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A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry looked at medication and procedural abortion and the risk of psychotropic medication use. “We examined whether medication or procedural abortion increased risk of mental health medication use,” study author Julia Steinberg told us. Steinberg is Associate Professor in the Department of Family Science School of Public Health at the University of Maryland. "Based on previous research we have conducted, we did not think medication or procedural abortion would increase risk of mental health medication use.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Nature Health looked at whether mental health hospitalizations were associated with sustained extreme heat in multiple countries. “Our study investigated whether heatwaves are associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for mental and behavioural disorders,” study author Yanming Liu told us. “Although the physical health effects of extreme heat are well established, its effects on mental health have received less attention, particularly across different countries and populations. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing looked at the contributing factors to severe workplace violence in forensic psychiatry. “Our study examined workplace violence directed at nursing staff in forensic psychiatric inpatient care,” study author Matias Karvonen told us. “We wanted to determine whether severe incidents were associated with particular times of day, everyday ward activities, physical locations or individual wards.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Environmental Conservation found both restored forest and birdsong promote psychological well-being. “We wanted to determine whether exposure to birdsong and forests reduces stress, promotes positive emotions, and promotes restorativeness,” study author Nils Peterson told us. “We hypothesized birdsong and time in forests would cause positive changes in wellbeing.” [More]

A new study published in the Lancet Public Health looked at global, regional, and national trends in the morbidity gap and contributing diseases, injuries, and risk factors. “We wanted to answer a deceptively simple question,” study lead and corresponding author, Professor Simon I. Hay told us. “As people live longer, are those extra years being lived in good health or in poor health? [More]

A new study published in PLOS One looked at maternal exposure to oil spill and children’s mental health and the mediating role of resource loss. After the Deepwater Horizon (BP) Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, the study researchers established the WaTCH Study and began interviewing and collecting biomarkers on women and children living in the seven Louisiana parishes (counties) in closest proximity to the oil spill to assess short and long-term health effects. [More]

A new study published in Frontiers in Psychology looked at human animal interaction and understanding the role of dog and cat interactions in emotional well-being. “Our study builds on the notion that companion animals can benefit mental well-being, an idea often referred to as the ‘pet effect’,” Dr. Mayke Janssens told us. “We aimed to advance our understanding of this phenomenon and its underlying mechanisms by examining whether higher levels of interaction with a companion animal are associated with emotional well-being in daily life, and whether stress buffering serves as a mechanism underlying this association. [More]

A new study published in Psychiatry Research looked at social anxiety disorder in Canada and the sociodemographic and psychosocial correlates. “Over my 30 years of teaching university students, I’ve had a front-row seat to changes in student well-being,” study author Esme Fuller-Thomson told us. “In roughly the past decade, I’ve seen a notable rise in severe social anxiety that can be quite debilitating. That observation motivated our team to examine whether this shift was visible across the broader Canadian population.” [More]

A new study published in Genomic Psychiatry looked at multiplex Portuguese families as a lens into rare mutations and the shared genetic architecture of schizophrenia, mood disorders, and autism spectrum disorders. “We have been studying serious mental illness for 35 years,” study author Carlos Pato told us. “We were hoping to define the biologic mechanism, as well as the environmental factors that contribute to these illnesses and help discover treatments that correct the underlying problems.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Psychological Medicine looked at whether the drug, Prucalopride, may have potential as a way to improve cognition in depression. Prucalopride is usually prescribed to adults to relieve chronic constipation. It’s often prescribed when other laxatives have not worked. “In people with remitted depression, we investigated whether seven to ten days of Prucalopride, a licensed treatment for constipation that selectively targets the 5-HT4 receptor, could improve cognition,” study author Angharad N. de Cates told us. [More]