Patrick Kennedy-Williams highlights a new large-scale RCT of combined cognitive therapy plus antidepressants for major depressive disorder. The trial finds that this combination is effective, but only in patients with severe non-chronic depression.
[read the full story...]Reducing benzodiazepine prescribing in primary care
Liz Hughes summarises two recent studies (1 systematic review and 1 RCT) that both investigate brief interventions for reducing the use of benzodiazepines in primary care.
[read the full story...]Eating disorders: mapping the (lack of) evidence
Helen Bould summarises a recent review that maps the evidence for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders in young people. Her conclusion? A call to arms for more better quality research to help people affected by these serious illnesses.
[read the full story...]Family-based CBT for early childhood OCD: efficient for white, non-minority, upper middle-class children
Ioana Cristea reviews a recent RCT of family-based CBT for early childhood OCD and concludes that the results are impressive, but may not be applicable to poorer children from ethnic minorities.
[read the full story...]Helping young people with psychosis return to work: early intervention services need to do more
Stephen Wood summarises a recent cluster RCT of vocational rehabilitation in early psychosis, which finds that early intervention services need to do more to help young people with psychosis return to work.
[read the full story...]Empowering mental health service users to become more involved in decisions about their care: the DECIDE RCT
Laurence Palfreyman highlights an RCT of the DECIDE intervention, which aims to build awareness of the service user’s role in decisions about their care including how they can become more involved and seek information from independent sources.
[read the full story...]Interpersonal counselling for depression: RCT shows some promise
Mark Smith summarises an RCT which compares SSRI antidepressants with interpersonal counselling for depression. The trial explores moderators of remission with interpersonal counselling or drug treatment in primary care patients with mild-moderate depression.
[read the full story...]Can schools prevent eating disorders?
In 2012 there was a call from Parliament to research school interventions to reduce body dissatisfaction. Helen Bould reports on an RCT of school-based prevention programme for eating disorders, which highlights the need for more work in this area.
[read the full story...]Internet-based alcohol and cannabis prevention: Climate Schools and salami slicing
Matt Field summarises the findings of a recent cluster RCT that uses internet-based prevention (an Australian programme called Climate Schools) to reduce alcohol and cannabis use, truancy, psychological distress and moral disengagement.
[read the full story...]Can mobile apps help recovering alcoholics?
Paul Christiansen reports on a recent RCT that investigates how a mobile app can provide support for recovering alcoholics who are leaving residential treatment.
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