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MindMed Begins Phase 3 Emerge Study of MM120 in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder

2025-04-21 - 2025-04

MindMed recently announced that the first patient has been dosed in its phase 3 Emerge study evaluating MM120 ODT for treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). MM120 ODT is a proprietary, pharmaceutically optimized form of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). MindMed will also test the efficacy and safety of MM120 ODT 100 µg compared with a placebo, with an expected enrollment of approximately 140 participants in the United States.1
The company's past trials, Voyage and Panorama, found that 100 µg of MM120 ODT was the optimal dose, resulting in strong efficacy, durability, and an acceptable safety profile, as well as less prolonged adverse effect burden associated with daily medications for patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).2 Emerge is the third phase 3 study of MM120 ODT conducted by MindMed.
Further results from the 2 studies provided 3 major advantages over existing treatments for GAD, which primarily includes selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and benzodiazepines. Researchers found that MM120 acts rapidly, with anxiety being reduced within a day compared with weeks required with SSRIs. They also found a single dose of MM120 has long-lasting effects of up to 12 weeks, with phase 3 trials extending follow-up to a year. Lastly, results showed the magnitude of improvement was significantly greater than that seen in traditional treatments, with an effect size of 0.7 to 0.8 compared with 0.3 for SSRIs.
With 2 successful trials, MindMed is currently recruiting more participants for both Voyage and Panorama, positioning MM120 as a potential break-through treatment in GAD and MMD.
"In our phase 2b study, MADRS score improvements after a single MM120 100 µg dose were clinically and statistically significant compared to placebo, providing meaningful benefits to participants," said Daniel R. Karlin, MD, MA, chief medical officer of MindMed. "Having dosed the first participant in the phase 3 Emerge study, we are excited for the therapeutic potential that MM120 ODT shows for the 21 million people in the US affected by MDD. By running our MDD and GAD phase 3 studies concurrently, we can leverage the shared symptomatology between these conditions to more effectively match participants to the appropriate study based on their clinical presentation."
MindMed's phase 3 development program for MM120 ODT in patients with MDD is projected to have 2 clinical trials. The first trial is the 52-week Emerge study, which will consist of 2 parts. Part A will be a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study testing the efficacy and safety of a single dose of MM120 ODT compared with placebo. Next, Part B will be a 40-week extension period where participants will be eligible for open-label treatment with MM120 ODT based on symptom severity.
"The initiation of Emerge will allow the assessment of the potential of MM120 ODT in the treatment of MDD, a disorder associated with significant increased and premature morbidity and mortality, and reduced quality of life. Many patients with MDD are not fully helped by current therapies, making this study an important step in the search for more effective treatments," said Paul Summergrad, MD, professor of psychiatry and medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, chairman emeritus of the department of psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center, and a member of the MindMed Scientific Advisory Board.
The main goal of the Emerge study is to explore the change from baseline in MADRS score at week 6 between MM120 ODT 100 µg and placebo. The second MDD trial will depend on the progress from Emerge and further regulatory discussions. Topline data from Part A of the study is expected to be released in the second half of 2026.

Popular Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic May Trigger Depression, Doctors Warn

