Psychiatry Research - The Consciousness Library

Faster and greater antidepressant response to intravenous ketamine in bipolar compared with unipolar treatment-resistant depression: Diagnostic and sex-related findings from a naturalistic study.

Psychiatry Research August 1, 2026 Pietro Carmellini, Andrea Fagiolini, Mario Pinzi et al.

Intravenous ketamine has emerged as a rapid-acting antidepressant intervention that has shown promising effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression, although evidence remains heterogeneous and less well established across diagnostic subtypes. Nevertheless, real-world data comparing diagnostic subtypes and sex-related differences remain limited. This observational study examined the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117184 Full text Ketamine Treatment-resistant depression Mood disorders Precision medicine

Psychedelics as a potential treatment for borderline personality disorder: A narrative review.

Psychiatry Research July 1, 2026 Erin Artna, Guneet Sandhu, Noah Chisamore et al. 1 citation

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness with high rates of morbidity and stigma; however, successful remission is frequently limited by a paucity of accessible treatment options. In an era of growing interest in psychedelics as novel psychiatric treatment modalities, patients with BPD are often excluded from research due to perceived safety risks, particularly...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117152 Full text Esketamine Psilocybin Borderline personality disorder Hallucinogens +2

Comparative efficacy and acceptability of pharmacological interventions for postpartum depression: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Psychiatry Research July 1, 2026 Yao Xiao, Ping Xie, Danlei Li et al.

Pharmacological treatment for postpartum depression (PPD) have mainly involved conventional antidepressants, RCTs have also evaluated rapid-acting glutamatergic agents, neuroactive steroids, hormonal therapies, and botanical preparations. An updated comparative synthesis of these treatments is therefore needed. To synthesize RCT evidence and compare the efficacy, response, remission,...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117318 Full text Brexanolone Medication-based interventions Network meta-analysis Postpartum depression +2

Intranasal esketamine in treatment-resistant depression with and without comorbid borderline personality disorder: A multicenter real-world longitudinal study.

Psychiatry Research June 16, 2026 Filippo Mazzoni, Fabiola Raffone, Arianna De Ciechi et al.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) often occurs alongside treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but the impact of BPD on real-world outcomes with intranasal esketamine is unclear. Consecutive TRD outpatients initiating intranasal esketamine treatment at four Italian centres between 1 September 2024 and 30 September 2025 were enrolled in the study (n = 90): 45 with comorbid BPD and 45 without...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117288 Full text Anxiety Esketamine Treatment-resistant depression Borderline personality disorder +2

The time Collapse-Entrapment model of depersonalization severity.

Psychiatry Research June 9, 2026 Sean P Madden, Mark R Serper

Depersonalization is a disruption in self-awareness marked by a sense of detachment from one's own thoughts, body, sensory experiences, actions, and emotions. While psychological distress and temporal disturbances are known correlates, the mechanisms through which these factors contribute to symptom severity remain poorly understood. The present study proposed and tested the Time...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117272 Full text Depersonalization Derealization Entrapment Temporal blurring

The influence of mindfulness therapy on NSSI and serum proBDNF in adolescents with depressive episode of depressive episode of bipolar disorder.

Psychiatry Research June 1, 2026 Peng Wang, Tong Wang, Yanling Wang et al.

There is a significant association between depressive episodes of bipolar disorder and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) represents an evolution of cognitive behavioural therapy and serves as a comprehensive psychological intervention. Preliminary research suggests that MBCT may enhance cognitive flexibility and attentional adjustment in patients with...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117109 Full text Mbct Nssi Probdnf

Promoting self-compassion meditation with intranasal oxytocin in borderline personality disorder: a pilot study.

Psychiatry Research June 1, 2026 María Arqueros, J. Soler, David Almenta et al.

BACKGROUND Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by emotion dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties, and high levels of self-criticism, which may hinder engagement with compassion-based therapeutic practices. Oxytocin has been proposed as a modulator of social-affective processes and may facilitate specific mechanisms involved in psychotherapy. METHODS In this pilot study, 18...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117294

Patterns of onset and progression of psychoses induced by psychoactive substance use.

Psychiatry Research June 1, 2026 P. Ifteni, A. Miron, R.M. Necula et al.

INTRODUCTION Drug use in Europe has increased in recent years, including a marked rise in new psychoactive substances (NPS). Substance use disorders negatively affect physical and mental health. Psychotic disorders are highly prevalent among drug users. Establishing a link between illicit drug use and schizophrenia would help clarify the progression risk after substance-induced psychosis. AIMS...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117283

Functional recovery trajectories in cannabis-induced first-episode psychosis: The role of dissociative symptoms in the discrepancy between symptomatic improvement and functional outcomes.

Psychiatry Research May 25, 2026 Valerio Ricci, Andrea Paggi, Giovanni Martinotti et al.

