Tag: loneliness

Reading of the Week: Tobacco, with Papers from JAMA and NEJM

January 22, 2026 /

From the Editor

The waiting room was filled with patients to see, so I concentrated on his history of alcohol misuse and opioids, and I glossed over his nicotine use. But does the path to sobriety in fact start with smoking cessation?

In a new JAMA Psychiatry paper, Michael J. Parks (of the National Institutes of Health) and his co-authors attempt to answer that question. They looked at whether smoking cessation increased sustained remission from substance use disorder (SUD) over time. They describe a longitudinal survey cohort study of more than 2 600 participants from the United States, followed for four years, finding that quitting cigarettes increased the odds of recovery from other SUDs by 30%. “In this cohort study, smoking cessation was linked to better SUD recovery outcomes, and it could improve overall health among the millions of US adults with a current SUD.” We discuss the paper and its implications.

In the second selection from The New England Journal of Medicine, Simon Gilbody (of the University of York) and his colleagues write about the challenges of tobacco in low- and middle- income countries. They note that 80% of tobacco users are in such countries, yet cessation programs aren’t prioritized, particularly absent for those with mental health conditions. “Therapeutic nihilism (the belief that no intervention will work) impedes change and is unjustified in this instance.”

And, in the third selection from JAMA Oncology, Dr. Chadi Nabhan (of the University of South Carolina) writes about his patient and lung cancer. He describes the incredible draw of tobacco – including as a way for his patient to cope with loneliness and isolation. “The cigarette was more than a source of nicotine.”

DG

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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: A Therapy for Pandemic Loneliness? Also, Getting Digital Psychiatry Right (Lancet Psych) and the History of Vaccines (NEJM)

April 1, 2021 /

From the Editor

I saw an older patient in the emergency room recently. He described feeling overwhelmed. Fearful of the pandemic, he explained that he had rarely left his apartment since it began. “I’m so isolated.”

Many find themselves in a similar situation. What could help? In a new JAMA Psychiatry paper, Maninder K. Kahlon (of The University of Texas at Austin) and co-authors describe a focused intervention involving laypeople doing an empathy-focused program by phone. Do the calls work? They found it reduced loneliness, anxiety, and depression. They note the potential: “The use of lay callers, deliberate but brief approach on training, and the use of ubiquitous telephones made the approach easily deployable and scalable.”

dock-mod

In an editorial, The Lancet Psychiatry considers our digital moment. Though they note the trendiness of the idea of digital psychiatry, they urge us to push: “Come 2 years or 20, we want to stop talking about digital psychiatry’s potential for improving public mental health and start marking its clear clinical progress.”

Finally, in our third selection, we look at a new paper from The New England Journal of Medicine. Drs. Angela Desmond and Paul A. Offit (both of the University of Pennsylvania) consider the history of vaccines, and look ahead: “With the recent authorization of mRNA vaccines, we have entered the fifth era of vaccinology.”

Please note that there will be no Reading next week.

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On a pivot –

Since 2014, the Reading of the Week has been providing summaries and commentary on the latest in the psychiatric literature. Two years ago, we conducted a short survey to get your feedback. We are hoping to get feedback again to improve the Readings.

We would like to invite you to join one of our online focus groups to hear your opinions and suggestions. If you are interested in participating, please email smit.mistry@camh.ca by April 12 with your preferred time slots from the following options – psychiatrists: April 21 at 4 pm or April 22 at 4 pm; residents: April 28 at 4 pm and April 29 at 4 pm. (Note: all times are in EST.) Time commitment: under an hour. If the above time slots do not work for you, please email Smit to arrange an interview time at your convenience, preferably between April 21 and April 30, 2021.

DG

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Reading of the Week: How to Cope With a Patient’s Suicide? What to do When Nudges Don’t Work? Can Technology Bring Physicians Together?

February 7, 2019 /

From the Editor

“We talk about the toll suicide takes on families… We talk about the tragedy for the people who’ve died… What we don’t openly talk about is suicide’s toll on the doctors who have treated these patients.”

So writes Dr. Dinah Miller, a psychiatrist affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine. She discusses the death of a patient and the impact on her life.

Dr. Miller’s essay is one of three selections in this week’s Reading.

The papers are different and look at different issues. The one common thread: they were all published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

And they all ask important, thought-provoking questions:

How to cope with a patient’s suicide?

What to do when nudges don’t work?

Can technology bring physicians together?

p17Dr. Dinah Miller

Enjoy.

DG

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Does Canada Need a Loneliness Strategy?

January 21, 2018 /

CBC National recently asked this question.

They note:

Britain recently appointed a cabinet minister to try and find a solution for an increasing number of people who say they’re lonely. About 200,000 seniors in the U.K. say they haven’t had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month.

I was interviewed in the story.

The full clip here:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/does-canada-need-a-loneliness-strategy-1.4492553