BJPsych Open
August 25, 2026
Edward Chesney, Millie Lloyd, Sébastien Brodeur et al.
BACKGROUND: Cannabis use is common in people with psychosis and is associated with poor outcomes. AIMS: To assess insight into cannabis use disorder, perceptions about how cannabis use influences mental health and the desire to change cannabis use among people with psychotic disorders. METHOD: Adults with a psychotic disorder and comorbid cannabis use disorder were asked about the impact of...
BJPsych Open
July 1, 2026
Alain F. Kalmar, Pascal Sienaert, Filip Bouckaert et al.
Summary Nitrous oxide is being investigated as a treatment for therapy-resistant depression, yet its environmental implications as a potent greenhouse gas are largely unaddressed. A single 1 h treatment generates ∼150 kg CO 2 -equivalents, rising to ∼7.8 t per patient-year, highlighting the need to incorporate environmental externalities into evaluation.
BJPsych Open
July 1, 2026
Chloe Hambly Lapointe, Lilith Nosko, C. Crocker et al.
Background Recently, there has been a significant rise in potency (% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)) of cannabis products globally. As such, there is a need for a better understanding of the relationship between cannabis potency and mental health outcomes, especially in a developmentally vulnerable population such as adolescents and young adults. Aims The objective of this scoping review was to...
BJPsych Open
June 18, 2026
Catherine L. Clelland
Psychedelics were used for centuries in healing and spiritual rituals, long before the mid-20th century when they became subjects of biomedical research. Although initial trials generated optimism, these were quickly overshadowed by sensationalist media coverage and political backlash. Following decades of inactivity, research on compounds including 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Imtiaz Ahmad Dogar, Palvisha Sajid, Dua Fatima et al.
Aims: In the light of limited relevant local literature, we planned our research to build a scientific database related to the immediate and sustained effects of this innovative treatment modality at our tertiary care hospital, in order to start ketamine clinic in our department . We didn’t find any research in Faisalabad, Pakistan on the subject, ensuring a more in depth understanding of the...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Sunandan Banerjee
Aims: To examine whether psychedelic-like states of consciousness can be induced through brain stimulation techniques, evaluate their potential advantages over pharmacological psychedelics, and explore how stimulation-assisted psychotherapy may offer a clinically viable model for mental health treatment. Methods: A structured narrative review was conducted using PubMed and PsycINFO,examining...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Gaurav Uppal, Naima Gul, Asha Dhandapani et al.
Aims: Recently the therapies that utilize psychedelics have emerged as promising treatments for mood disorders, trauma-related disorders, and substance use disorders. While there is a growing body of research comparing various interventions directly, the majority of available research has been conducted in an indirect manner; therefore, Network Meta-Analysis (NMA), a statistical method for...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Sunandan Banerjee
Aims: To systematically review the literature on psychedelic-related mechanisms relevant to forensic psychiatry, examining potential therapeutic benefits linked to reduction in crime-related behaviour, associated clinical and legal risks, and the practical considerations required were such approaches ever to be explored within UK forensic mental health services. Methods: A systematic literature...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
James Finlay
Aims: To review and compare the safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness and remission rates of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) versus ketamine in patients with major depressive episodes. Methods: A narrative review of the literature was undertaken, focusing on randomised and non-randomised clinical trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses comparing ketamine and ECT in adults with major...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Rebecca Mcknight, Shanthi Sarma
Aims: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is common and associated with substantial disability and economic burden. It is estimated to affect over 100 million people worldwide and approximately 2.7 million people in the United Kingdom. Ketamine has emerged as a novel therapy for TRD, with studies demonstrating rapid antidepressant effects. However, ketamine is also used recreationally and can...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Aleeha Batool, Chaitanya Morey
Aims: Hallucinogen Persistent Perception Disorder (HPPD) is characterised by a recurrence of hallucinogen-induced perceptual symptoms after the cessation of hallucinogen use, leading to clinically significant impairment in functioning. It remains difficult to diagnose due to multiple comorbid diagnoses and poor understanding in psychiatry. For these reasons documented incidence also remains...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Roshan Ganeshan, Tharun Zacharia
Aims: Ketamine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist used for anaesthesia and analgesia, with increasing interest in its rapid antidepressant effects. This case evaluates the feasibility, tolerability and clinical response to subcutaneous ketamine in a medically frail older adult with psychotic depression, hypothesising that ketamine would rapidly improve engagement and...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Gayathri Rangith
Aims: Dissociative fugue is a rare dissociative disorder characterised by sudden, reversible loss of autobiographical memory, identity disturbance, and purposeful wandering, often precipitated by acute psychological stress. Due to its infrequency and overlapping presentation with psychosis, delirium, and substance-induced amnesia, dissociative fugue is frequently misdiagnosed. We present a case...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Jessie Muchoki
Aims: REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is characterised by loss of physiological REM atonia, resulting in dream-enactment behaviours that may be violent and pose significant risk to patients and bed partners. RBD may be idiopathic, secondary to neurological disease, or medication-induced. Medications, including antidepressants and sedative-hypnotics, have been implicated in precipitating or...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Emeka Onochie, Saminathan Anand, Collins Esiwe et al.
