Objective This umbrella review synthesizes evidence about the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions to improve mental health during pregnancy and postpartum. Methods We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Embase.com, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for systematic reviews published between January 1, 2015 and June 26, 2026. We included reviews of randomized...
ABSTRACT Background Healthcare workers experienced amplified depression and burnout during COVID-19. Both Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and psilocybin have been shown to reduce depressive symptoms in this population, however the psychological mechanisms by which adding psilocybin to mindfulness training improves depression and trait mindfulness remain incompletely characterized....
Background Serotonergic psychedelics and MDMA may improve mental health through reductions in neuroticism and changes in personal values. While decreases in neuroticism following serotonergic psychedelics are sometimes observed, it is unclear which facets of neuroticism respond the most, and MDMA remains understudied. People also report value shifts after psychedelic experiences, but...
Psilocybin is a chemical compound found in certain types of hallucinogenic mushrooms, known as magic mushrooms. Evidence has shown potential therapeutic effects of psilocybin on different neuropsychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Although the efficacy of psilocybin in...
Introduction: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) affects over 30 % of patients with depression and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Intravenous (IV) ketamine has shown rapid and robust antidepressant effects for TRD. However, limited data exist on long-term maintenance and patient experiences, especially in North America. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of...
Background: Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) has detrimental impacts on neural development, especially hippocampal morphometry. Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) has been shown to induce adaptive hippocampal changes especially at the subiculum. The present study aims to investigate the effects of MBI on subiculum volumes among ACE survivors, as well as the effects on episodic memory as a...
Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) has been shown to have detrimental impact on amygdala structure. Prior research found that adaptive psychological changes after Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) were associated with amygdala volumetric changes. The present study aims to further investigate whether such effects also occur among ACE survivors and whether the effects are unique to MBI. A...
Background: Family caregivers of persons living with dementia often experience increased depression and suicidal ideation (SI). However, the feasibility and impact of therapies on caregiver SI has remained largely unexplored. Mentalizing imagery therapy (MIT) helps reduce psychological symptoms through mindfulness and guided imagery. This pilot study examined the feasibility of participation by...
Socioeconomic adversity can negatively impact the mental and physical health of mothers and their offspring. This paper extends understanding of the interrelationship of these factors during the perinatal time frame, specifically to: 1.) evaluate the impact of adverse childhood events (ACES), negative life events (NLEs), and socioeconomic factors on the mental health of low-income expecting...
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) which is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome usually becomes problematic during late adolescent periods and can have different effects on the quality of life. The non-pharmacological approach is more beneficial for reducing the severity of the symptoms early without causing side effects. The present study aims to develop a mindfulness-based...
Growing evidence suggests that psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, can rapidly and durably improve symptoms of depression, leading to recent breakthrough status designation by the FDA and legalization for mental health treatment in some jurisdictions. Depression in bipolar disorder is associated with significant morbidity and has few effective treatments. However,...
Objective: To investigate the efficacy of add-on mantra meditation compared to progressive muscle relaxation in major depression. Methods: This study was a two-arm, single-site, raterblinded, randomized controlled trial involving 123 inpatients at a psychiatric hospital diagnosed with major depression according to DSM-IV criteria (January 2017 to June 2020). The treatment group practiced mantra...
Background: Family dementia caregivers experience high rates of depression and anxiety that often go untreated due to time demands. We aimed to determine the feasibility of a brief, 4-week Mentalizing Imagery Therapy intervention, which couples mindfulness with guided imagery practices aimed at bolstering mentalizing capacity, to reduce caregiver psychological symptoms and to explore potential...
Background\nAyahuasca is a psychoactive Amazonian brew which has emerging data indicating that it has antidepressant and anxiolytic properties.\n\nMethods\nThis paper uses data from the Global Ayahuasca Project (GAP), which was undertaken across 2017-2020 and involved 11912 people, to examine the perceived effects of ayahuasca consumption on affective symptoms. The study focused on the...
There has been a lack of in-depth interviews investigating patient experience of ketamine treatment for depression. We examined participants’ pathways to receiving ketamine infusion to treat their depression, and their responses to, lived experiences of, and attitudes towards ketamine treatment. Qualitative methods were used to conduct in-depth interviews with 13 patients (6 male; 7 female)...