2025-04-20 - 2025-04

A study published in Current Neuropharmacology reveals a potential link between Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, commonly used in drugs like Ozempic, and an increased risk of depression and suicidal ideation (SI). Using advanced pharmacogenomic computational methods, an international team of 24 researchers identified genetic pathways that may predispose certain individuals to depressive symptoms when using GLP-1 agonists.
Led by scientists from the United States, Brazil, Iran, and Israel, the study highlights that while GLP-1 receptor agonists can be beneficial for individuals with hyperdopaminergia (elevated dopamine activity), they may have adverse effects on those with hypodopaminergia (reduced dopamine function). The researchers found associations between GLP-1 agonists and several key genes involved in mood and reward regulation, including DRD3, BDNF, and CREB1. These genes play critical roles in dopamine signaling, and their disruption may contribute to depressive symptoms, mood disorders, and suicidal thoughts in vulnerable populations.
Cautionary Voices from Experts
While the idea of GLP1 agonism induction of depression and SI is controversial with both negative and positive reporting, based on the evidence presented in this article by Alireza Sharafshah, a PhD candidate from Cellular and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran, the authors caution against promoting chronic stimulation via GLP-1 agonists.
"This study should not be ignored, despite the hype surrounding the positive clinical outcomes of GLP1 receptor agonists," said senior author Dr. Kenneth Blum, Research Professor at Western University Health Sciences and Ariel University. "We urge the clinical prescribing community to proceed with caution to avoid another tragic wave of 'people dying to lose weight.'"
Dr. Mark S. Gold, an addiction psychiatry pioneer and co-author, emphasized, "The paper provides critical evidence for re-evaluating the widespread use of GLP1 receptor agonists. The FDA and other regulatory agencies should carefully consider our findings when it comes to labeling and monitoring these drugs."
Rising Global Concerns
Professor Albert Pinhasov, Provost of Ariel University, echoed these sentiments, stating, "While there are encouraging short-term benefits of GLP1 receptor agonists, we must acknowledge the potential risks highlighted in this study. These findings should encourage regulatory agencies and clinicians to investigate further, given the heterogeneity of the human population."
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has already initiated a review of GLP1 agonists following reports of suicidal thoughts and other psychiatric adverse events. Co-author Dr. Kai Uwe Lewandowski, Professor of Surgery at the University of Arizona School of Medicine, noted, "Depression was the most commonly reported adverse event associated with these drugs, followed by anxiety and suicidal ideation. Our findings strongly support a need for further investigation to safeguard public health."
The Role of Genetic Testing
The study advocates for personalized medicine approaches, including genetic testing for hypodopaminergia, to identify individuals at risk before prescribing GLP1 receptor agonists.
Professor Panayotis K. Thanos of Buffalo University commented, "Before prescribing GLP1 receptor agonists, it would be prudent to use genetic testing tools to assess a patient's dopamine function and addiction risk profile."
Balancing Hope with Vigilance
Professor Igor Elman of Harvard University warned, "While GLP1 receptor agonists hold promise for treating addictive and behavioral disorders, we must remain vigilant about their potential harm. This study is not intended to break the bubble of hope but to add a layer of precaution in their over-prescription."
The study serves as a critical reminder that while these medications can provide significant health benefits, their potential risks warrant careful scrutiny and further research.
It also provides essential insights that could save lives. It urges regulatory agencies such as the FDA and EMA to monitor these drugs closely and calls on clinicians to balance their benefits with caution.

People With Medical Debt Five Times More Likely to Not Receive Mental Health Care Treatment

2025-04-18 - 2025-04

People with medical debt in 2023 were about five times more likely to forgo mental health care treatment in the following year due to cost, compared to those without medical debt, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
For their study, the researchers analyzed 2023 and 2024 data from a nationwide survey related to mental health. The researchers found that 33.8% of respondents who reported having had medical debt in 2023 also reported forgoing mental health care for cost-related reasons in 2024, compared to 6.3% of respondents who reported not having medical debt in 2023 and forgoing care the following year. The peer-reviewed research letter was published online April 18 in JAMA Health Forum.
"Almost half of Americans with mental health disorders don't receive treatment, and our findings reinforce the view that medical debt contributes to that treatment gap," says study first author Kyle Moon, a doctoral student in the Bloomberg School's Department of Mental Health. The study's senior author is Catherine Ettman, PhD, an assistant professor in the Bloomberg School's Department of Health Policy and Management. Nearly one in four U.S. adults was living with a mental illness in 2022, and only about half were being treated, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The large mental health treatment gap is thought to be, in part, due to costs of mental health care and the burden of existing medical debt-which about 20 million Americans are estimated to carry. The results are similar to those from a study published last year by Bloomberg School researchers. The new study covered a different population and employed a "longitudinal" design in which debt preceded forgone care to strengthen the likelihood that the former causes the latter. In the study, the researchers analyzed data from the COVID-19 Life Stressors Impact on Mental Health and Well-Being (CLIMB) study co-led by Ettman. Their analysis focused on the 1,821 CLIMB respondents who participated in 2023 and 2024 and answered the relevant questions about medical debt and needing mental health care, including the question "Was there a time in the past 12 months when you wanted to see a health provider about your mental health but could not because you could not afford it?" A minority of respondents-15.3%-reported having medical debt in 2023. Of these, about a third-33.8%-reported forgoing mental health care in 2024 due to the cost. In contrast, 84.7% reported not having medical debt in 2023. Of these, only 6.3% reported forgoing mental health care in 2024. When adjusting for other variables, including demographics and assets, the authors still found a 17.3 percentage point increase in the probability of forgoing care for adults with medical debt relative to no medical debt. The researchers also analyzed respondents' medical debt as reported in the CLIMB study and found the lowest rate of forgone care (28.9%) in the lowest of three debt categories (<$1,000) and the highest rate of forgone care (46.3%) in the highest debt category (≥$5,000). The researchers note that the differences between the respondents across the three medical debt categories were not statistically significant, probably due to the small sample size. Moon considers the findings troubling, given that mental health disorders are a major cause of disability and yet are likely to go untreated. Moon hopes that the findings will lead to larger studies that can better quantify the debt-care relationship and interventions to address the burden of medical debt. "Medical Debt and Forgone Mental Health Care Due to Cost Among Adults" was co-authored by Kyle Moon, Katherine Miller, Sandro Galea, and Catherine Ettman. The COVID-19 and Life Stressors Impact on Mental Health and Well-Being (CLIMB) study was funded by a grant from the de Beaumont Foundation.

