This article examines how general practitioners (GPs) in Italy and Spain manage patients with mental health needs in daily primary care practice, and how their discretionary choices shape the substantive reach of universal access to care.

Modern healthcare systems in Italy and Spain formally guarantee universal access to primary care. However, mental health services in primary care reveals persistent gaps between this normative principle and everyday practice. Drawing on Lipsky’s Street-Level Bureaucracy (SLB) theory, GPs are understood as frontline professionals whose discretion operates within, and is shaped by, conditions of resource scarcity, time pressure, and limited access to psychosocial services.

A qualitative cross-national design was employed, including 42 semi-structured interviews with 20 GPs and 22 patients with mental health needs in Spain and Italy, conducted between June and November 2022. Data were analysed through an inductive-deductive coding process.

Two principal patterns of discretionary practice emerged. First, GPs exercise discretion differentially by patient age: investing in psychoeducation, counselling, and motivational support with younger patients, while moving more rapidly towards pharmacological management with older patients. This age-based categorization operates as a coping strategy that shapes patients’ candidacy for psychosocial versus pharmacological care. Second, GPs actively normalize psychological distress as a counter-medicalization strategy, primarily with younger patients. Despite significant institutional differences between the two healthcare systems, these patterns converge across Italy and Spain, suggesting they reflect structural features of the SLB role under resource scarcity rather than system-specific dynamics.

Poor school achievement in comprehensive education (~ age 15) has been associated with the later risk of mental disorders, but it remains unclear whether school achievement in upper secondary education (~ age 18) is also associated with this risk. We examined whether school achievement in upper secondary education is associated with the later risk of mental disorders and whether school achievement in comprehensive education modifies these associations.

We studied all individuals born in Finland between 1980 and 2001 (N = 579 781). Individuals were followed from graduation from upper secondary education (ages 18–20) until first mental disorder diagnosis, emigration, death, or December 31, 2023. Matriculation examination grade point average (GPA) at the end of upper secondary education was the main exposure. Time to a mental disorder diagnosis was the outcome. Associations were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models, including sibling-stratified analyses and stratification across comprehensive education GPA groups.

Upper secondary GPA showed no consistent association with any mental disorder diagnosis as a broad category. Greater upper secondary GPA was generally associated with smaller risk of substance use disorders and greater risk of depression, anxiety, eating, and personality disorders. Reduction in GPA from comprehensive to upper secondary education was associated with greater risk of schizophrenia, and improvement with greater risk of bipolar disorder.

Associations between school achievement in upper secondary education and later mental disorders are disorder-specific, with higher school achievement associated with either an increased or decreased risk depending on the specific disorder.

Worldwide, the increasing trend of young people experiencing mental health challenges constitutes a major public health concern. There is a need for preventive and mental health-promoting initiatives targeting youths. This study examines the effectiveness of headspace Denmark – a nationwide counseling service for 12- to 25-year-olds – at 6-month follow-up.

The study was a quasi-experimental trial. 12- to 25-year-olds who had participated in counseling sessions in headspace were matched with a comparable control group, using propensity score matching. Survey data, collected at baseline and at 6-month follow-up, were linked to national register data. Outcome measures were well-being, loneliness, self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and health-related quality of life. Linear regression was used to test differences between the two groups. Subgroup analyses were conducted. Post-hoc Population Attributable Fractions (PAFs) were estimated to describe the effect sizes at the population level.

The inclusion period was 14.5 months from September 2022. Follow-up data were collected until mid-August 2024. The number of participants in the intervention group was 1,362. In the control group was 3,192. A statistically significant difference between the groups was observed for well-being at 6-month follow-up (Cohen’s D = 0.11; p = 0.018). The estimated PAF was 4%, assuming a prevalence of low well-being in the target group of 70% and the intervention reaching 80% of the target group.

headspace had an effect on participants’ well-being. Based on the estimated PAF, headspace can play a crucial role in early health promotion and disease prevention among young people in Denmark.

The high comorbidity between mental and cardiovascular diseases is widely recognized, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet well understood. We investigated the familial coaggregation and shared genetic loading between these diseases.

