Is anxiety a gateway to other mental health problems? Comorbidities with depression and other anxiety disorders

Results from the current study largely replicated findings from the NESDA dataset in demonstrating that those with comorbid anxiety and/or depression have more severe presentations that anxiety or depression alone.

Nina Higson-Sweeney summarises a study using data from the UK-based GLAD and COPING NBR cohorts to investigate factors associated with anxiety disorder comorbidity with anxiety and depression.

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Is persistent anxiety and depression in childhood a one-way road to adverse outcomes in adulthood?

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In her latest blog, Laura Hankey summarises a longitudinal study using ALSPAC data that explored associations between anxiety, depression, and comorbid anxiety/depression in childhood and adverse outcomes in young adulthood.

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Smoking and bipolar disorder: the physical and mental health impact of tobacco cessation

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Hannah Walsh explores the clinical and research implications of this French cohort study on bipolar disorder and smoking status, and how risks differ for current, former and never smokers.

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Psychotherapeutic approaches and treatment efficacy for comorbid BPD and PTSD

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Natalie Kashirsky summarises a systematic review on optimising treatment for comorbid BPD (borderline personality disorder) and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

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Neurodevelopmental conditions and mental health research: it’s time to #EmbraceComplexity!

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In her debut blog, Suzi Sapiets summarises a review exploring psychological treatment of depression in young people with neurodevelopmental conditions, which finds very limited evidence to help neurodiverse individuals. She also tells us that it’s time to #EmbraceComplexity and encourages people to join the Embracing Complexity Research Network.

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In search of the sweet spot: the links between dysglycaemia and first episode psychosis

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Ben Perry publishes his debut blog on a recent systematic review of impaired glucose homeostasis in first-episode schizophrenia.

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Searching for solutions: a new brief intervention for comorbid substance misuse in acute psychiatric inpatients

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Ian Hamilton presents the findings of a recent pilot randomised trial of a brief intervention for comorbid substance misuse in psychiatric inpatient settings.

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Is it bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder?

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Murtada Alsaif considers the challenges facing psychiatrists in diagnosing bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder. He reports on a recent qualitative study that explores the practical experience of psychiatrists and nurses and concludes that clinical diagnostic practice cannot reliably distinguish the two conditions.

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Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration

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Kirsten Lawson explores the benefits of working across professional and therapeutic boundaries, highlighted beautifully by the recent COINCIDE RCT of collaborative care for patients with depression comorbid with diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

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