Smartphones may boost children’s mental health, study finds

2025-04-17 - 2025-04

The question of when children should get smartphones and whether these devices are harmful has sparked debate for years, but new research from the University of South Florida challenges some long-held assumptions.
Leading up to the study, researchers expected to find negative outcomes tied to smartphone use among children. Instead, they found smartphones may not be as damaging to kids’ mental health as some believe and could, in fact, be beneficial.
Children with cellphones may fare better
Researchers surveyed approximately 1,500 middle school students, ages 11 to 13, asking about their digital use and lives, self-esteem and whether they dealt with anxiety or depression.
Children with smartphones said they were more likely to spend time with friends in person and had higher self-esteem. They were also less likely to say they felt depressed — 80% of smartphone owners said they weren’t depressed, compared to just 69% of non-owners, according to the data.
“It appears that just as adults need smartphones to have vibrant, thriving social lives, kids do as well … Seventy-eight percent of kids in our survey had their own smartphones, ” said Justin Martin, a professor of media ethics at the University of South Florida. “The other 20 or so percent of kids likely feel excluded, they’re more likely to be cyberbullied, and they’re kind of left out of the conversations.”
Social media can lead to depression
The study challenges past research, including a 2022 study that linked frequent smartphone use to poorer mental health in children and teens.
That study was criticized by some, including social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation,” a book on the “rewiring of childhood” through smartphones, who called the study flawed.
However, the Florida study’s researchers acknowledged smartphone use wasn’t all positive.
They noted that certain activities, particularly posting on social media, were tied to increased anxiety and depression in some children.
Researchers said it’s not just about how much screen time kids are getting — it’s about what they’re doing on their phones and how those interactions affect them.

Electroceuticals’ are expanding psychiatry’s toolbox

2025-04-07 - 2025-04

Two small electrodes — thin metal wires — implanted deep inside her brain lead under her skin to a battery pack in her chest. Pulsing about 130 times a second, the deep brain stimulation (DBS) device, a kind of pacemaker, energizes an area that scientists say is key in regulating moods. Ellis, 49, a regulatory compliance consultant for a corporate insurance firm in Boynton Beach, Florida, says the device is taming her previously intractable depression. The disorder had previously “made everything feel like sandpaper,” she says, leaving her unable to work or even to sleep, with her brain “screaming at me that this is too hard, you can’t do this.” She’s feeling a lot better today, she says, adding: “These electrodes are now pretty core to my existence.” DBS is one of several emerging, high-tech therapeutic approaches — a.k.a. electroceuticals — that proponents say are extending psychiatry’s ability to help millions of patients. Increasingly over the past 20 years, testimonials to the potential of treatments that modulate brain functioning, such as DBS, transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation and, most recently, focused ultrasound, have been fueling new hope, despite considerable expense and hardship for patients, and mixed evidence of their effectiveness.
Emory University neurologist and psychiatrist Patricio Riva Posse, one of Ellis’s therapists, describes the new trends — combined with ever more sophisticated brain-scanning technologies and new optimism about psychedelic drugs such as ketamine and psilocybin — as explosive progress. Reports vary widely, but as many as 30 percent of people with major depressive disorder — an estimated 9 million U.S. adults take medication for the condition — and up to 60 percent of Americans with OCD are considered “treatment-resistant.” The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 1.2 percent of U.S. adults have OCD, which would amount to some 3.1 million people.

