Importance: Caregivers of people with mental illness are at increased risk of developing depression, anxiety, and stress. Objective: To investigate the effect of a compassion cultivation training (CCT) program on decreasing caregiver psychological distress. Design, setting, and participants: This waitlist-controlled randomized clinical trial was conducted in 2 different community settings in...
Ketamine and its (S)-enantiomer show distinct psychological effects that are investigated in psychiatric research. Its antidepressant activity may depend on the extent and quality of these psychological effects which may greatly differ between the enantiomers. Previous data indicate that the (S)-ketamine isomer is a more potent anesthetic than (R)-ketamine. In contrast, in subanesthetic doses...
Modern psychological research on meditation has demonstrated its extensive psychological and physical benefits. Much of this modern research relies on ‘mindfulness’ training protocols, such as the popular MBSR program (from the 1970s) and similar offshoots. Though certainly useful, these mindfulness interventions are limited in scope. Their contents do not reflect voluminous recent research...
Abstract Objectives A combination of negatively biased information processing and a reduced ability to experience positive emotions can persist into remission from major depression (rMDD). Studies have shown that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) can increase self-reported positive emotions in rMDD participants; similar changes using neuropsychological tasks have not been shown. In...
Back to table of contents Previous article Next article APA & MeetingsFull AccessSession on Psychedelics Sure to Be EnlighteningNick ZagorskiNick ZagorskiSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:2 Mar 2021https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2021.3.14AbstractLeaders in psychedelic research will discuss the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds in psychiatry and important...
Long term benefits following short-term administration of high psychedelic doses of serotonergic and dissociative hallucinogens, typified by psilocybin and ketamine respectively, support their potential as treatments for psychiatric conditions such as major depressive disorder. The high psychedelic doses induce perceptual experiences which are associated with therapeutic benefit. There have...
Clinical evidence suggests a potential therapeutic effect of classic psychedelics for the treatment of depression. The most outstanding and distinct characteristic is the rapid and sustained antidepressant action with one single exposure to the drug. However, the biological substrates and key mediators of psychedelics’ enduring action remain unknown. Here, we show that a single administration...
Subanesthetic ketamine evokes rapid antidepressant effects in human patients that persist long past ketamine’s chemical half-life of ~2 h. Ketamine’s sustained antidepressant action may be due to modulation of cortical plasticity. We find that ketamine ameliorates depression-like behavior in the forced swim test in adult mice, and this depends on parvalbumin-expressing (PV) neuron-directed...
What happens in the brain when conscious awareness of the surrounding world fades? We manipulated consciousness in two experiments in a group of healthy males and measured brain activity with positron emission tomography. Measurements were made during wakefulness, escalating and constant levels of two anesthetic agents (experiment 1, n = 39), and during sleep-deprived wakefulness and non-rapid...
Background There is a need to regularly update the evidence base on the effectiveness of online mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), especially considering how fast this field is growing and developing. Objective This study presents an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessing the effects of online MBIs on mental health and the potential moderators of these effects....