Latest Research

Hicks, Steven D. et al. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, published online May 2019 Although the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) remains a clinical undertaking, this interesting study offers the possibility it may one day be diagnosed via a non-invasive salivary test that identifies a panel of four different microRNA. https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(19)30210-2/fulltext

King CA1, Arango A1, Kramer A1, Busby D1, Czyz E1, Foster CE1, Gillespie BW2; YST Study Team. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Feb 6. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4358 This follow-up study demonstrates that an intervention involving youth-nominated supports (adults trained to recognise and respond to their distress) led to fewer deaths over the following decade than treatment as usual.  Such approaches may help to enhance clinical management via mental health services. https://www.ncbi.n...

Dueweke AR, Bridges AJ. Fam Syst Health. 2018 Sep;36(3):289-302. doi: 10.1037/fsh0000349. Epub 2018 May 28. This review highlights the importance of multi-modal approaches including practitioner education, screening, early treatment of depression and active management of suicide risk to preventing suicide within primary care settings.  It also supports the value of single-session crisis planning interventions. This is a useful article for general practitioners and other clinicians workin...

Berry KM, Fetterman JL, Benjamin EJ, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(2):e187794. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.7794 Despite its perceived benign nature, this study shows that tobacco-naive youths who initiate e-cigarettes may be at greater risk of subsequently initiating cigarette smoking. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2723425?utm_source=silverchair&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=article_alert-jama&utm_term=mostread&utm_content=olf-...

Hajek P, Whillips-Waller A, Przulj, et al.  N Engl J Med 2019; 380:629-637 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1808779 This study showed thsat when accompanied by behavioral support, E-cigarettes were more effective for smoking cessation than nicotine-replacement therapy. So even though they may be bad for those who have never smoked, they could be useful for those that are trying to quit. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1808779

King CA, Arango A, Kramer A, et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019 Feb 6. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4358. [Epub ahead of print] This long-term follow-up study shows that a youth-nominated sypport team (YST) intervention following attempted adolescent suicide is associated with reduced mortality (2 deaths vs 13 in control group out of a total of 448 participants).  YST is a psychoeducational, social support intervention. Adolescents nominated "caring adults" (mean, 3.4 per adolescent f...

Choi KW, Chen C, Stein MB, et al. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online January 23, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4175 Physical activity is known to be beneficial for improving depression.  This genetic study demonstrates that it may also be useful for preventing the condition. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2720689

Radovic A, Moreno MA. JAMA Pediatr. Published online January 28, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.5017 This brief article offers practical advice for parents of young people with depression.  It may be a useful handout for clinical services to provide to families. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2722662?guestAccessKey=b9970355-748e-4225-8730-014064f937a8&utm_source=silverchair&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=article_alert-jamapediatrics...

US Preventive Services Task Force. JAMA. 2019;321(6):580–587. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.0007 Perinatal depression affects 1 in 7 women and may be associated with short and long-term adverse consequences for mothers and infants. The recent statement from the USPSTF recommends that clinicians provide or refer pregnant and postpartum persons who are at increased risk of perinatal depression to counseling interventions (grade B level of evidence). https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama...

Bennett, S. D., Cuijpers, P. , Ebert, D. D., McKenzie Smith, M. , Coughtrey, A. E., Heyman, I. , Manzotti, G. and Shafran, R. (2019). J Child Psychol Psychiatr. doi:10.1111/jcpp.13010 As self-help interventions gain popularity, it is reassuring to see from the results of this systematic review of 50 studies that  that both guided and unguided interventions can have positive effects. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.13010