Quarantine: infection prevention, but at what cost for mental health?

shutterstock_1669051054

As the COVID-19 lockdown enters its second week in the UK, Matthew Iveson and Andrew McIntosh consider the psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it.

[read the full story...]

A little praise goes a long way, but too much may be harmful

daniel-cheung-sCdm5DiJb8w-unsplash

Asha Patel and Sal McKeown summarise a Dutch observational study of parents’ praise and children’s self-esteem. The research finds that parents’ inflated praise predicted lower self-esteem in children, and also predicted higher narcissism, but only in children with high self-esteem.

[read the full story...]

Are antidepressants safe? A new umbrella review of observational studies suggests they are, but we need more accurate data

shutterstock_1499989961

Andrea Cipriani and Anneka Tomlinson scrutinise a brand new umbrella review of the associations between antidepressants and adverse health outcomes, which suggests that antidepressants are safe for most people who experience mental health difficulties.

[read the full story...]

Persistent and severe postnatal depression predicts adverse outcomes in children

j-w-675134-unsplash

Sophie Graham and Jennifer Burgess explore the associations between persistent and severe postnatal depression in mothers and mental health and educational outcomes in their offspring.

[read the full story...]

Traumatic brain injury increases the long-term risk of dementia #DAW18

american-football-1416221_1280

Eleanor Kennedy summarises a Danish observational cohort study, which looks at the long-term risk of dementia among people with traumatic brain injury.

[read the full story...]

Risk factors and peripheral biomarkers for schizophrenia spectrum disorders

This 'umbrella review' aimed to systematically appraise the meta-analyses of observational studies on 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...]

The Origins of Happiness: can we predict life satisfaction?

the-origins-of-happiness

Paul Ramchandani considers the methods, findings and implications of a new book by Andrew E. Clark, Sarah Fleche, Richard Layard, Nattavudh Powdthavee and George Ward, entitled: ‘The Origins of Happiness: The science of well-being over the life course’.

[read the full story...]

Should people with schizophrenia be offered depot antipsychotics as first line treatment?

injection-1294131_1280

Murtada Alsaif reports on a new nationwide Swedish cohort study that explores the real-world effectiveness of oral and depot antipsychotics for people with schizophrenia.

[read the full story...]

“Won’t you be my neighbour?” Psychosis and violent reoffending: does where you live matter?

neighbors-156089_1280

Derek Tracy and Krisna Patel consider neighbourhood influences on violent reoffending risk in released prisoners diagnosed with psychotic disorders.

The blog also features a half hour audio podcast with the lead researcher Amir Sariaslan, the blogger Derek Tracy and Chief Elf André Tomlin.

[read the full story...]

Antipsychotic efficacy measured by real-world observational study

telescope-1082091_640

Tracey Roberts examines whether a retrospective observational study accurately investigates the effectiveness of second and first generation antipsychotics.

[read the full story...]