Month: February 2025

Reading of the Week: Psychiatry & Daily Life with Papers on Mood Variation, Loneliness, and the Fear of Miscarriage

February 27, 2025 /

From the Editor 

In recent months, we have covered topics such as emerging evidence for a new medication treatment for alcohol use disorder, a new, short therapy for PTSD, and recommendations for managing insomnia. But what about psychiatry and daily life? This week, we make a bit of a pivot and ask: Should we have more morning meetings? How do we understand loneliness? And is the fear of miscarriage in need of its own (Greek-based) medical term? 

How does mood and anxiety vary over the course of the day, the week, and the season? In the first selection, Feifei Bu (of University College London) and her co-authors try answer that question in a new paper for BMJ Mental Health. Drawing on nearly a million observations, they assess time-of-day association with depression, anxiety, well-being, and loneliness. “Generally, things do indeed seem better in the morning.” We consider the paper and its implications – including whether morning meetings are, in fact, ideal.

Early morning, better mood?

Loneliness is increasingly recognized as a societal problem. A few years ago, the UK government created a Cabinet position to focus on the issue; Time magazine applauded “the World’s First Loneliness Minister.” In a new review for Nature Mental Health, Brendan E. Walsh (of the University of South Florida) and his co-authors push past the rhetoric and focus on the concept – or, rather, a couple of them. Walsh et al. then analyze demographics and propose treatments. “This Review is intended to be heuristic and to inspire future inquiry research across disciplines, including public health, psychology, healthcare, and social work/community health.”

And in the third selection, nurse Ruth Oshikanlu and Dr. Babatunde A. Gbolade (of the University of Leeds) discuss the fear of miscarriage. In a British Journal of Psychiatry letter, they argue that pregnant women worry about it, and a formal medical term (and more research) is needed. “We believe that apotychiaphobia, our proposed label for the fear of miscarriage experienced by pregnant women, goes beyond semantics. It entails appreciation for the emotional turmoil that many pregnant women face in silence.”

DG

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Reading of the Week: Substance – with New Papers from JAMA Psych, Netw Open & Brookings; Also, the Latest in the News

February 20, 2025 /

From the Editor

For many of our patients, the pull of alcohol can be strong with devastating effects. In recent months, semaglutide, better known for its weight-loss properties, has generated some buzz. Could semaglutide help those with alcohol problems?

In the first selection, Christian S. Hendershot (of the University of Southern California) and his co-authors attempt to answer that question in a new paper for JAMA Psychiatry. They conducted an RCT with 48 participants randomized to semaglutide or placebo over nine weeks, measuring alcohol consumption and craving outcomes, and finding that people taking semaglutide consumed less alcohol by some measures. “These findings provide initial prospective evidence that low-dose semaglutide can reduce craving and some drinking outcomes, justifying larger clinical trials to evaluate GLP-1RAs for alcohol use disorder.” We consider the paper and its implications.

In the second selection, Joshua L. Gowin (of the University of Colorado) and his co-authors explore the impact of heavy lifetime and recent cannabis use on brain function in a new paper for JAMA Network Open. They analyzed data from more than 1 000 young adults, including brain imaging, focusing on tasks administered during fMRIs sessions. “Cannabis use is associated with short- and long-term brain function outcomes, especially during working memory tasks.”

Finally, we explore the latest news with articles from The New York Times and The Free Press, and a new report from the Brookings Institution. The topics: Oregon’s decriminalization, Robert F. Kennedy’s nomination, and decriminalization across North America.

DG

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Reading of the Week: Psychiatric Care in 21 Countries – The JAMA Psych Study; Also, Industry Payments to Psychiatrists and Batterman on Relating

February 13, 2025 /

From the Editor

Our patients often struggle to access care. But what is the global experience? What percentage of patients in other countries receive care that meets basic standards?

In the first selection, Dr. Daniel V. Vigo (of the University of British Columbia) and his co-authors attempt to answer these questions in a new paper for JAMA Psychiatry. They analyzed effective treatment and its key components for nine mental disorders drawing on the World Mental Health surveys which included structured interviews. Vigo et al. cover familiar ground, but the study stands out due to its unusually robust dataset which includes almost 57 000 people in 21 countries. “The proportion of 12-month person-disorders receiving effective treatment was 6.9%.” We consider the paper and its implications.

In the second selection, Dr. John L. Havlik (of Stanford University) and his co-authors weigh in on industry payment to US psychiatrists. In this Psychiatric Services paper, they analyzed six years of data covering nearly 60 000 physicians, drawing on government databases, finding: “a small number of psychiatrists (<600 psychiatrists per year) received approximately 75% of industry’s compensation to psychiatrists each year.”

And, in the third selection, medical student Alexander I. Batterman (of Rowan University) writes about a patient encounter for Academic Psychiatry. He notes the challenges of connecting with a patient who has psychosis and is dismissive. Batterman persists – and understands. “As a former epilepsy patient who is intimately aware of what it is like to be questioned and observed by clinicians and students in the emergency department, as if I were an animal at the zoo on display, I could relate to the human experience of being judged.”

DG

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Reading of the Week: Social Media – with Papers from Digital Health & BJP, and Dr. Vivek Murthy on Warning Labels

February 6, 2025 /

From the Editor

“I know all about antidepressants,” the young patient told me in the ED. “I’ve seen TikTok videos.” Social media isn’t just a source of great cat videos, many individuals – especially younger patients – turn to it for health information.

But how reliable is the mental-health information? In a new Digital Health paper, Roxanne Turuba (of the University of British Columbia) and her co-authors report on a summative content analysis of the 1 000 most popular mental health TikTok videos. They found that many featured personal stories and confessionals; less than 4% referenced scientific evidence; about a third offering advice was misleading. “Healthcare practitioners and researchers may consider increasing their presence on the platform to promote the dissemination of evidence-based information to a wider and more youth-targeted population.” We examine the paper and its implications.

Social media: more than cat videos?

In the second selection, Harriet Battle (of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust) and her co-authors consider attitudes toward mental health providers in social media. In a new British Journal of Psychiatry study, they analyzed more than 300 000 tweets spanning over a 16-year period, finding: “positive perceptions of mental health and mental health professionals increased over time. However, ‘psychiatrist’ had a consistently higher proportion of negative perceptions.”

And in the third selection, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy (the former US Surgeon General) writes about social media and adolescents in a New York Times essay. He notes the potential harms of social media for youth. He advocates changes, including warning labels. “We have the expertise, resources and tools to make social media safe for our kids. Now is the time to summon the will to act.”

DG

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