Functional recovery in cannabis-induced first-episode psychosis (FEP) remains incompletely understood. Dissociative symptoms, frequently associated with cannabis use, may represent a key but underexplored determinant of functional trajectories. This prospective cohort study followed 72 patients meeting DSM-5 criteria for cannabis-induced psychotic disorder over 24 months. Functional recovery...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117240 Full text Cannabis-induced psychosis Depersonalization Dissociation First-episode psychosis +1

Ketamine and esketamine for the prevention of postpartum depression: A systematic review and network meta-analysis, with an integrated evidence synthesis.

Psychiatry Research May 12, 2026 Isis Lunsky, Gilmar Gutierrez, Xena Wang et al.

Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a common condition with serious consequences for both mother and baby if left untreated. Currently, few effective strategies exist for prevention of PPD. Ketamine and Esketamine are rapid acting and potent antidepressants, and emerging evidence is showing promising results for PPD. This review searched the MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases,...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117221 Full text Esketamine Perinatal mental health Postpartum depression Psychopharmacology

Biological variations in ketamine sensitivity: insights from hyperlocomotion to psychotomimetic features in genetically diverse mouse strains.

Psychiatry Research April 1, 2026 Wen-Huei Siao, Tzong-Shi Wang, Liang-Chun Wang et al.

Ketamine, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, induces dissociative and psychotomimetic states and is widely used as an animal model for schizophrenia. However, strain-dependent variability in ketamine sensitivity is poorly understood, especially during adolescence, a developmental period marked by heightened vulnerability to NMDA receptor hypofunction. This study would compare...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.116995 Full text Animal model Genetic diversity Ketamine sensitivity Nmda receptor hypofunction +1

Single fixed-dose intranasal racemic ketamine treatment for the treatment of acute suicidality in a transdiagnostic patient population: Results of a pilot study.

Psychiatry Research March 1, 2026 Gijsbrecht H J Roelandt, Jurriaan F M Strous, Radboud M Marijnissen et al. 1 citation

Ketamine has been shown to decrease suicidality in patients with depression. However, little is known about tolerability and efficacy in heterogenous, acutely suicidal patients in emergency settings. This pilot study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of generic intranasal racemic ketamine (75 mg) in the treatment of acute suicidality regardless of the underlying...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116909 Full text Ketamine Acute psychiatry Mood disorders Suicidality

The use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), ketamine, and esketamine in reducing suicidality in major depressive disorder: A comprehensive narrative review

Psychiatry Research February 19, 2026 Trisha Menon, Andy Lu, Akhilan Arulmozhi et al.

Ketamine, esketamine, rTMS and ECT are associated with reductions in SI in persons with MDD, with the strongest evidence from randomized controlled trials supporting rapid, short-term effects, particularly for ketamine and esketamine. Further characterization and differentiation of the durability of antisuicidal effects of the aforementioned interventions requires investigation in large-scale,...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117036 Ketamine Treatment-resistant depression Major depressive disorder Narrative review +11

Trip sitting or just sitting? Session facilitators substantially influence psychedelic experiences in clinical trials but not in healthy ones

Psychiatry Research February 13, 2026 Sean P. Goldy, Nathan D. Sepeda, Samantha Hilbert et al. 1 citation

Psychedelics' characteristic acute subjective effects predict therapeutic benefits, such as decreases in depression and anxiety. Thus, optimizing treatment involves better understanding which factors shape subjective effects. Session facilitators, who support participants before, during, and after psychedelic administration sessions, form an important part of the setting of these experiences....

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.117010 Psilocybin Clinical trial Multilevel model Sitting +10

Real-world effectiveness and safety of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: Outcomes from a large-scale compassionate use cohort in Switzerland.

Psychiatry Research February 2, 2026 Tatiana Aboulafia Brakha, Albert Buchard, Cédric Mabilais et al. 1 citation

Classic serotonergic psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin show promising antidepressant effects in controlled trials, but real-world data from routine clinical care remain limited. This study retrospectively analysed routine data from adults with treatment-resistant depressive and/or anxiety disorders who received a first standardized Psychedelic-assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) cycle with 100...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.116992 Full text Anxiety Depression LSD Mystical experience +2

Adverse events associated with classic psychedelics and MDMA: a real-world population-based study using the WHO pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase)

Psychiatry Research December 29, 2025 Omer A. Syed, Sean M. Nestor, Muhammad Ishrat Husain et al. 1 citation

Psychedelic use has greatly increased within clinical and recreational settings over recent years. While demonstrating a favorable safety profile within certain clinical populations, little empirical research has explored safety of psychedelic use within real-world samples. Using the World Health Organization (WHO) VigiBase, a comprehensive global pharmacovigilance database with voluntary...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116929 Psilocybin MDMA Mescaline Ecstasy +13

Personalizing ketamine therapy: Real-world predictors of response to IV ketamine and intranasal esketamine in treatment-resistant depression.

Psychiatry Research December 1, 2025 Ahmed Z Elmaadawi, Imane Naha, Shruti Prabhudesai et al. 2 citations

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) poses significant clinical challenges, often necessitating alternative treatments such as intravenous (IV) ketamine or intranasal esketamine. This study compared the effectiveness of these modalities and examined predictors of treatment response, including comorbidity profile, prior antidepressant failures, age, and gender. A retrospective chart review was...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116821 Full text Depression Esketamine Retrospective Trd

Efficacy of esketamine after cesarean section for women with symptoms of prenatal depression: A randomized controlled trial.