New virtual reality system aims to revolutionize psychiatric diagnosis

2025-04-02 - 2025-04

Researchers have developed a virtual reality-based system that shows promise in improving the differentiation between common mental health conditions, potentially paving the way for earlier and more personalized treatment. The work is published in the March edition of the peer-reviewed journal European Neuropsycho pharmacology, with a subsequent (31 March) comment also being published in the same journal. Accurate diagnosis remains one of the biggest challenges in psychiatry, with more than half of psychiatric patients changing their diagnosis within 10 years. Most psychiatric diagnoses rely on patients reporting their symptoms, but many mental health conditions share overlapping features. For example, apathy, hallucinations, and cognitive problems may be present in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, making it difficult to distinguish between the two. Misdiagnosis can lead to suboptimal treatment and poorer outcomes.
Now, a group of Danish scientists have combined virtual reality with physiological measurements (such as skin conductivity) to explore a more objective method for identifying different mental health conditions. Lead researcher Professor Kamilla Miskowiak (University of Copenhagen) said, "This is an important step forward. Until now, diagnosis has largely depended on self-reporting of symptoms, but our findings suggest that virtual reality scenarios combined with physiological measures may help differentiate between similar conditions. This is an area where psychiatry has long faced difficulties." The researchers recruited 100 participants, including individuals with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, and healthy controls. Participants were exposed to various immersive virtual reality scenarios designed to elicit emotional and physiological responses, such as a video of a crying baby, a discussion in a canteen, and a cramped elevator scenario. The researchers measured emotional responses and skin conductivity during these scenarios. Their results indicate that these responses differed systematically between diagnostic groups, suggesting that this approach has the potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy. However, larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and to explore how such methods might be used in clinical practice.
Professor Miskowiak said, "This study is part of the VIRDIS project, which aims to develop objective tools to support psychiatric diagnosis. Our initial findings are promising, but further large-scale research is needed to validate this approach and develop it into a practical clinical tool. We are now launching a follow-up study with 300 participants and implementing machine learning methods to improve individual-level diagnostic predictions. Our long-term goal is to improve early and personalised treatment for patients with mental health disorders." The European Neuropsychopharmacology paper has attracted attention since it was placed online, including a published commentary from Dr Sijia Liu at the Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, China, stating: "This study offers a groundbreaking approach to addressing the persistent challenges in psychiatric diagnosis and treatment by leveraging virtual reality (VR) technology. I suggest that future research should consider integrating artificial intelligence algorithms to analyse the extensive data generated from these VR scenarios. I believe this work holds significant promise for advancing our understanding and clinical practices in mental health care". This project is a collaboration between the Copenhagen Mental Health Centre, Khora Virtual Reality and EXP360. This study was supported by the Ivan Nielsen Foundation.

Your Brain Was Built to Forget—Make It Work For You

2025-03-31 - 2025-03

Forgetting things is a blessing, believe it or not.
For proof, imagine a world where every detail you ever came across was etched indelibly in your mind. Every conversation you regret, every rejection you've ever felt, every time you stepped out with your zipper undone stands as clearly in your mind as what you had for breakfast last week as well as the moments that bring you the greatest joy. That is a world of utter chaos and misery.
We don’t need to stick to just our armchair-philosophizing, however. Thanks to the wonderful combinatory magic genetics pulls off at each birth, we've had a few individuals on Earth who are unable to forget anything.
Solomon Shereshevsky, a Russian mnemonist famously studied by neuropsychologist Alexander Luria, could memorize lists of arbitrary numbers, words, and nonsense syllables with perfect recall, even decades later. More recently, people with hyperthymesia, like Australian woman Rebecca Sharrock, report being unable to forget even the most mundane details of their daily lives.
At first glance, this sounds like a superpower. But many of them describe it as exhausting, distracting, and emotionally overwhelming. As Rebecca puts it: “Most have called it a gift, but I call it a burden. I run my entire life through my head every day, and it drives me crazy.”
Why It's Good to Forget
What most miss about forgetting is that it is not a design flaw. It’s a feature.
In fact, the ability to forget is fundamental to learning. It’s what gives us focus, highlights the signal through the noise, and lets the brain determine what matters most given the context we are in.
Research suggests that forgetting is an active process involving brain regions like the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (Davis & Zhong, 2017), which help us manage the inflow and outflow of information. Forgetting is not our memory failing on us as much as it is our memory being optimized.
And here is where we meet the wonderfully counter-intuitive concept of the forgetting curve. First described by Hermann Ebbinghaus in the late 19th century, whose self-tests on memorization are sure to spark an insight on two in modern readers alike, the forgetting curve tracks how quickly we lose information over time without reinforcement. Within hours of learning something new, we begin to forget it. Rapidly at first, then more slowly over time. The key insight of those who have followed Ebbinghaus is that this curve is not fixed. On the contrary, it’s something we can reshape, a feature we can tune ourselves.

Launch of The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on mental health in Ukraine

2025-03-28 - 2025-03

The ongoing war in Ukraine has severely impacted the mental health of the population, including their ability to productively participate in the workforce and workplace, and also led to shortages of goods and services that have led to dramatic price increases for pharmaceutical goods, medical devices and equipment. Access to health services has also been severely affected as a result of damaged or destroyed health care infrastructure. However, health policy developments, new services and health financing reforms introduced shortly before the war continue to be rolled out, with important implications for the future of mental health service access, quality and resource allocation.
In this context, this Lancet Psychiatry Commission on mental health in Ukraine was convened to identify the current mental health needs, and to outline a plan for a future, in which Ukrainians receive evidence-based care through a system that values human rights and lived experiences of people with mental illness. The Commission included five workgroups, each examining specific opportunities for change, development, and modernisation of the Ukrainian mental health-care system, along with requirements for success in clinical services, clinical training, research, forensics and legal advocacy, and finance. The launch event will commence with opening remarks by Devora Kestel, WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, and Oksana Zbitnieva, Coordinating Center for Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. A presentation of the main elements of the Commission report will be delivered by lead Commissioners, followed by a discussion.