Using claims data from Taiwan’s universal health insurance program, we identified cohorts of 4,513,509 individuals with parental information and 3,330,181 with full-sibling information born between 1970 and 1999, and followed up until 2020. Genotyping was available for 106,796 unrelated participants from the Taiwan Biobank. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the association of parental history, full-sibling history, and polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for severe mental illnesses (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder [MDD]) with the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and heart failure.

Individuals with a parental history of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or MDD were more likely to have stroke and PAD. Coaggregation in full-siblings was observed for MDD with myocardial infarction and heart failure, bipolar disorders with stroke, and schizophrenia with PAD. The PAD risk increased with more relatives affected by MDD; the magnitude of association was larger when both parents were affected than when either parent was affected, and when there were two affected siblings than in those with only one. MDD PRS was positively associated with the risk of myocardial infarction and PAD.

This study revealed familial coaggregation between mental and cardiovascular diseases, and shared polygenic liability of MDD with cardiovascular diseases. Our findings suggest the potential benefit of family-based integrated screening and preventive strategies.

Existing reviews on mental health disparities between deaf and hard‐of‐hearing (DHH) and hearing populations have focused predominantly on children, adolescents, or older adults, leaving a gap for working-age adults. We conducted a systematic review comparing the prevalence, incidence, and severity of any DSM-5-TR or ICD-11 mental disorder between DHH and hearing adults aged 18–60 years. We aimed to quantify disparities and examine disorder-specific patterns to inform future research, policy, and service development.

On 13 December 2025, we searched Ovid Medline, Embase, APA PsycINFO and Web of Science. We included analytical observational studies involving DHH and hearing adults aged 18–60 years, reporting mental disorder prevalence, incidence, or severity. Two researchers independently extracted data, and risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using the modified CLARITY tool. We narratively synthesised findings by aggregating outcomes at the study level using two approaches: summary and majority of the effect directions within a study. Subgroup syntheses examined outcome type, study RoB, age group and mental disorder category.

Sixty studies (n = 8 578 466) met inclusion. In the summary-direction synthesis, 58.3% (35/60) of studies reported higher mental disorder outcomes for DHH adults, 21.7% (13/60) found no difference and 20.0% (12/60) had mixed findings; none indicated lower mental disorder outcomes for DHH. Under the majority-direction approach, 65.0% (39/60) showed higher mental disorder outcomes and 35.0% (21/60) no difference. These patterns were consistent across prevalence (62.8–72.1% higher) and severity (61.1% higher). Studies with higher RoB more often reported higher mental disorder outcomes (66.7–72.2%) than lower-RoB studies (54.8–61.9%), though both mirrored the overall synthesis. Effects were similar across younger (61.9–71.4%) and older adult samples (61.1–66.7% higher). Disorder-specific syntheses identified psychotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal outcomes as having the strongest disparities (≥72.2% higher), followed by general mental disorders, anxiety and depression. Fewer than five studies examined each of the other disorders, thereby limiting conclusions for these disorders.

Most available evidence indicates that the prevalence and severity of mental disorders are higher among DHH adults aged 18–60 years than among hearing adults, with limited evidence on incidence. No studies reported lower aggregated mental disorder outcomes for DHH adults. Addressing these disparities requires targeted intervention research, supported by population-based, longitudinal and (quasi-)experimental studies including comprehensive reporting of participant characteristics. This will inform more tailored interventions, improve screening and ultimately contribute to better mental health and quality of life for DHH adults.

Registry-based studies can inform suicide prevention by identifying mental disorders with the highest risk. Previous studies focused on severe disorders and suicide, with limited data on non-lethal self-harm or population impact. We quantified individual- and population-level associations of 32 mental disorders with non-lethal intentional self-harm (NLISH) and suicide.

Registry-based cohort study representative for all residents of Catalonia (Spain) aged ≥10 years (2014–2019; n = 645,571). Cause-specific Cox models estimated individual (hazard ratios [HRs]) and population-level (population attributable fractions [PAFs]) associations with NLISH and suicide, stratified by sex and adjusted for age, socioeconomic status, and nationality.