Psychiatry Research November 16, 2025 Xue-Song, Ying-Yan Xu, Hua-Ping Xiong et al. 2 citations

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major global health issue. Although esketamine shows promise for PPD, its preventive effect in cesarean patients with prenatal depression remains unclear. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effect of perioperative esketamine treatment on PPD incidence in this high-risk population. This dual-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116849 Full text Esketamine Cesarean section High-risk population Postpartum depression prevention

Endocannabinoids, depression, and treatment resistance: Perspectives on effective therapeutic interventions

Psychiatry Research August 18, 2025 Ilenia Rosa, L. Padula, Francesco Semeraro et al. 2 citations

Depression is a prevalent and heterogeneous disorder with significant personal and social consequences. The rise of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) challenges traditional approaches and underscores the need for a broader neurobiological perspective. When monoaminergic modulation proves insufficient, clinical guidelines increasingly turn to non-monoaminergic interventions such as...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116697 Endocannabinoid system Depression economics Psychological intervention Resistance ecology +2

Real world effectiveness of maintenance ketamine infusions for treatment-resistant depression in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

Psychiatry Research August 15, 2025 Sipan Haikazian, Roger S McIntyre, Shakila Meshkat et al. 7 citations

Antidepressant effects with sub-anesthetic doses of intravenous ketamine have been previously demonstrated. However, previous studies have primarily evaluated the efficacy of acute treatment protocols, with limited research on maintenance treatment. Moreover, controlled maintenance studies have only included patients with treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder (TRD), with no maintenance...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116691 Full text

Lessons learned from the regulatory alignment in ketamine, esketamine and arketamine clinical trials: A cross-sectional analysis of protocols from ClinicalTrials.gov.

Psychiatry Research August 1, 2025 Damian Swieczkowski, Aleksander Kwaśny, Krzysztof Sadko et al. 5 citations

Ketamine and its enantiomers, esketamine and arketamine, have emerged as promising treatments for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This cross-sectional study evaluates the regulatory alignment of 40 clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov, focusing on the methodological challenges. The study highlights methodological inconsistencies, particularly around the challenges of functional...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116559 Full text Arketamine Esketamine Clinical trials Ketamine-assisted therapy +7

Effectiveness of repeated Esketamine nasal spray administration on anhedonic symptoms in treatment-resistant bipolar and unipolar depression: A secondary analysis from the REAL-ESK study group.

Psychiatry Research July 26, 2025 Giacomo D’andrea, Clara Cavallotto, Mauro Pettorruso et al. 16 citations

INTRODUCTION Anhedonia, defined as the diminished ability to experience or anticipate pleasure, is a core symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar depression (BD), and associated with depression severity, suicidality and poor treatment outcomes. Conventional antidepressants demonstrate limited efficacy against anhedonia. Esketamine nasal spray (ESK-NS) - a novel NMDA receptor...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116655 Full text

Outcomes of patients receiving interventional psychiatric procedures in a large integrated healthcare system.

Psychiatry Research July 19, 2025 Kevin J Li, Natalie E Slama, Ingrid L Chen et al. 2 citations

Interventional psychiatric procedures (IPPs) such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and ketamine intravenous treatments (KIT) are widely used for treatment resistant depression (TRD), but we lack studies of their real-world impact compared to standard outpatient medication management (MM). Longitudinal electronic health records of 22,481 patients in a...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116647 Full text Esketamine Mdd Major depressive disorder Electroconvulsive therapy +12

Neural basis of GAD improvement following a mindfulness-based intervention and antidepressant treatment: an analysis from a randomized controlled trial.

Psychiatry Research July 12, 2025 Marianna de Abreu Costa, Patrícia Bado, Maiko Schneider et al. 1 citation

The brain mechanisms underlying patient improvement after interventions remain poorly understood. Identifying the shared and distinct neural pathway between improvement mechanisms across distinct treatment modalities might improve our understanding of brain-behavior relationships and inform personalized approaches. To investigate the neural correlations of symptom improvement in Generalized...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116637 Full text Generalized anxiety disorder Mindfulness Amygdala Antidepressant +1

Online mindfulness-based vs. cognitive-behavioural stress reduction for medical students: A randomized controlled trial.

Psychiatry Research July 11, 2025 Aysegul Yay-Pence, Selcuk Aslan, Merve Coldur et al. 2 citations

This study evaluated the effects of Mindfulness-based stress reduction(MBSR) and cognitive behavioural stress reduction(CBSR) on depression, anxiety, and perceived stress in medical students. A total of 323 medical students studying in Ankara, Turkey, applied to participate and were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Medical students with a psychotic disorder,...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116632 Full text Mindfulness Cognitive behavioural therapy Mental health Primary prevention +1

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