and family circumstances precluding immediate behavioral therapy, bromazepam 3 mg orally was initiated. Within 24–36 hours, the cough resolved completely. At 3-month follow-up, the patient remained symptom-free without medication. He had returned to school and demonstrated normal eating patterns.ConclusionThis case demonstrates rapid and sustained resolution at 3-month follow-up of severe psychogenic cough following short-term bromazepam treatment in an adolescent. While behavioral therapy is still an evidence-based first-line treatment, this report suggests using benzodiazepines as a pharmacological intervention alternative when behavioral therapy is unavailable. The rapid response and sustained remission at 3-month follow-up are consistent with the hypothesis that benzodiazepines may interrupt the self-perpetuating cycle of anxiety and cough in somatic cough syndrome. Further research is needed for this case in pediatric populations to establish efficacy, safety, and optimal treatment duration.
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Implementing BEAM: A Scalable Digital Mental Health Program, for Families of Children Referred to Neurodevelopmental Services

Conditions: Depression and Anxiety Symptom; Anger; Parenting; Stress (Psychology); Parent Child Relationship; Child Development; Neurodevelopmental Conditions

Interventions: Behavioral: The Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health (BEAM) Program

Sponsors: University of Manitoba; Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba; Kids Brain Health Network

Not yet recruiting
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Creative Art Teletherapy for Veterans With PTSD

Conditions: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder F03.950.750.500 D013313

Interventions: Behavioral: Art-therapy Remote Treatment for Veterans Experiencing Trauma

Sponsors: VA Office of Research and Development; Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine; Drexel University

Not yet recruiting
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Standardized Manual-Based Smoking Cessation Treatment in Patients With Comorbid Mental Disorders: Qualitative Interview Study

Background: Smoking prevalence is disproportionately high among individuals with mental disorders, who also show reduced cessation success, suggesting that current cessation interventions may not fully address their specific needs. A barrier to smoking cessation is the fear that quitting may worsen mental health, yet little is known about how individuals with mental disorders experience guideline-conform cessation treatments, which may address such concerns. Objective: This qualitative study explored the perspectives of smoking individuals with comorbid mental disorders who participated in a standardized, manual-based, cognitive behavioral smoking cessation program to identify targets for optimizing guideline-conform interventions for this population, spanning treatment engagement, perceived challenges, and facilitators within this context. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 participants representing diverse cessation trajectories (sustained abstinence, relapse, and no quit attempt) 6 months after treatment completion. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Three overarching themes were identified. First, participants described smoking cessation as a multidimensional, processual experience extending beyond behavioral change to encompass psychological and social dimensions, characterized by nonlinearity, adaptive meaning-making, and improvements in self-efficacy despite transient strain during early abstinence. Second, smoking was experienced as a functionally embedded practice serving affective, habitual, and social functions, with motivation emerging as dynamic and relationally sustained rather than stable. Third, treatment engagement was shaped by motivational states and contextual circumstances, with participants offering favorable evaluations of the structured intervention alongside recommendations for greater individualization and flexibility. Notably, mental health–related concerns about cessation largely persisted despite predominantly positive or neutral mental health outcomes, a pattern consistent with cognitive immunization processes. Conclusions: Guideline-conform smoking cessation treatment appears feasible and largely well-received by individuals with comorbid mental disorders. The findings highlight the need for targeted psychoeducation to address persistent misconceptions about the mental health risks of cessation, as well as individualized, context-sensitive treatment adaptations, including greater flexibility in session structure, motivational support beyond the active treatment phase, and explicit attention to the social and functional embeddedness of smoking, to improve cessation outcomes in this high-risk population. Trial Registration: ISCRTN ISRCTN12859609; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN12859609
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Trajectories of Persistent Exposure to Self-Harm–Encouraging Websites and Subsequent Mental Health Outcomes in US Youth: Longitudinal Cohort Study

Background: Self-harm, including suicidal thoughts, self-injurious behavior, and disordered eating, is a major public health concern among adolescents and young adults. Youth increasingly encounter self-harm–related content online, including websites that explicitly encourage harmful behaviors. Although exposure to such content has been linked to poorer mental health, most research is cross-sectional and has not examined longitudinal exposure trajectories. Whether persistent exposure represents a distinct digital risk pattern remains unclear. Objective: This study examined longitudinal trajectories and correlates of exposure to self-harm–encouraging websites over 1 year and tested whether persistent exposure was associated with subsequent suicidal ideation, self-injury, and disordered eating. Methods: We analyzed data from 2197 US youth aged 13 to 22 years who completed waves 2 and 4 of Project Lift Up, a national longitudinal cohort study. Website exposure was categorized into 4 trajectories: none, desist (wave 2 only), new (wave 4 only), and persistent (both waves). Categories reflected reported exposure at the 2 assessment waves rather than the frequency or continuity of website use between assessments. Logistic regression models estimated associations between exposure trajectory and wave 4 suicidal ideation, self-injury, and disordered eating, restricting analyses to participants without the respective outcome at wave 2. Models were adjusted for demographics and wave 2 depression or anxiety symptoms and other mental health indicators. Results: Overall, 26.5% (583/2197) reported exposure to self-harm–encouraging websites at wave 2, and 18.5% (407/2197) reported persistent exposure. Privacy concerns, embarrassment, curiosity, and lack of offline support were associated with greater odds of persistence (adjusted odds ratios [aORs] 1.84‐3.23), whereas accidental exposure was associated with lower odds of persistence (aOR 0.28, 95% CI 0.19‐0.41). Compared with no exposure, persistent exposure was associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation (aOR 1.88, 95% CI 1.24‐2.86; =.003), self-injury (aOR 3.14, 95% CI 2.05‐4.80; <.001), and disordered eating (aOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.54‐3.93; <.001). Adjusted predicted probabilities showed a graded pattern, with persistent exposure associated with the highest predicted probabilities (suicidal ideation: 33.4% vs 21.3%; self-injury: 25.7% vs 10.2%; disordered eating: 11.7% vs 5.3%). New exposure was associated with increased odds of self-injury (aOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.30‐4.15; =.004) but was not significantly associated with suicidal ideation or disordered eating. The desist trajectory was not significantly associated with outcomes. Conclusions: Persistent exposure to self-harm–encouraging websites may represent a distinct digital risk pattern associated with higher subsequent odds of suicidal ideation, self-injury, and disordered eating. Assessing patterns of repeated website exposure and youths’ motivations for seeking this content—not merely whether exposure occurred—may improve the identification of youth at heightened risk and inform digital prevention and clinical intervention strategies.