Latest Psychiatry and Mental Health research

Top 10 this week

Week of 1 November 2026

1. 1

   The effects of the arts and arts therapies on mental health outcomes of children and young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

   EClinicalMedicine · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 15 October 2026

   Arts-based interventions were linked to lower depression and anxiety and better wellbeing and quality of life among young people. But study results varied widely, and confidence in the findings was low or very low for most outcomes; anxiety findings also had moderate support from blood pressure and heart-rate measures. Larger, more consistent trials are needed to clarify how reliable and lasting these benefits are.

2. 2

   Prefrontal Cortical Changes With Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement in Opioid Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

   JAMA psychiatry · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 28 October 2026

   In a randomized trial of people with opioid use disorder, eight weeks of mindfulness-oriented recovery therapy extended abstinence duration compared with supportive education at follow-up about four months later. The therapy also shifted brain responses away from drug cues, and those shifts were linked to lower craving; the small study does not establish how large or durable the abstinence benefit is.

3. 3

   Culturally adapted psychoeducation for bipolar disorder: a multicentre, assessor-masked, randomised controlled trial

   EClinicalMedicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 24 October 2026

   In a trial of 303 adults with bipolar disorder in remission, 12 weekly culturally adapted sessions plus routine care prolonged time to a mood episode recurrence over 48 weeks compared with routine care alone. Participants also showed gains in recovery, medication adherence, and depressive symptoms; whether the benefits extend to other settings remains to be seen.

4. 4

   Single Intranasal Administration of the Psychedelic Mebufotenin for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial

   JAMA · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 26 October 2026

   In this phase 2b trial of adults with treatment-resistant depression, 34% of those given 12 mg responded by day 29, compared with 12% given a low-dose comparator; symptom scores also fell more with both active doses. Most participants were ready for discharge within 2 hours, and nearly all reported side effects were mild or moderate. The results need confirmation in larger, longer-term studies.

5. 5

   Cost-utility analysis of integrated therapist and online CBT over and above usual care for patients with depression in primary care: an economic evaluation of the INTERACT randomised controlled trial

   BMJ mental health · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 22 October 2026

   Over 12 months, integrated online and therapist-led cognitive behavioral therapy cost GBP 30,576 per quality-adjusted life-year gained compared with usual care, from the UK health and social care perspective. Its estimated chance of being cost-effective ranged from 26% to 50% at commonly used thresholds, so the findings do not firmly support adoption as a standalone treatment without evidence of longer-term value.

6. 6

   Cognitive Behavior vs Bright Light Therapy for Insomnia in Women Undergoing Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial

   JAMA network open · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 3 August 2026

   In a 6-week trial of 219 women receiving breast-cancer chemotherapy, CBT-I reduced insomnia severity by about 2 points on the Insomnia Severity Index compared with sleep-hygiene education or bright-light therapy, while fatigue did not improve. Bright-light therapy showed no overall benefit, though a signal of improvement appeared in the metastatic subgroup, warranting further study.

7. 7

   Implementing Australia's psychotropic clinical practice guidelines in residential aged care: the EMBRACE helix counterbalanced randomised controlled trial comparing knowledge brokers with pharmacist education and passive distribution

   Implementation science : IS · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 29 July 2026

   Tests implementation strategies for psychotropic prescribing guidelines

8. 8

   Instrumental Support Calls vs. Caring Contacts Texts to Prevent Suicide in Adolescents and Adults: The SPARC Randomized Clinical Trial

   The American journal of psychiatry · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 28 October 2026

   Randomized comparison informs suicide-prevention follow-up care

9. 9

   Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia and epigenetic ageing: secondary analysis from a randomised controlled trial

   The lancet. Healthy longevity · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 12 August 2026

   In a randomized trial of adults over 60 with insomnia, CBT-I led to full remission in 34% versus 13% with sleep education and produced a modest reduction in the DunedinPACE ageing metric (about 0.02 units slower). No significant changes were seen in GrimAge or PhenoAge, suggesting CBT-I may modestly decelerate ageing but larger studies are needed.

10. 10

    A "growth mindset of mental health" intervention increases the likelihood of initiating self-help on a mental health app: a randomized controlled trial

    NPJ digital medicine · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 13 October 2026

    In a randomized trial of 252 people, a brief message framing mental health as improvable increased the likelihood of completing a second self-help feature among participants with worse baseline well-being over three months. Some symptom groups also engaged with low- or moderate-intensity features; whether this approach leads to sustained app use or better mental health remains unknown.

