Recent changes in US government priorities have serious negative implications for science that will compromise the integrity of mental health research, which focuses on vulnerable populations. Therefore, as editors of mental science journals and custodians of the academic record, we confirm with conviction our collective commitment to communicating the truth.

The course of depression is heterogeneous. The employed treatment is a key element in the impact of the course of depression over the time. However, there is currently a gap of knowledge about the trajectories per treatment and related baseline factors. We aimed to identify trajectories of depressive symptoms and associated baseline characteristics for two treatment arms in a randomized clinical trial: treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU plus transdiagnostic group cognitive behavioral therapy (TAU + TDG-CBT).

Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was used to identify trajectories of depressive symptoms over 12 months post-treatment. Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between baseline characteristics and trajectory class membership in 483 patients (TAU: 231; TAU + TDG-CBT: 251).

We identified different patterns of symptom change in the randomized groups: two trajectories in TAU (‘improvement’ (71.4%) and ‘no improvement’ (28.6%)), and four trajectories in TAU + TDG-CBT (‘recovery’ (69.8%), ‘late recovery’ (5.95%), ‘chronicity’ (4.77%), and ‘relapse’ (19.44%)). Higher baseline symptom severity and comorbidity were associated with poorer treatment outcomes in both treatment groups and worse emotional regulation strategies were linked to the ‘no improvement trajectory’ in TAU. The TAU + TDG-CBT group demonstrated greater symptom reduction compared to TAU alone.

There is heterogeneity in treatment outcomes. Integration of TDG-CBT with TAU significantly improves symptom reduction compared to TAU alone. Patients with higher baseline severity and comorbidities show poorer outcomes. Identification of trajectories and related factors could assist clinicians in tailoring treatment strategies to optimize outcomes, particularly for patients with a worse prognosis.

Improving functioning in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) is a priority therapeutic objective.

This retrospective post hoc secondary analysis evaluated 108 patients with MDD or BD receiving the antidepressants vortioxetine, ketamine, or infliximab. The analysis aimed to determine if changes in objective or subjective cognitive function mediated the relationship between depression symptom severity and workplace outcomes. Cognitive function was measured by the Perceived Deficits Questionnaire (PDQ-5), the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and the Trail Making Test Part B (TMT-B). Depression symptom severity was measured by the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Workplace function was measured by the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) work–school item.

When co-varying for BMI, age, and sex, the association between MADRS and SDS work scores was partially mediated by PDQ-5 total scores and DSST total scores, but not DSST error scores and TMT-B time.

This study was insufficiently powered to perform sub-group analyses to identify distinctions between MDD and BD populations as well as between antidepressant agents.

These findings suggest that cognitive impairment in adults with MDD and BD is a critical mediator of workplace function and reinforces its importance as a therapeutic target.

Successfully educating urgent care patients on appropriate use and risks of antibiotics can be challenging. We assessed the conscious and subconscious impact various educational materials (informational handout, priming poster, and commitment poster) had on urgent care patients’ knowledge and expectations regarding antibiotics.

Stratified Block Randomized Control Trial.

Urgent care centers (UCCs) in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey.

Urgent care patients.

We randomized 29 UCCs across six study arms to display specific educational materials (informational handout, priming poster, and commitment poster). The primary intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis evaluated whether the materials impacted patient knowledge or expectations of antibiotic prescribing by assigned study arm. The secondary as-treated analysis evaluated the same outcome comparing patients who recalled seeing the assigned educational material and patients who either did not recall seeing an assigned material or were in the control arm.

Twenty-seven centers returned 2,919 questionnaires across six study arms. Only 27.2% of participants in the intervention arms recalled seeing any educational materials. In our primary ITT analysis, no difference in knowledge or expectations of antibiotic prescribing was noted between groups. However, in the as-treated analysis, the handout and commitment poster were associated with higher antibiotic knowledge scores.

Educational materials in UCCs are associated with increased antibiotic-related knowledge among patients when they are seen and recalled; however, most patients do not recall passively displayed materials. More emphasis should be placed on creating and drawing attention to memorable patient educational materials.

The purpose of this study is to examine the national impact of workplace factors during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on mental health experienced by non-physician healthcare workers (HCWs).

This study consisted of an online sample of non-physician HCWs across the United States, including nurses, medical assistants, and physician assistants. The survey consisted of 93 questions, which included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CESD-10) scale, questions about COVID-19 vaccination, sources of trusted information, and questions about work environment and training during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate associations.

In the final sample (N = 220), (81.8%) reported receiving at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Most respondents trusted the CDC’s information on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 disease. Several workplace-related factors that occurred during the pandemic were associated with moderate to high levels of perceived stress, fatigue, and higher risk of developing depression. In particular, concerns about exposing others, experiencing discrimination related to their jobs, and caring for patients who died from COVID-19 were associated with increased perceived stress, depression, and fatigue.