James Kimmel Jr., Yale psychiatrist, to publish “The Science of Revenge”

2025-03-27 - 2025-03

This May, James Kimmel Jr., a lawyer, lecturer in psychiatry at the School of Medicine and the founder and co-director of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies, is set to publish “The Science of Revenge,” a book that explores how revenge-motivated violence should be treated as a form of addiction.

Kimmel’s research explores the intersection of revenge, violence and addiction. “The Science of Revenge” seeks to merge several academic fields: evolution and brain biology, criminology and psychology and addiction.

“The Science of Revenge,” Kimmel explained, will serve as a non-violence toolkit. By distributing this information, he intends to inform policy makers, educators, parents, mental health professionals and the criminal justice system about violent and non-violent revenge seeking behavior.

“It’s based on the research of more than 60 neuroscientists at universities around the world, and I’ve been able to bring it all together with other research that talks about the role of revenge in violence and put that all together with all of the addiction research that exists,” Kimmel said.

Kimmel’s previous work has attempted to prevent and treat violent tendencies.

In the past, Kimmel launched the website SavingCain.org in an attempt to prevent homicides and mass shootings. SavingCain, modeled after suicide prevention websites, speaks directly to prospective killers before they strike. The site includes a page titled “Warning Signs of a Revenge Attack” based on popular public health campaigns for heart attacks.

Kimmel also created The Nonjustice System, a “12-step program” to recover from revenge addiction, an unseen brain biological addiction triggered by a grievance, and the related Miracle Court App. This mental practice puts one’s mind inside an imaginary, or virtual, courtroom with the wrongdoer on trial. In this court, the wronged individual plays prosecutor, victim, judge and jury. This process, Kimmel elaborated, is intended to enable forgiveness while releasing revenge cravings and honoring that human desire for accountability.

Human violence, Kimmel mentioned, is primarily a consequence of revenge addiction. Kimmel hopes this newfound understanding of revenge related behavior will demonstrate why we harm other people, but also provide pathways for solution.

Jessica Stern, a professor at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies who has taught classes on counter-terrorism and the history of terrorism, finds Kimmel’s discussion of revenge as an addiction powerful.

“Kimmel demonstrates that emerging neuroscientific and behavioral research indicates that retaliatory impulses from perceived injustices stimulate the same neural reward pathways as those activated in substance dependence,” Stern wrote to The News.

Kimmel argues that society should address revenge in the same way it addresses behavior addiction, which Stern finds compelling.

Dr. Michael Norko DIV ’10, a professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine, is a forensic psychiatrist who worked in the state’s mental health system for years. Norko was intrigued by Kimmel’s work.

“These concepts of harm that people do to one another, and then the outcomes of those, is something I have a lot of experience with from a different perspective,” said Norko. “So Kimmel’s work resonates with me.”

Norko was impressed with the accessible writing of Kimmel’s book, and found its narrative style to be engaging and interesting.

By telling his own personal stories and presenting his information in a storytelling framework, Norko believes that Kimmel can reach a broad audience, which could be powerful in helping people to think about how society addresses revenge, including in the news and media.

“I think it can potentially have a profound effect on efforts to mitigate those effects in our lives,” Norko said.

Depressed tech workers can’t stop talking about Zuck and Musk, therapists say

2025-03-26 - 2025-03

Tech workers who spend hundreds of dollars for 50-minute therapy sessions increasingly have one man they want to discuss: Mark Zuckerberg. Though the Meta CEO has loomed large in the public imagination for years — evolving from the archetypical sweaty wunderkind nerd of “The Social Network” to a lifestyle guru during his “self-improvement era” (which included such memorable hits as whiteface on an electric surfboard and killing his own meat) to a newly brazen, masculinity-obsessed rave muse — local therapists who treat tech workers say Zuckerberg’s name has become shorthand for the sector’s new “aggressive” direction, away from “doing no evil” and toward profit and power over everything. Even those who don’t work for Zuckerberg see him, along with Elon Musk, as a figurehead for the vibe shift in tech that is stressing them out. Aaron Smith, a psychologist at Thriving Center of Psychology, a national platform that offers in-person appointments and telehealth, said he hears about Zuckerberg constantly during sessions, even from patients who don’t work in social media. “[Zuckerberg] comes up because we’re steeped in tech here,” he said. “It trickles down into the culture of the workplace.” Smith’s clients say a new pro-masculinity emphasis in Big Tech is reshaping workplace culture, with managers being told to crack the whip and take a more authoritarian direction with their reports. “We see a lot of aggression come across in the messaging from leadership,” he said. This, plus the cozy relationship between tech leaders and the second Trump administration, as well as the past few years of layoffs in the sector, means heightened anxiety, disillusionment, and a veil of silence now pervades tech. Employees are afraid — of speaking up, of getting noticed, of being the next one cut.

