This meta-analysis evaluated the relationship between overweight/obesity and depressive disorders in children and adolescents. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The identified relationship between parental mood disorders and offspring anxiety disorders provides valuable insights that mental health practitioners can integrate into their practice. Understanding these risk factors and underlying mechanisms aids mental health professionals in tailoring treatments and interventions according to the family background and specific needs of their clients.
The current study investigated the association between paternal postnatal depressive symptoms and parenting behaviours. Open access article - no login required.
This item explores adolescents’ use of social media to manage stress and loneliness at a time of restricted social contacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Concludes that there is little uptake of psychological interventions for depression. Strategies currently in development that could change this include single session interventions and task sharing which involves using lay counsellors to deliver the intervention. Digital interventions could improve access to treatment and have shown some positive outcomes.
In this blog I will give a brief overview of this field, and what can be done to further improve the effects of these treatments. I have also presented a more extensive overview in the webinar that you can watch below.
Prevention of new depressive disorders is very much needed because current treatments can only reduce the disease burden of depression to a limited extent.
Research has shown that preventive interventions are effective, especially in indicated prevention, but also selective prevention. However, the impact of these interventions is limited because the uptake is low.
A new generation of randomized community trials are needed to examine suites of innovative preventive interventions.
Several useful points for clinicians emerge from this paper. The first-hand experiences compiled here reveal some common experiences among people living with depression which are not reflected in diagnostic criteria or checklists for lay people. While sleep, weight and appetite disturbances are noted in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as indicative of depression, this paper suggests that the somatic nature of the depressive experience is more pronounced than this. Experiences such as aches and pains, a sense of heaviness, and a body that lacks physical energy may be important markers of depression, and it is therefore unhelpful to view the mind and body as separate. The importance of fatigue has also been stressed by adolescents experiencing depression
This qualitative systematic review shows that antidepressants might not always help depression. For this patient population, it may be important for health professionals to work with patients to explore other treatments for managing their depression. Treatment could include cognitive behavioural therapy, which was shown in a systematic review to be an effective intervention for TRD at short-term, mid-term, and long-term follow-up (Li et al., 2018).
The authors of the study conclude that “KAT offers clinically meaningful improvements and demonstrated a desirable safety and risk mitigation profile”. Ongoing ketamine-based medication sessions enhance therapeutic benefits by preventing the 90% relapse rate that is often seen in single-infusion ketamine-based treatments (Kryst et al., 2020).
Hull et al. (2022) take this standpoint to reiterate the use of dissociative and psychedelic compounds for reducing important symptoms of common mental health disorders such as reducing suicidal ideation and behaviour. This could be viewed as an exaggeration, especially since the mechanism of dissociation is still relatively unknown in terms of how it reduces anxiety and depression symptoms (Liu et al., 2020).
This review concluded that people living with depression are at considerable risk of internalising negative stereotypes and discrimination associated with depression. Prominent risk factors were identified, including depression symptom severity and stigma-related factors; but protective factors were also identified, such as quality of life and self-esteem.
The study reinforces findings from the existing literature that, in the context of comorbid anxiety and depression, anxiety seems to have an earlier age of onset. Early identification and intervention for anxiety disorders may therefore help to prevent the developmental of other comorbid psychiatric disorders, such as depression or additional anxiety disorders.
Patients showed a stronger preference for CAT-GSH, compared to CBT-GSH, and CAT-GSH participants were found to be more likely to complete full treatment. However, findings seem to indicate that preference accommodation did not have an impact on clinical outcomes, and the two GSH versions evaluated were found to be equally effective treatment options for the treatment of anxiety. Hence, CAT-GSH may represent an effective and well-tolerated option that could be offered to anxious patients in primary care settings.
This meta-analysis is very relevant for those working within mental health services and delivering mental health interventions with clients or community members. It suggests that transdiagnostic mental health interventions should be considered as an effective way of treating anxiety and depression, at least in the short term, as they might have an edge over other treatments, especially when treating co-morbidity or mixed anxiety and depression symptoms.
