Tag: Mood and emotional regulation

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Lumateperone for Late-Life Depression

Conditions: Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD); Late Life Depression (LLD); Depression / Major Depressive Disorder

Interventions: Drug: Lumateperone; Drug: Placebo

Sponsors: Eric Lenze; Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc.

Not yet recruiting
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<![CDATA[New evidence shows CBT timed after ketamine boosts lasting depression relief; Yale tests digital therapy Rejoyn to scale the neuroplasticity window.]]>
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Recommendations for Research and Clinical Implementation of Ambulatory Assessment, Mood Monitoring, Digital Phenotyping, and Remote Measurement Technology in Mood Disorders: Synthesis of Systematic Review Findings

Background: Ambulatory assessment and active and passive monitoring all offer a real-time, flexible approach to assessing mood and behavior in mood disorders. Despite their potential, concerns remain regarding the performance, usability, adherence, and potential safety of these tools. Objective: This study synthesizes the findings from 7 systematic reviews, integrating quantitative and qualitative data from randomized trials, observational studies, and user experience research to evaluate the performance, feasibility, acceptability, and clinical impact of ambulatory assessment and mood monitoring in people with depression and bipolar disorder. We assessed studies over the medium or long term (3 months or more). Methods: A summary of a series of systematic reviews was carried out by the authors—including meta-analyses (for quantitative data) and meta-syntheses (for qualitative data). Eight electronic databases were searched, and mixed methods studies were included. Studies were assessed for risk of bias. The results were checked for coherence, and recommendations were made by individuals with lived experience, methodologists, and psychiatrists. GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) was used to assess the quality and strength of the evidence. Results: The 111 included studies included 19,945 participants and used 69 different ambulatory assessment protocols or mood-monitoring interventions. Key barriers to implementation were identified, including performance inconsistency, adverse effects, and user disengagement. Evidence-based recommendations are provided to guide future clinical and research applications. Conclusions: Ambulatory assessment and mood monitoring hold promise in research and clinical practice, yet their implementation requires more rigorous evaluation, greater personalization, and responsible, user-centered design. Crucially, these measures can add granularity and confirmation, but additional context is often required, and none of these measures are robust enough yet to replace current outcomes.
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Determinants of mental health distress among health workers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Healthcare workers (HCWs) remain at elevated risk of psychological distress, yet post-pandemic evidence from the United Arab Emirates is scarce. This cross-sectional electronic survey assessed depression, anxiety, and stress among physicians and nurses providing direct clinical care across Abu Dhabi Health Services Company in March 2024. Mental health outcomes were measured using the DASS-21, and multivariable logistic regression identified associated factors. Among 383 HCWs (mean age 40.8 years; 70% female; 65% nurses), the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 49%, 45%, and 46%, respectively. Middle Eastern HCWs had significantly higher odds of depression (Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR)=1.94; 95% CI: 1.13–3.35), anxiety (aOR=1.80; 95% CI: 1.03–3.21), and stress (aOR=2.42; 95% CI: 1.37–4.33) compared with Asian HCWs. Workplace conflict strongly predicted distress as conflicts with colleagues increased the odds of depression (aOR=3.36; 95% CI: 1.92–6.05), anxiety (aOR=1.99; 95% CI: 1.14–3.53), and stress (aOR=3.78; 95% CI: 2.10–7.00). Chronic fatigue was associated with depression (aOR=4.21; 95% CI: 1.61–13.2), anxiety (aOR=3.89; 95% CI: 1.39–13.8), and stress (aOR=3.34; 95% CI: 1.32–9.63). Protective factors included age ≥40 years for stress (aOR=0.61; 95% CI: 0.39–0.96) and postgraduate education for anxiety (aOR=0.55; 95% CI: 0.31–0.94) with nurses had lower stress than physicians (aOR=0.47; 95% CI: 0.23–0.94). Post-pandemic mental-health symptoms remain substantial among Abu Dhabi HCWs, particularly younger providers and those exposed to workplace conflict or chronic fatigue. Sustained mental-health programs, routine screening, and targeted support for high-risk groups are urgently required to protect clinician well-being and healthcare system resilience.
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Platform shift in mental health support among undergraduates: from campus counselors to GenAI-based consultation​

China is advancing the implementation of the “AI+” initiative and exploring the promotion of AI technology in scenarios such as health management and assisted diagnosis. Against this backdrop, universities are accelerating the adoption of GenAI virtual counseling tools to address the growing psychological issues among undergraduates, including depression, anxiety, and academic stress. However, research on why students are shifting from traditional in-person psychological consultations to GenAI consultations remains limited. Therefore, this study focuses on the student population, collecting data through online questionnaires and employing the PLS-SEM method to systematically analyze the key factors and underlying mechanisms influencing students’ willingness to transition from campus psychologists to GenAI virtual doctors. The findings reveal that privacy concerns, social anxiety, and stigma surrounding mental illness significantly enhance students’ inclination toward AI consultations. The comfort level of interacting with AI and the accessibility of AI services play mediating roles. Additionally, perceived AI information quality significantly moderates the pathways through which privacy concerns, social anxiety, and stigma influence the willingness to switch. This study provides a theoretical foundation and practical reference for universities to develop intelligent psychological support systems that align with students’ actual needs.
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Reduced left dorsolateral prefrontal activation and right inferior frontal de-oxygenation differ between psychotic and non−psychotic adolescent depression during verbal fluency

BackgroundAdolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) who exhibit psychotic symptoms (MDD-Psy) often show greater clinical severity and higher suicide risk than those without psychosis (MDD-NonPsy). It remains unclear whether prefrontal hemodynamic responses during cognitive challenge can differ between these subgroups.MethodsWe recruited 273 adolescents aged 14–16 years (110 MDD-NonPsy, 163 MDD-Psy). All completed a 60-s verbal fluency task (VFT) while 53-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy recorded oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin (HbO, HbR) from six frontal ROIs. Whole-brain FDR correction identified baseline-deviated channels, and ROC analyses tested the discriminative value of significant channels/ROIs. Clinical severity was indexed by the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KDAS) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS).ResultsCompared with MDD-NonPsy, adolescents with MDD-Psy exhibited higher KDAS (median 16 vs 13; z = -7.07, p < 0.001) and BPRS total scores (median 35 vs 28; z = -11.02, p < 0.001). After FDR correction, MDD-NonPsy showed positive deviations at channels 8 and 23 (t = 2.10-2.70, pFDR=0.038), whereas MDD-Psy exhibited negative deviation at channel 2 (MNI –60, 19, 18; left middle frontal gyrus; t =-2.89, pFDR = 0.004). Across ROIs, only right inferior frontal gyrus HbR differed between groups (median –0.03 vs 0.00 mM·mm; z = -2.18, pFDR = 0.030). No ROI-level HbO differences survived correction. At the single-channel level, HbO at channel 2 and HbR in IFG_R correlated modestly with lower KDAS and restlessness scores (ρ = –0.14 to –0.16, p <0.050). ROC analyses indicated modest but significant classification accuracy for psychosis (AUC = 0.577-0.581, p = 0.030).ConclusionsLeft dorsolateral and right inferior prefrontal hemodynamic signatures differ between adolescents with MDD who present with versus without psychotic features. However, given the absence of healthy control or other psychiatric comparison groups, these findings cannot establish diagnostic specificity. Pending replication in independent samples, these fNIRS−derived hemodynamic signatures may inform future hypothesis−driven research.