Psychotropic medication in pregnancy: new evidence may help achieve a safe...
Joanne Wallace considers a recent health technology assessment on the risks and benefits of psychotropic medication in pregnancy, which supports previous associations between valproate and adverse...
View ArticleAssociations between video game use, academic performance and mental health...
Pete Etchells posts his debut Mental Elf blog on a recent study, which explored whether video games were associated with mental illness, cognition or social skills in young children. The post...
View ArticleSchizophrenia risk and the complement C4 gene
Mandy Johnstone writes her debut Mental Elf blog on a recent Nature study, which identifies a set of genetic variations that are strongly associated with the risk of developing schizophrenia. The post...
View ArticleChildhood maltreatment and bipolar disorder
Emily Currell writes her debut Mental Elf blog about a recent Lancet Psychiatry systematic review, which reports that childhood maltreatment is associated with an unfavourable course of bipolar...
View Article#PreventableHarm discussion 20/7/16: Can risk assessment in mental health be...
Can risk assessment in mental health be evidence-based? Join us for the #PreventableHarm discussion in London on Wed 20th July 2016. This free open 'question time' style debate is being organised by...
View ArticleSocially Moodier? High social media use may increase depression
Chris Pell reviews a recent US survey of young adults, which suggests that social media use was significantly associated with increased depression. The post Socially Moodier? High social media use may...
View ArticleLocked wards vs open wards: does control = safety?
André Tomlin summarises a 15 year observational study published today in The Lancet Psychiatry, which provides fascinating insight into suicide risk and absconding in psychiatric inpatient units with...
View ArticleAlcohol use disorder and increased mortality
Matt Field summarises a recent Swedish longitudinal cohort study of alcohol use disorder and mortality across the lifespan. This study quantifies the environmental and genetic risk factors that...
View ArticleEarly menarche associated with depressive symptoms in early adolescence
Emily Stapley summarises a Mendelian randomisation study that investigates associations between the timing of menarche with depressive symptoms and depression in adolescence. The post Early menarche...
View ArticleDementia in Down syndrome: Are we ready for a clinical trial?
Leen Vereenooghe summarises the TOP-COG study (Towards Onset Prevention of COGnitive decline in adults with Down syndrome). This pilot RCT highlights the need to educate people with learning...
View ArticleSex matters: why have females been excluded from addiction research?
Ian Hamilton explores two recent articles that consider the shocking sex and gender inequities in addiction research. The post Sex matters: why have females been excluded from addiction research?...
View ArticleAusterity and suicide: are we placing health before wealth?
Ian Cummins reflects on a recent study looking at the relationship between fiscal austerity and suicide rates in Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. The post Austerity and suicide: are we...
View ArticleDoes taking antidepressants during pregnancy harm the child? Here are the facts
Ian Jones summarises a number of studies that consider the benefits and harms of antidepressants during pregnancy, including a recent cohort study that found that exposure to antidepressants in the...
View ArticleChronic pain and depression: genetic and environmental risks
Marcus Munafo explores a recent study that uses genetic data and family environmental information to quantify the risk of chronic pain and the contribution of risk variants for major depressive...
View ArticleCannabis use during pregnancy: little known about impact on child or maternal...
Ellen Grimas summarises a systematic review on prenatal exposure to cannabis and maternal and child health outcomes, which highlights the lack of high quality research in this area. The post Cannabis...
View ArticleOCD risk may increase following perinatal complications
Alan Underwood summarises a population based cohort study of 2.4 million Swedish children, which highlights links between perinatal risk factors such as smoking during pregnancy, and later development...
View ArticleInfection with hepatitis, HIV or AIDS may be significant risk factor for suicide
Katrina Witt summarises a recent nationwide cohort study, which suggests that infection, particularly with hepatitis, HIV or AIDS, is a significant risk factor for suicide. The post Infection with...
View ArticleThe weekend effect in mental health services: new evidence suggests no...
Laura Hemming reviews two recent studies that investigate whether patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital at the weekend had worse clinical outcomes, as well as the specific weekend versus weekday...
View ArticlePredicting suicide following self-harm: risk analysis provides little help
Camille Hart, Alys Cole-King and Siobhan O'Neill co-author this blog about a recent systematic review of risk factors and risk scales, which explores the feasibility of predicting suicide following...
View ArticleChildhood adversity and bipolar disorder
Jasmin Wertz presents the findings of a recent systematic review and meta-analysis that explores the relationship between childhood adversity and bipolar disorder. The post Childhood adversity and...
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