A new talking therapy for depression has shown encouraging early signs of being more effective and cheaper to deliver than the current best practice of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). A pilot trial from the University of Exeter, funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and published in Lancet EClinical Medicine, has found Augmented Depression Therapy (ADepT) could be a significant advance in depression care. A core feature of depression is anhedonia (reduced interest or pleasure) and wellbeing deficits, but current depression psychotherapies like CBT fail to adequately target these components. ADepT has been developed to pay just as much attention to building wellbeing as it does reducing depressive symptoms. Professor of Clinical Psychology, Barney Dunn, from the University of Exeter led the trial and said: “Depression is widespread and a significant contributor to global disability, resulting in extensive social and economic costs. Only ...
The number of antidepressant drugs being prescribed on the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) rose again, according to a quarterly report by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). The report, which covers the months from October 2022 to December 2022, lists the number of mental health medicines prescribed in England according to the five British National Formulary (BNF) drug groups. This includes drugs that could have been dispensed in England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man of the Channel Islands. The British National Formulary classifies mental health medications into different groups based on their use. They are antidepressants, hypnotics and anxiolytics, central nervous system (CNS) stimulants and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, dementia medication, and antipsychotics. In the Q3 2022-2023, period antidepressant drugs were the most prescribed drug class, totalling nearly 22 million items, a 2.67% increase compared to the same period in the previous year. The rise is part of an ...
Australia on Saturday became one of the first countries in the world to allow the use of MDMA and magic mushrooms for medical treatment, in a bid to tackle certain mental health conditions. From July 1, authorized psychiatrists will be able to prescribe the drugs, also known as ecstasy and psilocybin, for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and some types of depression. Authorities in Canada and the United States allow the medical use of one or both of the drugs, but only in clinical trials or with special permits. In February, Australia reclassified the drug entirely, after the country’s Therapeutic Goods Administration said trials had found the substances to be “relatively safe” when used in a “medically-controlled environment”. Supporters of the move hope the drugs can provide breakthroughs for mental health patients, when other treatments have failed. Mike Musker, a mental health and suicide prevention researcher at the University ...
Loneliness is a bigger risk factor for heart disease in patients with diabetes than diet, exercise, smoking and depression, according to research published June 29 in the European Heart Journal,. “The quality of social contact appears to be more important for heart health in people with diabetes than the number of engagements,” said study author Professor Lu Qi of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans. “We should not downplay the important of loneliness on physical and emotional health. I would encourage patients with diabetes who feel lonely to join a group or class and try to make friends with people who have shared interests.” “Loneliness and social isolation are common in today’s societies and have become a research focus during the last years, especially driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuous digitalization of society,” state Kahl and colleagues in an accompanying editorial. Loneliness refers ...
Patients who feel low when having a cardiac device implanted are more likely to stop taking their heart medications than those without depression, according to research presented today at ACNAP 2023, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Study author Mr. Ole Skov, a psychologist and PhD student in cardiac psychology at the University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark said: “Medications help to control symptoms and prevent further heart problems so adherence is important. Patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) who feel depressed or anxious should be encouraged to express their concerns, thoughts, and feelings and contact a health care professional who can screen them for distress to explore the best course of action. This could be referral to a psychologist or other measures.” An ICD implantation is recommended for people at high risk of a life-threatening arrhythmia and for those who have had a sudden ...
Biotech start-up Psylo and Daiichi Sankyo have signed a sponsored research deal to advance the development of non-hallucinogenic psychiatric therapies. The therapies will be developed as new antidepressants for patients suffering from chronic mental illness. The biotech company will use its knowledge of neuropsychiatric therapies and the experience of Daiichi Sankyo in drug discovery and clinical development to advance the new therapies’ research and development. Psylo CEO Josh Ismin stated: “We are thrilled to receive support from Daiichi Sankyo in our mission to develop new and effective treatments for chronic mental illness. “This sponsorship represents a step forward in our efforts to harness the therapeutic potential of compounds to address mental health challenges.” The company develops next-generation therapeutics inspired by a new class of neuropsychiatric compounds. It also plans to open a new office at the B+labs incubation space in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US. This will provide Psylo with access to ...
Megan Brooks Mounting evidence supports that chronic environmental exposure to low levels of lead, cadmium, and arsenic contribute significantly to cardiovascular disease (CVD), the American Heart Association (AHA) says in a new scientific statement. “In reality, identifying a new type of cardiovascular risk factor leads to more questions than answers,” Gervasio A. Lamas, MD, chair of the statement writing group, told theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology. “For the most part, as cardiologists, we are used to risk factors, we can manage with antihypertensives, statins, weight loss, exercise, and avoidance of smoking. Unfortunately, the ubiquity of toxic metals and their multiple sources increases the complexity of potential treatment,” said Lamas, chairman of medicine and chief of the Columbia University Division of Cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida. The statement addressing contaminant metals as CV risk factors was published online June 12 in the Journal of the American Heart ...
Australian researchers have published the first robust clinical study proving that medicinal cannabis effectively treats the debilitating effects of Tourette syndrome. The findings—which show a statistically and clinically significant reduction in motor and vocal tics in just six weeks—are published in the journal NEJM Evidence. The clinical trial was led by neuropsychiatrist Dr. Philip Mosley, a Research Fellow at the Wesley Research Institute and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. The University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, with Wesley Research Institute, assisted with study design and execution, and analyzed blood levels of cannabinoids among participants. The analysis found a significant association between levels of cannabis in the bloodstream and the response to active treatment. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the active hallucinogenic compound in cannabis that produces a “high” effect, while CBD (cannabidiol) is a non-psychoactive compound. Both are used medicinally in Australia. Study co-author Professor Iain McGregor, the Academic Director ...
In everyday life, our emotions often change from moment to moment, and people experience these fluctuations to varying degrees. Psychologists at Leipzig University have studied the relationship between the personality trait neuroticism—a potential risk factor for mental health—and emotional experiences. They found that neurotic people experience negative emotions not only more intensely, but also with more mood swings than others. They have just published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). “Previous studies are in agreement that neurotic people experience stronger negative emotions in everyday life. Because of new, contradictory studies, there has been disagreement about whether this is also associated with increased variability in emotional experiences, i.e., mood swings,” says the study’s first author, Nina Mader from the Wilhelm Wundt Institute of Psychology at Leipzig University. Personality psychologists at Leipzig University have developed a new approach to modeling data that solves previous methodological problems. ...
Hear from patients, nurses and allied health professionals about hot topics in cardiovascular disease at ACNAP 2023, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The annual congress of the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (ACNAP), a branch of the ESC, takes place 23 and 24 June at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), UK. Explore the scientific program. Novel findings will be presented in the scientific abstracts on a wide range of subjects. Including digital health, depression, anxiety and lifestyle behaviors such as exercise, diet and smoking. Scientific sessions cover contemporary issues in heart health from prevention to rehabilitation and encompassing areas such as climate change, diversity and advocacy. Does dog companionship improve heart health? Don’t miss the session on how pet ownership affects physical and psychological well-being, with a chance to meet working therapy dogs. Dr. Eleni Kletsiou, chair of the Congress Programme Committee, ...
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