Why psychiatrist in Korea puts Buddhism at the heart of his treatment for life’s struggles

2025-03-24 - 2025-03

Jeon Hyun-soo, a psychiatrist and practitioner in Korea who has studied Buddhism for more than 40 years, believes that focusing on the present is key to overcoming life’s struggles.

“The answer to all problems lies in the present. Most of my patients focus on the past or future. Encouraging them to concentrate on the present allows them to see their problems as they are,” Jeon, 69, said. He recently published A Guide to Using Buddhism and is the founder of Buddhist psychotherapy, which integrates Buddhist principles into treatment.

“The earliest Buddhist scriptures, which are closest to the words of Buddha, clearly outline ways to reduce suffering and find peace in life,” he said. “For modern people suffering from distress, they serve as both a wake-up call and the best remedy.” Buddhism is a perfect system for eliminating suffering,” he said.

His journey began when Ko Ik-jin, a Buddhist scholar at Dongguk University in Seoul, shared this with him as a second-year medical resident. “That statement struck a chord with me and led me to study Buddhism. After all, psychiatry is also a tool to eliminate human suffering. I began to see Buddhism not as just another cultural tradition but from an entirely new perspective.” As he immersed himself in Buddhist teachings and practices, he gained insight into the profound nature of the mind. However, his curiosity and desire to fully understand how to free and transform the mind deepened. This led him to shut down his clinic twice and dedicate himself entirely to meditation practice.

Resilience under pressure: life inside a Vietnamese psychiatric ward

2025-03-22 - 2025-03

Staff sometimes use their money to support patients, especially those neglected by families or unable to afford basics like food. For some, the hospital becomes a second home following years of treatment. Treating patients with psychological conditions is already a challenge, but caring for those with mental disorders is even tougher, requiring unwavering dedication and nerves of steel from medical staff at Hà Tĩnh Mental Health Hospital in central Việt Nam.

The hospital, often described as an ‘unusual place’, hosts a diverse range of patients, from those with severe agitation and psychosis, to individuals battling depression, anxiety disorders and congenital mental impairments. Each case presents unique demands, forcing healthcare workers to provide meticulous, tailored care. “It’s not like treating ordinary patients,” said Lê Thị Quỳnh Nga, Deputy Head of the hospital’s Acute Female Ward. “We face risks and bizarre situations daily. Being attacked, hit, or even soiled by these patients is routine.” Over eleven years at the hospital, Nga has witnessed the full spectrum of emotions tied to her profession. She described how every patient brings a distinct story and how staff here often has to endure torn clothes, slaps, insults or being hit by splashes of dirty water. “To survive in this job, you need a solid mindset and a heart dedicated to the work. Without that, no one lasts long,” she said. Abandonment is not unusual, with families dropping patients at the hospital gates and relinquishing the care to the facility. Staff then take over, bathing, feeding and tending to them. During aggressive episodes, the wards turn chaotic as workers restrain patients and administer medication. Once calm, some might apologise, only for the pattern to repeat later, and they couldn’t really help it. When patients flee, doctors split up to search for them, serving not just as medics but as listeners and caregivers. Nga reflected on how prolonged interaction reveals the patients’ pitiable circumstances, a sentiment that has fueled her decade-long tenure.

China research team publishes article in Nature, unveiling method to track cells related to psychiatric disorders

2025-03-21 - 2025-03

China research team publishes article in Nature, unveiling method to track cells related to psychiatric disorders

