Postpartum depressive symptoms can vary substantially and probably reflect distinct subtypes. Understanding specific symptom patterns may help identify those at risk for later psychiatric care.

We aimed to identify subtypes of postpartum depressive symptoms and examine their associations with subsequent psychiatric care.

We conducted a cohort study using Danish nationwide health registers linked to population-based Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores from 2015 to 2021. Latent class analysis of EPDS responses identified subtypes among women with clinically relevant symptoms (EPDS ≥11), using a maternal background population as a reference group (EPDS <11). The outcome was psychiatric hospital contacts or redeemed psychotropic prescriptions within 1 year postpartum. We estimated standardised cumulative incidence rates and risk ratios using spline-based, time-to-event models.

Among 162 079 women, 11 847 (7.3%) had clinically relevant symptoms (EPDS ≥11). Five subtypes were identified: Mild-depressive (23%), Moderate-anxious (17%), Moderate-depressive (18%), Moderate-overwhelmed (31%) and Severe-depressive (11%). At 1 year, the standardised cumulative incidence of psychiatric care was 69.6 (95% CI, 61.4–79.0) per 1000 persons in the Mild-depressive subtype. Compared with this group, the adjusted risk ratio was 0.33 (95% CI, 0.28–0.38) in the background maternal population, between 1.11 (95% CI, 0.93–1.32) and 1.25 (95% CI, 1.06–1.48) across moderate subtypes and 2.37 (95% CI, 1.99–2.82) for the Severe-depressive subtype.

Distinct subtypes of postpartum depressive symptoms were associated with varying risks of subsequent psychiatric care, depending on both symptom severity and symptom type. These findings underscore the importance of systematic screening and tailored follow-up, even for women with mild to moderate symptoms.

Perinatal depression and/or anxiety (depression–anxiety) have been associated with developmental disruptions. Less attention has been paid to preconception mental health, which could also contribute to adverse outcomes.

To examine whether preconception mental health is associated with developmental vulnerability in children who were either exposed or unexposed to prenatal depression.

A population-based, retrospective cohort including 130 631 births to 108 340 pregnant people from British Columbia (Canada) between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2012, with child development data in the form of the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Logistic regression using cluster-robust standard errors was used to compare the odds of vulnerability on EDI domains.

Children born to pregnant people in all groups with depression–anxiety preconception history were more likely to be considered vulnerable on all developmental domains, except for communication skills and general knowledge, than those without prenatal depression and no preconception depression–anxiety. After adjusting for confounders, effect size was largest for children born to a person with prenatal depression who had persistent depression–anxiety before they conceived on the domains of physical health and well-being (adjusted odds ratio 1.73 [95% CI: 1.56–1.92]). Children born to people with prenatal depression but no preconception depression–anxiety were probably more vulnerable on social competence and emotional maturity domains than those without prenatal depression and no preconception depression–anxiety.

Preconception mental health is associated with child development, even after accounting for depression in pregnancy. We hypothesise that it is picking up on different experiences of mental illness through the life course and represents slightly different fetal exposures.

Depression is the most common mental illness globally and is a leading cause of years lived with disability. The manifestation of depressive symptoms can vary among ethnic groups. Individuals in South Asian countries experience higher levels of somatic symptoms than those in other regions, but it is not known whether this pattern extends to the South Asian diaspora.

To provide a qualitative synthesis of what is known regarding depression symptoms among the South Asian diaspora in English-speaking countries.

A systematic scoping review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews guidelines, based on a pre-registered protocol (doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5E6ZK). The review included qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods primary research, reporting depression symptoms based on samples of adults of the South Asian diaspora in English-speaking countries with substantial South Asian populations. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify widely reported symptoms of depression among the South Asian diaspora.

Commonly reported symptoms included physical pain, heart-related symptoms and repetitive negative thinking, none of which are included in ICD-11 diagnostic criteria for depressive disorders. Sleep-related disturbances are also widely reported in research into experiences of depression among the South Asian diaspora.

Current diagnostic criteria for depression might not capture symptoms of some South Asian individuals, which may cause missed opportunities for intervention.

Late-life depression (LLD) is associated with cognitive impairment and an elevated risk of dementia, yet the influence of age at depression onset on cognitive prognosis remains unclear. Emerging evidence suggests that late-onset depression, defined as first depressive episode in later adulthood, may reflect distinct neuropathological mechanisms and predict more severe cognitive decline and greater dementia risk than early-onset depression.

This study aimed to investigate whether late-onset depression is linked to domain-specific cognitive impairment and higher risk of incident dementia among older adults with major depressive disorder.