The importance of planning by healthcare facilities should include planning for workplace factors associated with poor mental health among all HCWs.

To compare time to relapse in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) stabilised on antidepressant treatment (ADT) + brexpiprazole who were randomised to continued adjunctive brexpiprazole or brexpiprazole withdrawal (switch to placebo).

This Phase 3, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm, randomised withdrawal study enrolled adults with MDD and inadequate response to 2–3 ADTs. All patients started on adjunctive brexpiprazole 2–3 mg/day (Phase A, 6–8 weeks). Patients whose symptoms stabilised (Phase B, 12 weeks) were randomised 1:1 to adjunctive brexpiprazole or adjunctive placebo (Phase C, 26 weeks). The primary endpoint was time to relapse in Phase C. Depression rating scale score changes were secondary endpoints.

1149 patients were enrolled and 489 patients were randomised (ADT + brexpiprazole n = 240; ADT + placebo n = 249). Median time to relapse was 63 days from randomisation in both treatment groups for patients who received ≥1 dose. Relapse criteria were met by 22.5% of patients (54/240) on ADT + brexpiprazole and 20.6% (51/248) on ADT + placebo (hazard ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 0.78–1.67; p = 0.51, log-rank test). Depression scale scores improved during Phases A–B and were maintained in Phase C. Mean weight increased by 2.2 kg in Phases A–B and stabilised in Phase C.

Time to relapse was similar between continued adjunctive brexpiprazole and brexpiprazole withdrawal; in both groups, ∼80% of stabilised patients remained relapse free at their last visit. Adjunctive brexpiprazole therapy was generally well tolerated over up to 46 weeks, with minimal adverse effects following brexpiprazole withdrawal.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03538691. Funding: Otsuka, Lundbeck.

Seclusion is a restrictive practice that many healthcare services are trying to reduce. Previous studies have sought to identify predictors of seclusion initiation, but few have investigated factors associated with adverse outcomes after seclusion termination.

To assess the factors that predict an adverse outcome within 24 h of seclusion termination.

In a cohort study of individuals secluded in psychiatric intensive care units, we investigated factors associated with any of the following outcomes: actual violence, attempted violence, or reinitiation of seclusion within 24 h of seclusion termination. Among the seclusion episodes that were initiated between 29 March 2018 and 4 March 2019, we investigated the exposures of medication cooperation, seclusion duration, termination out of working hours, involvement of medical staff in the final seclusion review, lack of insight, and agitation or irritability. In a mixed-effects logistic regression model, associations between each exposure and the outcome were calculated. Odds ratios were calculated unadjusted and adjusted for demographic and clinical variables.

We identified 254 seclusion episodes from 122 individuals (40 female, 82 male), of which 106 (41.7%) had an adverse outcome within 24 h of seclusion termination. Agitation or irritability was associated with an adverse outcome, odds ratio 1.92 (95% CI 1.03 to 3.56, P = 0.04), but there was no statistically significant association with any of the other exposures, although confidence intervals were broad.

Agitation or irritability in the hours preceding termination of seclusion may predict an adverse outcome. The study was not powered to detect other potentially clinically significant factors.

Cardiometabolic disease risk factors are disproportionately prevalent in bipolar disorder (BD) and are associated with cognitive impairment. It is, however, unknown which health risk factors for cardiometabolic disease are relevant to cognition in BD. This study aimed to identify the cardiometabolic disease risk factors that are the most important correlates of cognitive impairment in BD; and to examine whether the nature of the relationships vary between mid and later life.

Data from the UK Biobank were available for 966 participants with BD, aged between 40 and 69 years. Individual cardiometabolic disease risk factors were initially regressed onto a global cognition score in separate models for the following risk factor domains; (1) health risk behaviors (physical activity, sedentary behavior, smoking, and sleep) and (2) physiological risk factors, stratified into (2a) anthropometric and clinical risk (handgrip strength, body composition, and blood pressure), and (2b) cardiometabolic disease risk biomarkers (CRP, lipid profile, and HbA1c). A final combined multivariate regression model for global cognition was then fitted, including only the predictor variables that were significantly associated with cognition in the previous models.

In the final combined model, lower mentally active and higher passive sedentary behavior, higher levels of physical activity, inadequate sleep duration, higher systolic and lower diastolic blood pressure, and lower handgrip strength were associated with worse global cognition.

Health risk behaviors, as well as blood pressure and muscular strength, are associated with cognitive function in BD, whereas other traditional physiological cardiometabolic disease risk factors are not.