2025-03-20 - 2025-03

A Chinese research team unveiled a new method known simply as "gsMap," like a "navigation map" which can identify cells and their spatial patterns associated with complex disorders like schizophrenia and depression, shedding light on the exploration of targeted treatment. The team from the School of Life Sciences at Westlake University encapsulated the gsMap algorithm as open-source software in their published Nature article, making this innovative method accessible to scientists worldwide, the Global Times learned from Westlake University on Thursday. According to the team, psychiatric disorders currently affect hundreds of millions worldwide, yet even cutting-edge medical imaging struggles to pinpoint their root causes. Many complex diseases lack visible markers like plaques or nodules, making it difficult to localize affected cells, a key challenge in precision medicine, the team explained. "Human traits, from coffee preferences to height, weight, and disease susceptibility, are largely influenced by genetic variations," Dr. Yang Jian, the team leader, explained to the Global Times. "In the past, scientists worldwide have successfully identified a vast number of genetic variants associated with complex diseases and human traits through genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, this technology cannot explain how these variants influence the onset and progression of diseases through specific cell types in the human body." Each cell carries a unique set of actively expressed marker genes, akin to an ID card, that defines its type, state, and spatial location, Yang explained. The team utilized spatial transcriptomics (ST), an emerging technology that acts as a cellular "map," identifying cell types and their original tissue locations. By combining GWAS and ST, they sought to answer: Do disease-related genes act uniformly across the body? "GWAS connects diseases to genes, and ST links genes to cell locations. We aimed to bridge diseases and cells via genes," Yang told the Global Times. This approach transformed the "map" into a "navigation map" capable of pinpointing disease-related cells. Through extensive refinement and debugging, the team developed gsMap, an innovative data analysis model. This "navigation map" not only identifies cell types associated with complex diseases but also tracks their precise locations within the human body. Using gsMap, the team discovered that both schizophrenia and depression are significantly linked to glutamatergic neurons. However, the distribution of these neurons varies depending on the disease. The glutamatergic neurons associated with schizophrenia are predominantly distributed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, regions that are closely adjacent to, or even overlap with, areas linked to intelligence. Further analysis revealed that within the elongated CA1 region of the hippocampus, the correlation between glutamatergic neurons and schizophrenia increases linearly as the neurons approach the dorsal side.

From mines to minds: how lithium shapes energy and psychiatry

2025-03-18 - 2025-03

In a significant stride towards bolstering strategic resources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the United States last month culminated in the launching of a collaborative initiative focused on recovering and processing critical minerals, notably lithium. This partnership underscores the rising importance of lithium in various sectors, from energy storage to pharmaceuticals. Lithium, denoted by the symbol Li, has atomic number 3 and is a silvery-white alkali metal. It was discovered in 1817 when Swedish chemist Johan August identified it within the mineral petalite. In 1821, William Brande successfully isolated lithium in its elemental form through the electrolysis of lithium oxide. Due to continuing exploration, measured and indicated lithium resources have increased substantially worldwide, totalling about 105 million tons as per the U.S. geological survey in 2024. Major lithium reserves are concentrated in South America’s ‘Lithium Triangle’—encompassing parts of Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. Australia is the leading producer, extracting lithium from hard-rock spodumene deposits. India’s lithium deposits are in Reasi (Jammu & Kashmir) and Mandya (Karnataka), with exploration ongoing in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Himachal Pradesh. The recent Indo-U.S. initiative aims to recover and process lithium.

New pain killer revealed: Study shows the neurological power of nature to relieve physical discomfort

2025-03-17 - 2025-03

Nature instils a tranquil quiet, sweeping away the chaos of the mind. There's no doubt about the potent, positive effects of nature on the human mind. But its benefits go beyond just mental relaxation. It has surprising physical benefits, too. A study published in Nature Communications showed how merely looking at natural scenery can lighten physical pain. How does nature reduce physical pain?
The study conducted brain scans of the participants to understand how people react to and process pain while viewing natural scenery and, if at all, how it has an impact.
The 49 participants of the study were shown three different scenes: one, a natural landscape with lakes and trees; second, an urban setting with buildings near the same lake; and last, an indoor office. The researchers gave the participants mild shocks, and they had to rate their pain levels. Surprisingly, the differences were striking. Pain perception was much lower when they looked at nature scenes than when they looked at urban or indoor scenes. And this was not only mental relaxation, as actual biological changes were noticed in the brain through the brain scans. Brain scans revealed that activity in regions responsible for processing physical pain signals decreased when nature was present, showing that nature's effect was not just psychological but also deeply neurological. This opens up doors for pain treatments in a more organic manner. Nature, even when viewed virtually from any screen, could become a game-changer when it comes to managing pain. The fact that the change is neurological, far beyond simple mental and emotional benefits, says that nature can become a powerful tool for pain relief. And since it shows neurological changes in the brain from the scans, it solidifies its power, setting it apart from the mere placebo effect. The researchers explained that nature scenarios could be integrated into pain management treatments as people with chronic pain can be exposed to nature, whether virtually or through innovative real-life experiences.
Furthermore, this finding cements the value of greenery in our lives for mental well-being and overall physical health. The researchers added that for those who are indoors, taking time to interact with nature, even in small ways, such as strolling in a park, opening windows to view birds and trees, or watering their garden, can be healing. Turns out it may just be the new excuse for getting more plants home! Whatever it is, you benefit the most (and your home aesthetics.)

