Background: Mindfulness-based mental fitness training (MBMFT) based on Vipassana is a secular, non-religious method found to be useful in reducing stress, anxiety and depression in a variety of population. Studies have revealed that an increasing percentage of population experiences high stress. The present study was conducted to evaluate impact of a mindfulness-based mental fitness training...
Available evidence indicates that a single, low-dose administration of ketamine is a robust, rapid-onset intervention capable of mitigating depressive symptoms in adults with treatment-resistant mood disorders. Additional evidence also suggests that ketamine may offer antisuicide effects. Herein, we propose that the antidepressant effects reported with ketamine administration are mediated, in...
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The article reviews the recent evidence for mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for patients with residual depressive symptoms or in remitted patients at increased risk for relapse. RECENT FINDINGS: Randomized controlled trials have shifted focus from comparing MBCT with treatment-as-usual to comparing MBCT against interventions. These studies have provided evidence...
Anecdotal reports suggest that Transcendental Meditation (TM) may be helpful for some children and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). In this perspective piece, we present six carefully evaluated individuals with diagnosed ASDs, who appear to have benefitted from TM, and offer some thoughts as to how this technique might help such individuals.
We aimed to evaluate the effect of anaesthesia with thiopental (4 mg kg(-1)), ketamine (1 mg kg(-1)) and ketamine-thiopental (1 mg kg(-1) and 4 mg kg(-1), respectively) combination during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and haemodynamic variables in patients with resistant major depression. Patients with...
Frequency and predictors of nightmares among children 7-11 years old with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; n = 42) and no diagnosis (n = 44) were examined using both prospective and retrospective child and parent reports. Both children with GAD and their parents reported significantly more nightmares than controls based on retrospective reports, but the groups did not differ when nightmares...
Major depressive disorder and bipolar depression are among the most prevalent and disabling mental disorders worldwide. Real-world effectiveness trials in major depressive disorder have underscored that most pharmacological options target monoamines, which are involved in a minority (15-20%) of synaptic contacts in the mammalian brain. Most synapses (∼50%) use the amino acid glutamate as their...
Abstract Acutely administered 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) has been proposed to have long-term positive effects on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms when combined with psychotherapy. No preclinical data support a mechanistic basis for these claims. Given the persistent nature of psychotherapeutic gains facilitated by MDMA, we hypothesized that MDMA improves...
In clinical research settings around the world, renewed investigations are taking place on the use of psychedelic substances for treating illnesses such as addiction, depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since the termination of a period of research from the 1950s to the
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a group-based intervention similar to mindfulness-based stress reduction, but which includes cognitive therapy techniques. This study investigates its usefulness in the treatment of depressive, anxiety and stress/distress symptoms in cancer patients referred to a psycho-oncology service. It also examines whether effect on depression is mediated by...