Research News
Preliminary Results Suggest WHO Rights-Based Training Linked to Reduced Stigma
Global evaluation finds QualityRights e-training reduces support for coercive practices and negative attitudes; future independent studies will be important.
In Colombia, Disability Rights Advance on Paper but Stigma Endures in Daily Life
A preprint study shows that legal recognition has not dismantled deep cultural and institutional biases against people with psychosocial disabilities.
“Tailored to the Treatment”: Patients Criticize Formulaic Therapy in NHS
Qualitative research highlights the frustration of patients who felt their sessions were scripted, with many calling instead for personalization and stronger therapeutic bonds.
‘Technoference’ in Parenting Raises Concerns for Child Development
Parental technology use in front of kids, or technoference, is tied to weaker attachment and more behavioral problems.
Patients Tell of ECT Harms
A new survey of patients who had ECT finds that while some found it helpful, the majority found it unhelpful or damaging on every measure.
Human Rights Frame New Mental Health Standards in Asylum Centers
A global panel calls for culturally informed, human rights–based support for asylum seekers, pushing back against the one-size-fits-all model of global mental health.
Study Warns of Overreliance on Rapid Tranquillisation in Women’s Psychiatric Care
A national audit of psychiatric wards in England shows that women in crisis are disproportionately subjected to rapid tranquillisation, often in response to self-harm.
Doctors Who Accept Industry Cash Get More Patient Complaints, Study Finds
Physicians paid by drug and device companies are more likely to receive unsolicited complaints, pointing to the corrosive effects of industry influence on care.
Doctors: Patients Don’t Want You to Use AI
New survey shows patients will avoid doctors who use AI, considering them less trustworthy, skilled, and empathetic.
U.K. Crisis Care Model Prioritizes Trauma, Empathy, and Collaboration
A new approach known as Comprehend, Cope, and Connect is reshaping mental health crisis care in the United Kingdom, with promising early results across inpatient and community settings.
How an Ecological View of Mind Could Rewrite Psychology and Psychiatry
A radical shift in comparative cognition is exposing the limits of mainstream psychology and psychiatry’s theories of what a mind is.
‘Mad or Bad?’ How Judges Weigh Mental Health in Federal Court
A study reveals that mental health diagnoses interact with race and sex in complex ways, challenging the promise of uniform federal sentencing guidelines.
Safety Alerts Rarely Change How Doctors Prescribe, Review Finds
A systematic review finds that most drug safety communications have only modest effects on prescriber behavior, leaving patients exposed to avoidable harm.
Fully Recovered after Psychosis, Without Antipsychotic Drugs
A new study demonstrates that far more people are able to fully recover from psychosis than typically thought—and that many can do so without antipsychotic drugs.
Rethinking Trust in Psychiatry: When Mistrust Is Misread as Madness
A new paper challenges the idea that therapeutic mistrust is pathological, reframing it as a rational stance against historical and cultural marginalization.
Study Finds Key Role for Emotion Recognition in Adolescent Well-Being
Longitudinal research links alexithymia to worsening emotional regulation and psychological distress in adolescence.
Cannabinoids Linked to Worse Psychosis Outcomes in Longitudinal Study
Natural cannabis users improved less than non-users. Synthetic cannabis users showed the worst outcomes across nearly all clinical dimensions.
Forced Hospitalization Increases Suicide and Violent Crime
Proponents claim involuntary treatment is necessary to reduce suicide and crime, but new research shows it doubles the risk of these outcomes.
Mental Health Workers Say They Want Recovery-Oriented Care. So Why Do They Still Endorse Involuntary Treatment?
A new study in Greece reveals that mental health professionals often accept involuntary hospitalization as a “necessary evil,” despite supporting community-based care.
Psychological Disorders Are “Shapeshifters,” Not Fixed Labels, Study Finds
Internalizing disorders, including depression and anxiety, shift their shape depending on cultural, physiological, and personal factors.
Philosophy Majors Improve in Critical Thinking, New Study Finds
A study by two philosophers finds evidence that majoring in philosophy increases one’s verbal reasoning ability, open-mindedness, and other essential intellectual virtues.
Early Life Adversity Predicts Later Mental Health Issues Around the World
Exposure to childhood trauma raises the risk of adult mental illness by 66%, according to a global systematic review.
Many Herbal Supplements As Good or Better Than Antidepressants
Herbal supplements like St. John's Wort, saffron, vitamin D, and probiotics beat placebo more consistently than antidepressants. St. John's Wort beat antidepressants in head-to-head comparisons too.
Before Involuntary Commitment: Coercion in the Shadows
New study reveals that psychiatric force is frequently applied long before formal admission procedures begin.
Participatory Research in India Redefines Who Gets to Create Mental Health Knowledge
Participatory action research yields novel insights and elicits a sense of pride and empowerment, particularly in low-resource settings.
