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A new study published in NEJM AI looked at a generative AI chatbot for mental health treatment. “We conducted the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate a therapy chatbot driven entirely by generative AI,” study author Nicholas Jacobson told us. Jacobson is an associate professor of biomedical data science and psychiatry at Dartmouth. “We developed the bot over 5.5 years and the goal of the work was to treat depression, anxiety, and eating disorders and all of their related comorbidities.” [More]

A new study published in the JAMA Psychiatry looked at accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation and treatment-refractory bipolar depression. "This study looks at treatment of severe refractory bipolar depression,” study author Dr. Yvette Sheline told us. “It uses magnetic stimulation called TMS—transcranial magnetic stimulation, which has been used for the past decade to treat depression.” [More]

Smartphone and computer-based treatments are effective at reducing symptoms of depression. Research published in the Psychological Bulletin found that digital interventions could be effectively used as a treatment for depression for a variety of groups with different levels of depression. [More]

A new study published in PNAS looked at attention bias modification in drug addiction and enhancing control of subsequent habits. “In substance use disorder, cues and contexts that remind an individual of the experience of substance use start to habitually grab attention and elicit a physiological response (arousal) that is thought to result in craving and culminate in compulsive substance use,” study author Muhammad A. Parvaz told us. [More]

Is it helpful to classify personality types or does it put people into a box? A review of taxometric studies of personality concluded: “Whether personality attributes are best understood as dimensions or categories (types) is the subject of some debate.” Yet another recent study stated that “information is lost when personality facets are overlooked”. Experts weighed in on the usefulness of classifying personality types. [More]

Design thinking, an innovative way to explore solutions in the business world, offers a creative way to solve problems with a human centered approach. The phases of design thinking can be used in mental health treatment and potentially improve patient care since the core approach is human centered. [More]

Pediatricians are most often the first line of treatment for mental health issues in children. A recent study shows that much work needs to be done supporting primary care physicians with adequate communication from mental health specialists. [More]

A spate of recent mental health startups has some looking into their effectiveness. Although research shows some issues from the overuse of technology and smartphone addiction, with a negative impact on attention spans, depression, and anxiety, some startups are looking for positive ways to use technology for good. [More]

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) has become a very widely known term in many people’s family life. Whether you have a child that has been diagnosed through their pediatrician or their school, you are grateful that the issues your family struggles with have a name and an intervention or you believe that the condition is over-diagnosed and over-medicated in children, you likely have heard about this diagnosis. [More]

Many of us have talked about being "obsessed" over something in our lifetime, but what does that actually mean? There are a lot of definitions floating around, but there are some people in this world where their "obsession" actually becomes something that gets in the way of living a happy, fruitful life. It can be difficult for people to get through these sorts of times in their lives, and they may have some struggle with their obsession. [More]