André Tomlin appraises a new RCT published today of virtual reality CBT versus waiting list control for paranoid ideation and social avoidance in people with psychosis.
[read the full story...]What causes emotional blunting in people taking antidepressants? Results from a survey
Linda Gask looks at a recent survey of people with depression that explores their experiences of emotional blunting. The research finds that nearly half of depressed patients on antidepressants report significant emotional blunting, but it’s impossible to say whether this is caused by their medication or the depression itself.
[read the full story...]Phytotherapy as an adjunct to nonsurgical periodontal treatment?
7 small RCTs that majority of cross-over design were included in this review of phytotherapy as an adjunct to scaling and root planing for chronic periodontitis. While the findings suggest a benefit these should be viewed with caution until results from larger high quality studies are available.
[read the full story...]Facing our inner voices: AVATAR therapy for auditory hallucinations in people with psychosis
Joe Barnby summarises a recent RCT in The Lancet Psychiatry of AVATAR therapy for auditory verbal hallucinations in people with psychosis.
[read the full story...]Orthodontic pain: Is low level laser therapy effective?
20 RCTs were included in this review of low level laser therapy (LLLT) for orthodontic pain. While the findings suggest a benefit a majority of the studies were at high risk of bias so the findings should be interpreted cautiously.
[read the full story...]Dementia and oral health
This review of the oral health status of dementia patients included 36 observational studies and highlights the high levels of plaque and many soft tissue related oral health problems suffered by this group of patients.
[read the full story...]Prevention and early intervention for youth mental illness: how should we focus our limited resources? #MQScienceMeeting
André Tomlin presents a summary of all the evidence we have highlighted over the last 3 years relating to prevention and early intervention for mental illness in young people.
This blog accompanies the #MQScienceMeeting coverage this week, which you can follow on Twitter.
[read the full story...]Youth online discussion forums: how do young people support each other and what do they talk about?
Masters students from the ICH Child and Adolescent Mental Health course explore a recent qualitative study into how young people use the Kooth online discussion forum for emotional and mental health issues.
[read the full story...]Silver diamine fluoride for caries in primary teeth
This review of the effectiveness of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) in arresting caries included 11 studies with 4 contributing to a meta-analysis showing it to be more effective than other active agents and placebo.
[read the full story...]Risk factors and peripheral biomarkers for schizophrenia spectrum disorders
Marcus Munafo considers the findings of a systematic review of meta-analyses of observational studies, which looks at risk factors and peripheral biomarkers for psychotic disorders on the schizophrenia spectrum.
[read the full story...]