Paper of the day, last two weeks

• A systematic review with meta-analysis of psychosocial suicide prevention interventions among U.S. military service members and veterans

  Journal of affective disorders · Q1 journal · SR of cohorts · Evidence level 4 (Very Low) · 3 November 2026

  A meta-analysis of 41 controlled trials found psychosocial interventions reduced suicide-attempt risk by 32% and self-harm by 21% compared with control conditions. They did not reduce suicidal thoughts, and the evidence could not establish an effect on suicide deaths, leaving their impact on those outcomes unresolved.

• Exploring the durability of esketamine and ketamine's antidepressant effects in the maintenance phase of treatment: A systematic review

  Psychiatry research · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 29 October 2026

  Reviews maintenance ketamine and esketamine for treatment-resistant mood disorders

• Cost-Utility of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies compared with usual care in Norway: A Registry-Linked Randomised Trial

  Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 2 November 2026

  In a randomized trial of 738 adults, Prompt Mental Health Care produced an estimated 0.24 additional quality-adjusted life-years over three years, at about EUR 6,400 per year gained. Its estimated public-sector costs were close to zero when work-related benefits were included, but the three-year results relied on modeled data for usual care, and those cost savings remain uncertain.

• Efficacy and safety of pharmacological interventions for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia: A systematic review and network meta-analysis, accounting for dose

  Journal of affective disorders · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 2 November 2026

  Across 92 trials involving 14,510 people, several medicines, including fluvoxamine, fluoxetine and alprazolam, reduced anxiety symptoms versus placebo; fluvoxamine and sustained-release alprazolam also reduced weekly panic attacks. The largest estimated benefit was for brofaromine, but it came from lower-quality evidence, so the comparisons do not establish a clear best treatment.

• Delivering online cognitive behavioral therapy to address mental health challenges in correctional workers: a randomized controlled trial

  Frontiers in psychiatry · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 16 October 2026

  In a randomized trial of 84 Ontario correctional workers, online cognitive behavioral therapy reduced depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms by 61%, compared with 23% with usual care. Quality of life did not improve significantly more with online therapy, and researchers say future work should address adherence and access.

• Lithium in the Prevention of Postpartum Recurrence of Mood Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  The Journal of clinical psychiatry · Q1 journal · SR of cohorts · Evidence level 2 (Moderate) · 26 October 2026

  Across eight studies involving 554 women with bipolar disorder, pooled postpartum recurrence was 21% among those treated with lithium and 41% among those not treated. This difference suggests lithium may help prevent relapse, but the evidence is limited and could be affected by differences between patients who received treatment and those who did not.

• Cognitive training combined with aerobic exercise improves negative symptoms in recent-onset schizophrenia: Results from a 12-month randomized trial

  Schizophrenia research · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 28 October 2026

  In a 12-month randomized trial of 65 people with recent-onset schizophrenia, both groups improved during the first six months, but those receiving aerobic exercise alongside cognitive training continued to improve on negative symptoms afterward. The findings suggest exercise may add benefit over time, though negative symptoms were a secondary outcome and the trial was small.

• Visuospatial imagery-competing task interventions for reducing intrusive memories following real-world trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  Frontiers in psychiatry · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 13 October 2026

  Across five randomized trials involving 359 adults, brief visuospatial tasks after trauma reduced intrusive memories by about seven episodes per week compared with control, with moderate-certainty evidence. PTSD symptoms also improved, but evidence was less certain; only five trials contributed to the main result, so larger independent studies are needed before this is considered an established treatment.

• Efficacy, time-course, and adverse events of antidepressants in pediatric social anxiety disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

  European child & adolescent psychiatry · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 25 October 2026

  In three trials involving 669 children and adolescents, antidepressants produced about four times the odds of treatment response compared with placebo, with symptom gains slowing after 8 to 12 weeks. Nausea or vomiting, weakness, and suicidal thoughts were more common, but self-harm behavior and suicide attempts were not; the small evidence base leaves safety and longer-term benefit uncertain.

• Delay in clozapine initiation and subsequent treatment response in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: a systematic review

  Psychiatry research · Q1 journal · SR/MA of RCTs · Evidence level 1 (High) · 15 October 2026

  Review links delayed clozapine initiation with poorer outcomes

• Efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation training in post-traumatic stress disorder after the Kahramanmaraş earthquake: a randomized controlled trial

  BMC psychiatry · Q1 journal · RCT · Evidence level 1 (High) · 19 September 2026

  In a randomized trial of 44 adults affected by the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, six weeks of remotely delivered progressive muscle relaxation improved PTSD symptoms compared with education alone. Depression, anxiety, sleep, fatigue, and quality of life also improved, but the small study did not establish how durable the benefits are or whether they extend to other groups.

Evidence summaries in Psychiatry and Mental Health

• Major Depressive Disorder
• Schizophrenia