The primary goal of this study was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of incorporating habit training into an app-based meditation intervention to maintain reductions in depressive symptoms among autistic adults. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This cross-sectional study aims to systematically assess and compare parenting stress in families of children with various types of disabilities. Open access article - no login required
Dysfunctional attitudes (DA) are higher in depression; however, less is understood about their role in bipolar disorder (BD). This paper aimed to explore the presence of DA in BD in comparison to clinical and non-clinical groups. Also explored were the associations between DA and mood states of depression, mania or euthymia in BD.
The International Anxiety Questionnaire (IAQ) and International Depression Questionnaire (IDQ) are self-report measures of ICD-11 Generalized Anxiety Disorder (ICD-11 GAD) and ICD-11 Single Episode Depressive Disorder (ICD-11 DD). This study tested the psychometric properties of these scales in two samples of bereaved adults from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
Although this study suggested that long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy in combination with treatment as usual was not cost-effective compared with TAU, there may be more explanations to this. Given the sustained long-term effects over the follow-up period and the trajectory of treatment benefits in the LTPP+TAU group, it seems plausible that the timescale of this study was too short to accurately portray the long-term benefits of LTPP.
Predicting the course and complications of perinatal depression through the identification of clinical subtypes has been previously undertaken using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and has the potential to improve the precision of care and improve outcomes for women and their children. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cpp.2893?af=R
Bouldering psychotherapy (BPT) for depression has proven effective, but nothing is known about its potential predictors of response. This study should identify predictors of response to BPT, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and an active control (home-based exercise programme; EP) using a literature-based model.
Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) and childhood maltreatment have been proposed to constitute a subgroup with worse illness course and outcomes. To elucidate a potential social cognitive vulnerability in this subgroup, this study compared the emotion decoding abilities of MDD patients with and without a history of childhood maltreatment.
If we have a better understanding of how anxiety and depression may develop over the course of childhood and adolescence, and who may be at greatest risk of adverse outcomes in adulthood, this may inform targeted early identification and prevention strategies. The authors suggest that this could beneficially impact policy and practice at certain touchpoints, such as the transition from children’s to adult’s mental health services, which has been highlighted by previous studies as an “international concern” due to the consequences of lack of continuity of care (Hendrickx et al., 2020 p. 163).
Some anxiety disorders may improve or remit without intervention, meaning a brief period of ‘watchful waiting’ may be prudent in certain situations
Specific phobia and panic disorder with agoraphobia do not show signs of improving without intervention, meaning that treatment should be provided as soon as possible for individuals with these conditions.
It’s worth commenting on the finding that only 15% of control participants experienced ‘clinically meaningful’ improvements in their anxiety, meaning 85% will still experience symptoms of anxiety. For those whose anxiety does not improve significantly or remit, this waiting period will not be a neutral limbo – it may be a highly difficult and distressing time for them, and this must be taken into account when considering the implementation of such findings.
Difficulties regulating emotions during periods of distress may contribute to the high rates of co-occurring depression and anxiety in autistic adults. The emotional support plan (ESP) is a brief intervention designed to support autistic adults to use positive coping skills during periods of distress. Thirty-six autistic adults participated in studies to assess the acceptability of the ESP intervention... To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Depression and anxiety are common, with one in six people experiencing symptoms in any given week. Of these people, 8.32 million are prescribed antidepressants. People living with HIV are likely to experience psychiatric disorder, with one in three experiencing depression and anxiety, and being at greater risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder... This article seeks to raise awareness of sexual side-effects of psychotropic medications and draw attention to ethical issues related to post selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor sexual dysfunction (PSSD)
To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Hospitalization is a stressful event that may lead to deterioration in older adults’ mental health. Drawing on the stress-buffering hypothesis, we examined whether family support during hospitalization would moderate the relations between level of independence and in-hospital depressive symptoms.
