Here comes the sun: associations between daily light exposure and psychiatric disorders

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Emiliana Tonini summarises a large-scale cross-sectional study, which suggests that encouraging individuals to increase their exposure to bright natural light during the day and minimise exposure to artificial light at night may help with our mental health.

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Enhancing mental health care for autistic individuals: bridging gaps and breaking barriers

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Today Ruby Jarvis presents two new reviews from the Mental Health Policy Research Unit, which summarise the adjustments that clinicians can make to improve mental health care for autistic children, young people and adults.

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Antidepressants: what is the Smallest Worthwhile Difference?

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Linda Gask summarises findings from a cross-sectional online survey that investigated the Smallest Worthwhile Difference necessary for individuals with depression to consider taking antidepressants.

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Cannabis use disorder associated with increased risk of both psychotic and nonpsychotic unipolar depression and bipolar disorder

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Jack Wilson critiques a recent Danish longitudinal study published in JAMA Psychiatry, which suggests that cannabis use disorder is independently associated with bipolar disorder and unipolar depression.

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Inflammation and depression: new insights into sex differences in adolescents

Illustration set of 9 different faces of all sexes and races . Also available in other sets.

Sophie Fairweather explores a recent paper which suggests that the inflammatory cytokines IL-2 and IL-6 are associated with both the risk of developing depression, and with depression severity, although this relationship is modified by sex.

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Shorter sleep and depression: what role do our genes play?

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Nick Donnelly discusses how one’s genetic predisposition to shorter sleep is associated with the onset of depression in older adults.

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Are psychological interventions effective in preventing relapse and recurrence in depression?

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Andrea Cipriani is back, this time writing with Rosario Aronica to summarise an individual patient data meta-analysis on the use of psychological interventions for preventing relapse in depression.

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Keep on movin’… Even small doses of physical activity can lower our risk of depression

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Elli Kypraiou considers a systematic review published in JAMA Psychiatry, which suggests that relatively small doses of physical activity were associated with substantially lower risks of depression.

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(Brain) sex matters

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Paris Lalousis reviews a recent study that looks into the differences in brain connectivity between males and females, which suggests a potential sex-based divergence in the neurobiological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders.

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From mother to child: the role of racism and trauma in the intergenerational transmission of depression

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Lisa Lloyd and Krupa Sheth summarise a study investigating the role of racism and trauma on the intergenerational transmission of depression between Black mothers and their children.

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