Individual-level associations with NLISH were strongest for borderline personality disorder (BPD; females HR = 26.9 [95%CI 24.9–29.0]; males HR = 18.9 [95%CI 16.7–21.4]). Associations with suicide were strongest for BPD in females (HR = 40.9 [95%CI 28.5–58.8]) and obsessive-compulsive disorder in males (HR = 17.4 [95%CI 5.3–56.5]). Associations with suicide were stronger among females, and those aged 10–44 across mood, substance use, dissociative, borderline personality, and psychotic disorders. Substantial proportions of outcomes were associated with common disorders: depressive episodes (PAFs 29.8–49.8%), substance use disorders (PAFs 25.1–48.7%), mixed anxiety-depressive disorders (PAFs 19.7–53.2%), and adjustment disorders (PAFs 10.6–44.6%).

Depressive, anxiety, adjustment, and substance use disorders are associated with large shares of self-harm and suicide, whereas BPD confers particularly high individual risk. Our findings support multilevel prevention strategies, especially among young people, including improved risk assessment, collaborative care, and timely access to specialized interventions.

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has shown potential for psychiatric disorders. However, the magnitude of symptom change in control groups remains poorly understood. We aim to evaluate within-group effects in control groups and compare them to treatment groups in psychedelic trials.

A systematic search was conducted up to 1 July 2025. The study protocol was preregistered in PROSPERO (CRD420251111853).

Fourteen randomized controlled trials (n = 643) were included. Direct between-arm meta-analyses showed greater symptom reductions in treatment compared with control across outcomes, including depressive symptoms (number of study arms [k] = 13; SMD = −0.82; 95% CI = −1.17, −0.47; I2 = 60.1%), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (k = 10; SMD = −0.89; 95% CI = −1.14, −0.65; I2 = 0%), and anxiety symptoms (k = 5; SMD = −0.66; 95% CI = −0.94, −0.38; I2 = 0%). Subgroup analyses showed limited evidence that effects differed by placebo type for depressive or PTSD symptoms. Descriptive within-group analyses indicated symptom reductions from baseline in both control and treatment groups, with larger within-group improvements observed in treatment groups across outcomes; notably, larger within-group reductions in PTSD symptoms were observed in inactive placebo groups. Sensitivity analyses showed consistent results.

Control groups in psychedelic trials demonstrated substantial symptom improvement, which may reflect non-specific trial factors (including expectancy and concurrent psychotherapy). These findings emphasize the importance of robust control conditions in psychedelic research and the need for nuanced interpretation of treatment effects.

Exercise improves stress perception and sleep quality and reduces repetitive negative thinking in patients with various mental disorders. However, it is unclear whether changes in these processes mediate treatment effects on psychopathology in a transdiagnostic sample.

Physically inactive adult outpatients with depressive disorders, agoraphobia, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and/or nonorganic primary insomnia were randomly allocated to ImPuls – a 6-month transdiagnostic group exercise intervention – plus treatment-as-usual (n = 198), or to a treatment-as-usual alone control group (n = 201) at 10 study sites between March 2021 and May 2022. The primary outcome was global symptom severity; perceived stress, repetitive negative thinking, and sleep quality were included as mediators. All variables were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months using validated rating scales. As a secondary analysis of an RCT, intention-to-treat analyses were performed using structural equation modeling to test whether changes in stress perception, repetitive negative thinking, and sleep quality mediate treatment effects on changes in global symptom severity in two path models (from baseline to 6 and 12 months, respectively).

Treatment effects on global symptom severity were fully mediated by changes in perceived stress (6 months: β = −0.99, p = .024; 12 months: β = −1.28, p = .014) and repetitive negative thinking (6 months: β = −1.34, p = .004; 12 months: β = −0.94, p = .024).

Our results suggest that changes in perceived stress and repetitive negative thinking may be key transdiagnostic mechanisms underlying the treatment effect of exercise on global symptom severity.

