Adolescence is a sensitive period for emotional and cognitive development, with heightened risk for mental health challenges, particularly in individuals with ADHD and affective disorders. While Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) improves emotion regulation and cognition in healthy populations, its effects in clinically complex adolescents are less understood. This pilot randomized...
Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health problems in adolescence, and its onset often coincides with the secondary school years. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown short-term benefits for reducing anxiety in young people, but the durability of these benefits after treatment remains uncertain. To inform clinical and school-based practice, a quantitative synthesis focused...
Aims The recent regulatory approval of esketamine in adults heralded the renaissance of research into psychedelic compounds. However, the relevance of this resurgence for children and adolescents remains unclear. This review examines the rationale for investigating psychedelics in pediatric psychopharmacology. Methods We reviewed recent literature, regulatory documents, and clinical trial...
Recent clinical trials conducted by both industry and academic institutions have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for a variety of mental health conditions in adults. Considering the neurodevelopmental aspects of many of these disorders and the widespread occurrence of these conditions among younger individuals, there is increasing interest in exploring the potential for...
BACKGROUND: Hallucinogen use among adolescents is increasing worldwide. In this context, in recent years, hallucinogens have re-emerged in scientific and public discourse. However, whether there is an association between hallucinogens use in adolescents and the impact of such use in individuals with Early-Onset Psychosis (EOP), remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated...
BACKGROUND: Adolescents are increasingly using classical psychedelics, yet little is known about how psychedelics use is related to their mental health. Emerging evidence suggests that adolescents may be more vulnerable to adverse outcomes in relation to psychedelic use compared to adults. This descriptive and exploratory study examined differences between adolescents and adults in reported...
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is gaining recognition as a promising intervention for treatment-refractory mental health conditions in adults. While interest in its applications for adolescents is growing, critical gaps remain in understanding safe and effective delivery of PAT to this vulnerable population, including implications for caregiver/family (used interchangeably) involvement in...
Little comparative data on substance use (SU) between sexual minority youth (SMY) and heterosexual youth (HET) is available. This study compares the prevalence of SU in an urban cohort between SMY and HET and evaluates demographic and psychosocial predictors of SU. Data came from a prospective-longitudinal cohort study in an urban setting (N = 1297). SU and psychosocial variables such as...
BACKGROUND: Ketamine and its enantiomer have rapid and robust effects on depressive symptom and suicidal ideation. Little is known about their cognitive effects in adolescents. We aimed to evaluate the short-term effect of esketamine on cognition in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicidal ideation. METHOD: In this randomized-controlled trial, 51 participants aged 13-18...
We have experience and are conscious of the world. Who though is conscious? This is the subject or self of experience. While in the past the concept of self has been matter of philosophical discussion, psychoanalysis shifted it into the domain of psychology where it surfaced as ego. More recently, brain imaging allows to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying our subjective experience of...