To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Efficacy and safety of a 4-week course of repeated subcutaneous ketamine injections for treatment-resistant depression (KADS study): randomised double-blind active-controlled trial. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Gaining awareness of psychosis (i.e., insight) is linked to depression, particularly in the post-acute phase of psychosis. Informed by social rank theory, we examined whether the insight–depression relationship is explained by reduced social rank related to psychosis and whether self-compassion (including uncompassionate self-responding [UCS] and compassionate self-responding [CSR]) and mindfulness buffered the relationship between social rank and depression in individuals with first episode psychosis during the post-acute phase.
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common perinatal complication with adverse maternal and infant outcomes. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of zuranolone, a positive allosteric modulator of synaptic and extrasynaptic GABAA receptors and neuroactive steroid, as an oral, once-daily, 14-day treatment course for patients with severe PPD. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
The review showed that robust evidence for the effectiveness of iCBT as an add-on to TAU is still limited, with results not necessarily generalisable to people from different backgrounds based on age, gender, education, and mental healthcare settings. Clearly more research is needed, as remotely delivered, self-guided iCBT has the promise to increase accessibility and be more cost-effective.
The findings suggest the involvement of both innate and adaptive immune cells in the development of depression.
Identifying dysfunctional immune cell subsets could help select patients with depression who show signs of immune dysfunction for future immunotherapy trials. However, further studies are needed to understand causality and how immune cell dysfunction relates to cytokine and neurotransmitter dysregulation.
To manage ‘treatment-resistant depression’, research has demonstrated that a multidisciplinary approach should be utilised (i.e., administration of medication as well as psychological support). In the current study, psilocybin was administered during a single session of psychological support. More research needs to be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using psilocybin alongside a course of psychological support (e.g., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).
No previous studies have reported predictors and moderators of outcome of psychological therapies for depression experienced by adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs). We investigated baseline variables as outcome predictors and moderators based on a randomised controlled trial where behavioural activation was compared with guided self-help. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
This study used structural equation modelling to test the prediction that intolerance of uncertainty and emotion regulation constitute more direct causes of anxiety in autism that mediate the influences of sensory processing difference and alexithymia as more sequential contributing factors. To read the full article, choose Open Athens “Institutional Login” and search for “Midlands Partnership”.
Childhood emotional maltreatment (CEM) is a risk factor for the pathogenesis of depressive disorders. However, it is not clear whether CEM is more strongly related to specific symptoms of depression and whether specific traits or cognitive states may mediate the association between CEM and depressive symptoms. In our cross-sectional study, including 72 patients with a current depressive episode, we investigated if CEM is specifically related to cognitive symptoms of depression.
Overall, this research brings to light many ways in which access can be improved. However, as the authors mention, it is important to keep in mind that the process of improving access is not a “one size fits all” approach. Instead, programs that aim to improve access should carefully consider their target audience and combine a variety of complementary strategies. In conclusion, the authors talk about practice guidelines. They suggest that each category of healthcare providers would benefit from specific guidelines on improving access to CBT through their specific roles.
By investigating parents’ depression and how it can be associated with children’s emotional difficulties, this study showed that if untreated, mental ill-health can have significant long-lasting effects on the mother, father and children.
As this study points out, the activating and associating depressive symptoms between family members can be targeted for more rapid recovery, and may be key to identifying who might be more at risk of developing depression in young children, and later unintentionally influencing the transmission of depression.
Despite limitations, the findings from this study have important clinical and research implications for treating adolescent depression.
For clinicians, it may be beneficial at the beginning of a case of treatment for adolescent depression to develop a set of personalised outcome goals with the patient, with recognition that this is likely to vary greatly between individuals. Treatment could then be jointly chosen by the patient and clinician to ensure these priorities are addressed. This approach could also take into account what the patient thinks their key problem areas are, and what they consider to be valuable improvements. This would also provide a good framework when reviewing clinical decisions of whether to continue or change treatments.
The provision of cCBT through the NHS could help some young people who need support for anxiety and depression to access the treatment they need more easily. This could be of particular benefit to young people who would not otherwise be able to access traditional face-to-face therapies or who would prefer something remote. However, this review makes it clear that the evidence base for cCBT is currently weak and that high-quality future research is needed, so caution needs to be taken by practitioners before recommending cCBT programs.