We analysed UK Biobank data from older adults (aged ≥60 years) with primary care linkage, classifying participants into depression-free controls, early-life depression, late-life depression with early onset (LLD-EO) and late-life depression with late onset (LLD-LO). Cognitive performance across these five domains was assessed cross-sectionally at baseline using touchscreen tasks. Incident dementia was evaluated prospectively using clinical records up to 2022. Multi-level models with inverse-probability weighting and survey-adjusted mixed modelling were applied to assess group differences in cognitive function, controlling for demographic covariates, lifestyle factors and physical and mental health conditions. A Cox regression model was employed to estimate dementia risk among groups.

Among 75 064 participants aged ≥60 years, the LLD-LO group (n = 4858) showed significantly worse cognitive performance than healthy controls, particularly on fluid intelligence and visuospatial memory. The LLD-LO group performed worse than LLD-EO on fluid intelligence. During follow-up, LLD-LO was associated with a higher risk of incident dementia (hazard ratio 1.42–1.52) across all adjusted models. Deficits in fluid intelligence and visuospatial memory partially mediated the link between LLD-LO and subsequent dementia.

Late-onset depression showed more severe impairment in fluid intelligence compared with LLD-EO. Late-onset depression was associated with increased incident dementia compared with depression-free individuals.

In 2018, the UK government commissioned National Health Service Talking Therapies (NHS TT) services to provide integrated mental and physical health care for individuals with a long-term condition (LTC) and coexisting depression and/or anxiety. Nevertheless, evidence on the effectiveness of NHS TT in physical LTCs remains inconsistent.

This review aims to evaluate the impact of NHS TT on mental health outcomes among adults with physical LTCs.

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative studies published between 2008 and 2024. We used several databases for the search, including Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, NHS Evidence, PsycINFO, Bielefeld Academic Search Engine and ProQuest. We combined terms related to NHS TT, LTCs and mental health outcomes to identify eligible studies. The Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes and Study framework guided the development of the inclusion criteria. We employed the random-effects model for meta-analysis and assessed heterogeneity bias using the I2 statistic, and the Newcastle–Ottawa scale to evaluate the overall quality of the evidence.

Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis revealed a significant pre–post NHS TT intervention effect on reliable improvement (odds ratio 0.77, 95% CI: 0.60–0.98) and reliable recovery (odds ratio 0.80, CI: 0.68–0.95). There were no significant differences in NHS TT accessibility (e.g. treatment engagement) between participants with and without LTCs (odds ratio 0.97, 95% CI: 0.82–1.14). However, heterogeneity between the studies was high (>90%).

The observed evidence provides reassurance for individuals with LTCs engaging with treatment; however, the association with post-treatment distress is still of concern. Furthermore, extensive and rigorous research is needed to strengthen and guide service development for individuals with LTCs, thereby improving effectiveness.

In England, 354 000 people were homeless on a given night in 2024. It has long been recognised that the physical and mental health of people who are homeless is poorer than for those who are stably housed. There are few peer-reviewed studies to inform health- and social care around depression or anxiety for people who are homeless in this setting.

To measure the symptoms of depression and anxiety among adults who are homeless and who have difficulty accessing healthcare, and to describe the distribution of symptoms across sociodemographic, health-related characteristics and indicators of social vulnerability.

We surveyed 311 adults between August and December 2021. We measured anxiety and depression symptoms using the four-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) score. We compared median PHQ-4 scores across strata of sociodemographic, social vulnerability and health-related characteristics, and tested for associations with the Kruskal–Wallis test.

The median PHQ-4 score was 7 out of 12, with 38% having scores warranting clinical attention. While PHQ-4 scores were consistently high across a range of socioeconomic, social vulnerability and health-related characteristics, they were positively associated with young age; food insecurity; recent and historic abuse; joint, bone or muscle problems; and marijuana use. The most common barrier to accessing healthcare related to transportation (60%).

People who are homeless and have difficulty accessing healthcare have high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms. Our findings support further coordination between health- and social care sectors.

Social connections might be protective against depressive and anxious symptoms and dementia in later life. The extent to which social connections are heritable versus modifiable in older age remains unknown.

We aimed to investigate the heritability of social connections and their influence on mental and cognitive health over time among older adults in a longitudinal cohort.

We analysed data from the Older Australian Twins Study (333 monozygotic, 266 dizygotic twins; 65+ years) at three time-points over 6 years. We examined the factor structure and heritability of baseline social connections and their associations with mental and cognitive health longitudinally.

