LSDDEP2: study protocol for a randomised, double-dummy, triple-blind, active placebo-controlled, parallel groups trial of LSD microdosing in patients with major depressive disorder.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) poses a significant global health burden with available treatments limited by inconsistent efficacy and notable side effects. Classic psychedelics, including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), have garnered attention for their potential in treating psychiatric disorders. Microdosing, the repeated consumption of sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelics, has emerged as a self-treatment approach for depression within lay communities.

Eating Disorder and Other Psychiatric Hospitalizations in New Zealand During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: An unprecedented rise in eating disorder presentations has been documented in several countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored this phenomenon by analyzing nationwide psychiatric admissions over 5 years, controlling for demographic variables.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all hospitalizations in New Zealand with a primary psychiatric diagnosis from 2017 to 2021, using Poisson regression to calculate admission rates by diagnosis, before and during the pandemic.

Effect of MDMA-assisted therapy on mood and anxiety symptoms in advanced-stage cancer (EMMAC): study protocol for a double-blind, randomised controlled trial.

Background: Symptoms of anxiety and depression are common in patients with terminal illness and multiple challenges exist with timely and effective care in this population. Several centres have reported that one dose of the serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin, combined with therapeutic support, improves these symptoms for up to 6 months in this patient group. Drawing upon related therapeutic mechanisms, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy may have the potential to achieve similar, positive mental health outcomes in this group.

Assessing general hospital doctors' attitudes toward psychiatric care in multicultural settings.

Objective: Psychiatric care in general hospitals depends on collaboration with non-psychiatrist doctors. The Doctors' Attitudes toward Collaborative Care for Mental Health (DACC-MH) is a two-factor scale designed to address this issue and validated in the UK in 2010. However, its applicability in contemporary, culturally diverse settings is unknown and therefore this study was aimed at determining its validity and consistency using data from our 2021 international study.

LSD increases sleep duration the night after microdosing.

Microdosing psychedelic drugs at a level below the threshold to induce hallucinations is an increasingly common lifestyle practice. However, the effects of microdosing on sleep have not been previously reported. Here, we report results from a Phase 1 randomized controlled trial in which 80 healthy adult male volunteers received a 6-week course of either LSD (10 µg) or placebo with doses self-administered every third day.

Considerations in the assessment and management of ADHD within the TGDNB population.

Aims: In this article we consider current literature around Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the transgender, gender diverse and non-binary (TGDNB) population.

Methods: Literature review.

Results: N/A conclusions: We outline specific considerations pertaining to the assessment and treatment of ADHD in this group and highlight evidential gaps and avenues for future research.

Optical Coherence Tomography in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Inner retinal atrophy has been demonstrated in schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) using optical coherence tomography (OCT). This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the role of contemporary Fourier domain OCT devices in SSD.

Methods: MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycInfo, PYSNDEX, World Health Organization, and Cochrane databases were searched from inception until May 2022.

Psychedelic medicines for end-of-life care: Pipeline clinical trial review 2022.

Objectives: People with terminal illnesses often experience psychological distress and associated disability. Recent clinical trial evidence has stimulated interest in the therapeutic use of psychedelics at end of life. Much uncertainty remains, however, mainly due to methodological difficulties that beset existing trials.

Adverse Effects of Virtual and Augmented Reality Interventions in Psychiatry: Systematic Review.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are emerging treatment modalities in psychiatry, which are capable of producing clinical outcomes broadly comparable to those achieved with standard psychotherapies.

Objective: Because the side effect profile associated with the clinical use of VR and AR remains largely unknown, we systematically reviewed available evidence of their adverse effects.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) framework across 3 mental health databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase) to identify VR and AR interventions targeting mental health diagnoses.

Brief intervention reduces prescription of sodium valproate in women of childbearing age.

Objective: Sodium valproate's teratogenicity has prompted increasing restrictions to its use. Our initial audit 2 years prior demonstrated continuing hazardous prescription to women of childbearing age in a New Zealand psychiatric inpatient unit, consistent with nationwide dispensing data.

Method: Following a service-wide educational intervention and application of "black box" warnings, we conducted a follow-up audit of valproate prescription in the same inpatient unit by reviewing records of women admitted over a 10-month period (March 2020-January 2021).

Acute Mood-Elevating Properties of Microdosed Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Volunteers: A Home-Administered Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Microdosing psychedelic drugs is a widespread social phenomenon with diverse benefits claimed for mood and cognition. Randomized controlled trials have failed to support these claims, but the laboratory-based dosing in trials conducted to date may have limited ecological validity.

Methods: Healthy male volunteers were randomized into lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) (n = 40) and placebo (n = 40) groups and received 14 doses of either 10 μg LSD or an inactive placebo every 3 days for 6 weeks.

The prescriber's guide to classic MAO inhibitors (phenelzine, tranylcypromine, isocarboxazid) for treatment-resistant depression.

This article is a clinical guide which discusses the "state-of-the-art" usage of the classic monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) antidepressants (phenelzine, tranylcypromine, and isocarboxazid) in modern psychiatric practice. The guide is for all clinicians, including those who may not be experienced MAOI prescribers. It discusses indications, drug-drug interactions, side-effect management, and the safety of various augmentation strategies.

What stops Korean immigrants from accessing child and adolescent mental health services?

Background: Access to child and adolescent mental health services by ethnic minorities has been poorly studied. Despite rapid growth of the immigrant Korean population, evidence indicates that few Korean families utilise these services in New Zealand. Those that do tend to present late and with significant morbidity.

The impact of COVID-19 on eating disorder referrals and admissions in Waikato, New Zealand.

Background: Several countries have reported increased demand for eating disorder services during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for adolescents. Within New Zealand, anecdotal and media reports suggest similar changes but are limited in scope and detail. We assessed eating disorder service demand in the Waikato district in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.