Accurate and up-to-date epidemiological data on the prevalence and treatment of common mental disorders are essential for evidence-based healthcare policy and resource allocation. However, large-scale, representative epidemiological surveys on common mental disorders in China—particularly those incorporating insomnia disorder and applying the latest diagnostic criteria alongside validated assessment tools—remain notably lacking.

We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional epidemiological survey to assess the prevalence and treatment of common mental disorders among adults in Beijing, China, using a multistage clustered probability sampling design (n = 10,778). Licensed psychiatrists administered standardized diagnostic interviews based on DSM-5 criteria to assess both lifetime and current mental disorders through a single-stage assessment protocol.

Among all lifetime mental disorders assessed, depressive disorders constituted the most prevalent diagnostic category (7.7%), with major depressive disorder representing the most common specific diagnosis (5.4%). Individuals aged 65 years and older exhibited significantly higher 1-month prevalence of both depressive disorders and insomnia disorder compared with younger age groups. Alcohol-related disorder was more prevalent in men than in women, and in urban residents than in rural residents. Help-seeking patterns revealed a predominant reliance on informal support over professional services among individuals with lifetime mental disorders. Only 13.4% sought help from mental health professionals, and 12.7% received mental health professional treatment.

The improved access to treatment did not translate into a reduction in population-level mental disorder prevalence, which may be attributable to the low rate of professional mental health treatment. Governments must optimize mental healthcare access.

People with severe mental Illness (SMI) bear an excessive burden of periodontal disease, which can exacerbate their mental and physical multimorbidity. Therefore, improving and sustaining good oral hygiene is key.

To co-create a theory-driven oral hygiene intervention for people with SMI.

A two-stage, eight-step method was followed drawing on the Behaviour Change Wheel. Stage 1, understanding the problem, involved evidence review and stakeholder consultations. Stage 2 focused on identifying theoretical barriers and facilitators through semi-structured interviews (n = 20) and co-designing the intervention content alongside people with SMI, carers, primary care, mental health and dental professionals and clinical leads. Interview data were analysed using framework analysis. Identified barriers and facilitators were mapped to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation–Behaviour model and Theoretical Domain Framework. Intervention functions, policy categories and behaviour change techniques were identified and mapped accordingly.

The target behaviour of twice-daily toothbrushing was addressed through understanding the consequences of improving oral health and brushing, forming a brushing habit, brushing instructions and demonstration with consideration of cognitive capacity and exploring the need for financial and social support. Recommendations for intervention delivery included integrating it into the SMI physical health checks, training and remunerating primary care and mental health professionals to deliver it as part of a personalised and integrated care approach to rebuilding broader lifestyle routines; and maintaining engagement through follow-up appointments.

This is the first study to co-create a theory-driven toothbrushing intervention for people with SMI, delivered by primary care and mental health professionals.

There is limited evidence on the association between psychiatric morbidity and COVID-19 mortality.

We used deidentified electronic health records from the Catalan public health system to evaluate the association between number of mental disorders and COVID-19 mortality. Adults diagnosed with a mental disorder in Catalonia’s mental health services (from to 2017–2019) were compared to a matched (1:1) control group by sex, age, and area of residence. COVID-19 mortality risk was evaluated from February to December 2020. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for the association between the number of mental disorders and COVID-19 mortality. To examine if different patterns of psychiatric comorbidity were related to COVID-19 death, we performed K-means cluster analysis on individuals with ≥2 disorders, stratified by COVID-19 death.

The final sample included 785,378 adults (392,689 with ≥1 mental disorder). Mortality risk increased with the number of mental disorders: OR 1.23 (95% CI: 1.11–1.35) for one mental disorder, up to 5.21 (95% CI: 1.34–20.27) for four or more. Cluster analysis (n=84,207) identified seven psychiatric comorbidity profiles among those who did not die of COVID-19, and six profiles among those who died, with substantial comparability between cohorts.

An increasing number of psychiatric diagnoses was associated with greater COVID-19 mortality, while specific comorbidity patterns showed limited differential influence. This suggests that it is not the specific combination of mental disorders that influences COVID-19 death outcomes, but rather the overall burden of multiple diagnoses.