We found three weakly heritable social connections factors: (a) interacting with friends/neighbours/community (h2 = 0.09, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.44); (b) family interactions/childcare (h2 = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.43); (c) involvement in religious groups/caregiving (h2 = 0.00, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.19). Strong genetic correlations were observed between depressive symptoms and factors a (r = −0.96) and b (r = −0.60). More frequent baseline interactions with friends/neighbours/community were associated with fewer depressive symptoms cross-sectionally (B = −0.14, p = .004) and longitudinally (B = −0.09, p = 0.006), but the associations between social connections and cognitive health were not significant.

Social connections were weakly heritable, suggesting large environmental determination. Connections with friends/neighbours/community were associated with better mental health cross-sectionally and over time.

The Maudsley 3-item visual analogue scale (M3VAS) was developed as a novel and intuitive patient-reported measure for depression, focusing on core symptoms and suicidality.

To evaluate the longitudinal validity of M3VAS for capturing symptom change over time.

Both M3VAS and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9, as reference standard) were administered in an observational study (RHAPSODY, no. NCT04939818) at weeks 0, 2 and 4 to both depressed patients (n = 50) and matched controls (n = 24). We serially tested factor structure, internal consistency and convergence (correlation) over time, assessing responsiveness by both correlation of change in score and effect of time across scales (analysis of variance and effect size).

M3VAS exhibited strong factor loadings and high item interrelatedness (Cronbach’s alpha 0.78–0.83) at all time points. Total scores correlated strongly with PHQ-9 at each time point (r > 0.8, P < 0.001). Correlation of score change over the study period (r = 0.65, P < 0.001) also confirmed responsiveness. In the depressed group, an effect of time on score was seen for both M3VAS (F = 4.942, P = 0.010) and PHQ-9 (F = 12.505, P < 0.001), with standard response mean (Cohen’s d) of 0.58 and 0.74, respectively. No effect of time was seen in the control group.

Following previous cross-sectional validation against the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology–Self-report, this present study demonstrated appropriate longitudinal measurement properties for M3VAS as a measure of depression, including responsiveness. Evaluating the ability of M3VAS to discern responses with a variety of treatments is a key future goal.

Children displaced by armed conflict are at high risk of experiencing psychological distress. The ongoing war in Gaza has resulted in widespread trauma among Palestinian youth, yet limited data exist on their mental health following displacement. This study assessed the prevalence and correlates of anxiety and depressive symptoms among war-displaced Palestinian refugee children and adolescents resettled in Qatar.

To estimate the prevalence of clinically significant anxiety and depressive symptoms and to identify psychosocial and trauma-related factors associated with symptom severity in this population.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 Palestinian children (aged 8–17 years) residing in a residential compound in Qatar. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were measured using the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Child Version and the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire-Child Version, respectively. A Resilience and Demographic Questionnaire was devised to assess trauma exposure and psychosocial variables. Multiple linear regression identified factors associated with symptom severity.

Clinically significant anxiety and depressive symptoms were found in 70.9 and 46.0% of participants, respectively. Separation anxiety was the most common subtype. Female gender, witnessing death, physical injury and disrupted caregiving were significantly associated with worse outcomes.

This study highlights the urgent need for trauma-informed, culturally sensitive mental health services for displaced Palestinian children and young people. While clinical interventions are vital, a sustainable resolution to the conflict is essential to mitigate further psychological harm.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) displays an alarmingly high prevalence rate among university students, placing them at high risk for adverse long-term outcomes, including suicide.

This study aimed to achieve a better understanding of factors contributing to NSSI in university student populations by examining reasons for NSSI and histories of stressful events and coping strategies.

A total of 185 university students with a lifetime history of NSSI were assessed for depressive symptoms and NSSI characteristics. They completed three questionnaires on NSSI reasons, stressful events and coping strategies during childhood and adolescence. Each questionnaire included an ‘others’ option combined with an open-ended response box. After descriptive analysis of the closed questions, these open-ended responses were qualitatively categorised and analysed as predictors of depression severity and NSSI continuation from adolescence into adulthood.

Qualitative analysis identified eight, five and ten categories from the open-ended responses for NSSI reasons, stressful events and coping strategies, respectively, with substantial to almost perfect interrater reliability. Two qualitative reason categories, one stressful event category and two coping strategy categories significantly predicted depression severity (β = 0.21–0.23). Participants reporting events in the stressful events category ‘Traumatisation and experiences of violence’ were three times more likely to continue NSSI into adulthood (f 2 = 0.07).

This study demonstrates the value of mixed-methods approaches. Stable qualitative categories highlight the need to capture individual variations in NSSI-related factors. It emphasises trauma-related stressors due to their influence on depression severity and persistence of NSSI into adulthood.