Mental Disorders


Morning Naps Linked to Dementia Risk

A US clinical-pathologic cohort study found that more frequent morning naps were linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia. Additionally, more naps in the early afternoon and more consistent nap patterns were linked to lower levels of Alzheimer’s pathology. The study analyzed data from 936 older adults (aged […]


Antidepressants Effective and Safe in Older Adults with Anxiety

A systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated randomized controlled trials on pharmacological treatments for anxiety in adults aged 60 and older, identifying 19 eligible studies with 2,336 participants (68% women). The primary outcomes included reductions in anxiety symptoms, treatment response, or remission. Antidepressants were found to be more effective than placebo […]


Online Programs for Anxiety Disorders

MindShift CBT (Free) – A mobile app based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) principles, helping users manage anxiety with guided exercises. https://www.anxietycanada.com/ CBT-i Coach (Free) – Designed for those struggling with anxiety-related insomnia, based on the therapy manual, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Veterans. https://mobile.va.gov/ This Way Up (Low-cost, some […]


Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Par with Escitalopram for Anxiety Disorders

Both clinician-rated and patient-reported outcomes suggested that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) was well-tolerated with comparable effectiveness to the first-line medication escitalopram for patients with anxiety disorders in a US randomized clinical trial. The trial included 276 participants (women 75%, men 25%; mean age 33 years; Asian 19%, Black 15%, Hispanic […]


Healthy and Sustainable Diet Beneficial for the Prevention of Depression and Anxiety

A prospective UK population-based cohort study suggests that higher adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet is associated with lower risks of incident depression, anxiety and their co-occurrence. The study included 180,446 participants (mean age 56.2, male 46.45%) with 11.62 years of follow-up. The diet largely consists of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, […]


Sleep Rhythm Disturbances May Be a Modifiable AD Risk Factor

A prospective population-based cohort study in the Netherlands suggests that sleep rhythm disturbances can precede amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition and may be a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer disease (AD). From September 2018 to November 2021, 319 participants without dementia who underwent Aβ positron emission tomography (PET) were included with the […]


Concomitant SSRIs and OACs Use Linked to Higher Bleeding Risk

A UK nested case-control study suggested that concomitant use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and oral anticoagulants (OACs) was associated with bleeding risk and should be closely monitored, particularly within the initial months of treatment. Between January 1998, and March 2021, 42 190 atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with major bleeding […]


Neuroticism Causal to AF

A longitudinal cohort and mendelian randomization study suggested there was a modest, but significant longitudinal and causal relationship between neuroticism and atrial fibrillation (AF). In 394,834 UK participants (mean age 56.3 years, 45.9% male), AF occurred in 23,509 (6.0%) during a 10-year follow-up. Based on the median summary score from […]