Aims: Ketamine misuse is an emerging public health concern, with increasing reports of severe physical and psychological complications. Chronic use is associated with hepatobiliary and urinary tract injury, often linked to ketamine’s metabolic pathways and toxicological effects (1-3). This report describes the complications and treatment outcomes of a young adult with severe ketamine dependence...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Jiaying Chen
Aims: Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is characterised by the existence of two or more distinct identities within an individual, affecting their consciousness, behaviour, and memory. Accounting for only 1% of the psychiatric population, it is a rare and often controversial diagnosis. This case report describes the diagnosis of DID in a neurodivergent adolescent from an ethnic minority...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
H. Kay, Emmalene Fish
Aims: Staff working in community mental health teams (CMHTs) experience high levels of occupational stress and burnout, which can impact wellbeing, staff retention, and quality of patient care. Mindfulness-based approaches have demonstrated benefit for stress reduction, but their implementation within routine psychiatric services for NHS staff remains limited. Aims were to improve wellbeing and...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Rishabh Bajaj, Ajay Baskaran, Asma Javed
Aims: Recreational nitrous oxide use is increasing and widely seen as low risk, but chronic exposure can inactivate vitamin B12, causing deficiency even with normal serum levels. This may lead to psychiatric, neurological, and haematological symptoms, complicating diagnosis for mental health professionals. Methods: A middle-aged man with no psychiatric history, was brought to the hospital due...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Isabella Walker, Simon Graham, Samuel Button
Aims: Mindfulness, Meditation and Yoga have an evidence base for improving emotional regulation – with little research looking at the impact on a Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) cohort. We investigated whether a supplementary session programme could improve emotional regulation and thus symptomatology in BPD service users. Our initial objective is to identify whether there is an evidence...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Sarah Shackleton, Onuswale Oni, Stephen J. Kaar
Aims: Recreational ketamine use and treatment-seeking for associated complications is increasing in England. Complications of ketamine dependence can be debilitating, leading to continued dependence and surgical intervention. However, treatment remains under-researched, with lacking understanding of those seeking treatment or requiring specialist inpatient detoxification. This study aims to...
BJPsych Open
June 1, 2026
Kate Preston, Karl Scheeres
Aims: A literature review search ran in April 2025 over five databases (Cinahl, Emcare, Medline, Cochrane Library, PsycInfo) showed there is substantial high-level evidence supporting the use of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for perinatal depression and anxiety. Nature exposure has been shown to have protective effects on mental health among both general adults and perinatal...
BJPsych Open
May 1, 2026
Gijsbrecht H. J. Roelandt, Jurriaan F M Strous, Jeanine Kamphuis et al.
Summary This case report presents the case of a 25-year-old woman who developed ketamine addiction following a single sub-anaesthetic dose of intranasal ketamine in a pilot study investigating intranasal racemic ketamine for acute suicidality. She had a history of depression, obsessive–compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder and anorexia nervosa, and she had sporadically used alcohol and...
BJPsych Open
February 16, 2026
Zeina Beidas, Anya Ragnhildstveit, Adam Blackman et al.
1 citation
BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting roughly 322 million people. Recently, doses of psilocybin have shown promise in treating mood disorders, sparking interest in other dosing practices. According to anecdotal reports and observational studies, microdosing psilocybin yields benefits to mental health; however, rigorously controlled...
BJPsych Open
February 12, 2026
David A Bender, Holly Dunn, Amanda Pekau et al.
1 citation
Background The relationship between media portrayal of psychedelic drugs, scientific research and drug policy is an area of debate. Aims To apply artificial intelligence technology to measure trends in media sentiment towards the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs. Method Up to 300 of the most relevant articles from Google News searches for the term ‘psychedelics’ were sampled for each...
BJPsych Open
January 23, 2026
Nawfel Ayad, Karim Abdel Aziz, Samer Makhoul et al.
2 citations
Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) poses a significant clinical challenge, with limited evidence guiding long-term pharmacological strategies. Esketamine, a glutamatergic modulator, has demonstrated short-term efficacy in TRD, but data on its extended use in real-world settings remains scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and side-effects of intranasal esketamine...