Although the United States incarcerates nearly two million people, the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in correctional populations is not well understood, and no study has examined temporal trends in psychiatric disorder prevalences within a single correctional system. This study assessed how psychiatric disorder prevalences have changed in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), the largest American state prison system housing post-conviction, sentenced individuals.

This retrospective cohort study of TDCJ electronic medical record data from 1 January 2016 through 31 December 2023 included all persons incarcerated for any duration during that period. Diagnoses were based on International Classification of Disease (ICD-10) diagnostic codes. Outcomes were annual prevalences of depressive, bipolar and schizophrenia spectrum disorders stratified by age, race and sex. Cochran-Armitage Tests were used to assess temporal trends within each stratum. Two-way interactions were assessed by fitting Generalized Estimating Equations models using autoregressive correlation with repeated subjects.

The overall population ranged from 170,269 to 222,798 individuals. Approximately, one-third were White (34.5–35.4%), one-third Black (31.0–32.3%), and one-third Hispanic (32.7–33.5%). Most were aged 30–49 (52.8–57.3%), and men (88.9–90.7%) outnumbered women (9.3–11.1%). The prevalences (per 100 [95% CI]) of psychiatric disorders generally increased when comparing 2016 to 2023. Depressive disorders increased the most among those aged 30–49 (5.23 [5.10–5.35] to 6.71 [6.56–6.86]), Hispanic individuals (3.86 [3.72–4.00] to 5.72 [5.53–5.90]), and men (4.72 [4.63–4.82] to 6.53 [6.42–6.65]). Bipolar disorders increased the most among those aged ≥50 (2.57 [2.42–2.72] to 3.46 [3.29–3.63]), Hispanic individuals (1.31 [1.23–1.40] to 2.23 [2.11–2.35]), and men (2.26 [2.20–2.33] to 3.12 [3.04–3.20]). Schizophrenia spectrum disorders increased the most among those aged ≤29 (1.33 [1.24–1.42] to 2.52 [2.35–2.68]), Hispanic individuals (1.53 [1.44–1.62] to 3.21 [3.35–4.40]), and women (1.27 [1.56–1.89] to 4.24 [3.95–4.53]). When stratified by demographic variables, trend tests were significant for nearly all comparisons (P < 0.0001), and all two-way interactions were significant (P < 0.0001).

The prevalences of major psychiatric disorders in the Texas prison system increased when comparing 2016 to 2023, with certain disorders rising more rapidly than others within specific subgroups. These findings emphasize the need for expanded mental health treatment options and resources within correctional settings.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is associated with mental disorders, yet work regarding the direction of this association is inconsistent. We examined the prevalence, comorbidity, time–order associations with mental disorders, and sex differences in sporadic and repetitive NSSI among emerging adults.

We used survey data from n = 72,288 first-year college students as part of the World Mental Health-International College Student Survey Initiative (WMH-ICS) to explore time–order associations between onset of NSSI and mental disorders, based on retrospective age-of-onset reports using discrete-time survival models. We distinguished between sporadic (1–5 lifetime episodes) and repetitive (≥6 lifetime episodes) NSSI in relation to DSM-5 mood, anxiety, and externalizing disorders.

We estimated a lifetime NSSI rate of 24.5%, with approximately half reporting sporadic NSSI and half repetitive NSSI. The time–order associations between onset of NSSI and mental disorders were bidirectional, but mental disorders were stronger predictors of the onset of NSSI (median RR = 1.94) than vice versa (median RR = 1.58). These associations were stronger among individuals engaging in repetitive rather than sporadic NSSI. While associations between NSSI and mental disorders generally did not differ by sex, repetitive NSSI was a stronger predictor for the onset of subsequent substance use disorders among females compared to males. Most mental disorders marginally increased the risk for persistent repetitive NSSI (median RR = 1.23).

Our findings offer unique insights into the temporal order between NSSI and mental disorders. Further work exploring the mechanism underlying these associations will pave the way for early identification and intervention of both NSSI and mental disorders.