Refer injecting drug users to psychiatry dept: NGOs told

2025-03-14 - 2025-03

Project Director, Himachal Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, Rajiv Kumar has directed all the NGOs to ensure that at least five injecting drug users are referred to the psychiatric department every week. He also directed the NGO staff must accompany Project Director, Himachal Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, Rajiv Kumar has directed all the NGOs to ensure that at least five injecting drug users are referred to the psychiatric department every week. He also directed the NGO staff must accompany them during the process and ensure continuous monitoring of their health. He gave these directions while chairing the monthly meeting of the society here today. During the meeting, he also expressed concern over the rising cases of injecting drug use in the state. Apart from this, discussions were held on the efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working under the committee. He said that regularly referring injecting drug users to the psychiatric department could be a positive step to tackle rising injecting drug use problem. He highlighted that every district has a psychiatric department where young individuals struggling with addiction are being treated.

Wendy Williams Reportedly Gets Major Win After Undergoing Psychiatric Testing

2025-03-13 - 2025-03

Wendy Williams may be closer to getting from under her legal guardianship. Days after the former daytime talk show host was evaluated at a New York City hospital and underwent a psychiatric evaluation, TMZ reports she passed the test with flying colors. The report notes that as she’s explained, she’s not mentally incapacitated, at least per the psych eval. The former queen of hot topics scored 10 out of 10 on a psych exam, known as a “capacity test.” Williams was asked 10 questions to determine if she was alert and oriented, and she scored perfectly. She has disputed her reported diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia. The report notes she was not examined at the hospital to determine if she has been misdiagnosed. The judge in her case now has to review the report from the hospital. But she may not be in the clear. Williams did a round of media interviews after her recent hospitalization, reportedly angering her guardianship Judge Lisa Sokoloff. The Daily Beast reports the judge wants Williams moved to another facility that has stricter policies. “I have always contended that [Wendy] will be given the independence she can handle,” Sokoloff wrote in an email obtained by TMZ. “I question how well she has handled the independence she has been given.”

Metabolic Psychiatry – A new paradigm in the management of Mental Health disorder?

2024-10-09 - 2025-02

What is Metabolic Psychiatry?
Metabolic or Nutritional Psychiatry is a relatively new term for a topic that's been studied for many decades. Recently more formalised as a psychiatric subspecialty, it focusses on identifying and treating metabolic dysfunction in order to improve mental health outcomes. Growing evidence strongly suggests an association between metabolic dysfunction in the brain and mental illness and there is a rapidly expanding field of research that examines how nutritional intervention can reduce or alleviate symptoms.

Many mental illnesses have a higher than general population incidence of cardiovascular diagnoses/death and this was traditionally thought to be driven by factors including a higher incidence of smokers in the cohort and greater propensity for recreational drug use, as well as secondary weight gain associated with many of the anti-depressant or anti-psychotic medications and the consequence of less physical activity due to reduced energy of many mental health conditions.

Research has however demonstrated that metabolic dysfunction is present at greater than general population incidence prior to diagnosis and treatment1, supporting the theory that metabolic dysfunction may be a driver rather than a consequence. Findings from the Swiss Re UK Disability Income Protection Claims Audit provide some evidence of this in the insured cohort, where 94% of claimants with a BMI exceeding 35 (who had been off work for 12 months or more) had either declared mood disorder or depressive symptoms at claim stage, or a pre-existing mental health diagnosis was contained within their health records.

How does insulin resistance fit into all this?
Insulin is released from the pancreas when our blood glucose levels rise. When we eat, we release insulin to lower blood glucose levels by stimulating glucose uptake into muscle and fat cells.

Many modern diets provide a majority of daily calories from "convenience foods" containing highly processed carbohydrate3, and the increase over the years in the percentage of these in the diet is strongly associated with the rising levels of obesity globally. Processed carbohydrates release glucose more rapidly, triggering the release of more insulin to deal with the rapid spike. Eating behaviours that include regular processed carbohydrate-based snacks provide repetitive stimulation and insulin release.

Over time insulin resistance develops as a response to repeated stimulation, and higher insulin levels are needed to keep blood glucose within a normal range. Eventually, unless the diet changes, this leads to the development of insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, and Type 2 diabetes. It's important to emphasise that hyperinsulinaemia exists in advance of hyperglycaemia, and Professor Ben Bikman, of Brigham Young University in the US, cites that "insulin resistance can be present long before a person develops Type 2 diabetes".4

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