Rates of colorectal cancer diagnosis and mortality in people with severe mental illness: results from Australia's National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.

Aims: Studies show that people with severe mental illness (SMI) have a greater risk of dying from colorectal cancer (CRC). These studies mostly predate the introduction of national bowel cancer screening programmes (NBCSPs) and it is unknown if these have reduced disparity in CRC-related mortality for people with SMI.

Methods: We compared mortality rates following CRC diagnosis at colonoscopy between a nationally representative sample of people with and without SMI who participated in Australia's NBCSP.

War exposure, daily stressors, and mental health 15 years on: implications of an ecological framework for addressing the mental health of conflict-affected populations.

Aims: Fifteen years ago, we published an article in seeking to resolve the contentious debate between advocates of two very different frameworks for understanding and addressing the mental health needs of conflict-affected populations. The two approaches, which we labelled and , reflect deeply held beliefs about the causes and nature of distress in war-affected communities. Drawing on the burgeoning literature on armed conflict and mental health, the reports of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) staff in the field, and on research on the psychology and psychophysiology of stress, we proposed an integrative model that drew on the strengths of both frameworks and underscored their essential complementarity.

Bidirectional analysis of the association between migraine and post-traumatic stress disorder in Nurses' Health Study II.

Aims: Migraine and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are both twice as common in women as men. Cross-sectional studies have shown associations between migraine and several psychiatric conditions, including PTSD. PTSD is disproportionally common among patients in headache clinics, and individuals with migraine and PTSD report greater disability from migraines and more frequent medication use.

Adverse childhood experiences and subsequent experiences of intimate partner violence in adulthood: a gender perspective.

Aims: Investigate the prevalence of adverse childhood experience (ACE) and intimate partner violence (IPV) using a large representative Chinese sample, explore the association mechanism between ACE and adult exposure to IPV and to examine gender differences.

Methods: A total of 21,154 participants were included in this study. The ACE scale was used to assess participants' exposure to ACE before the age of 18.

Persistence of anxiety and depression symptoms and their impact on the COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

Aims: The enduring impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and its implications for COVID-19 vaccine uptake necessitate comprehensive investigation. We aimed to characterize the persistence of moderate to severe anxiety and depression symptoms from July 2020 to July 2023, explore demographic associations with symptom persistence, and assess how these symptoms affected COVID-19 vaccination uptake between May 2021 and July 2023.

Methods: Participants from the national community-based CHASING COVID Cohort were enrolled between March and June 2020 and completed quarterly follow-ups until December 2023.

An equity indicator for assessing mental healthcare access: a national population case study.

Aims: Achieving equitable healthcare access is a global challenge. Improving whole-population mental health and reducing the global burden of mental disorders is a key recommendation of the 2018 Lancet Global Mental Health Commission, which proposed monitoring national indicators, including the proportion of people with severe mental disorders who are service-users. This study aims to derive an equity indicator from national datasets integrating need, service utilisation and socioeconomic status, and demonstrate its utility in identifying gaps in mental health service use amongst those with the greatest need, thereby guiding equitable healthcare delivery.

(Fear of) SARS-CoV-2 infection and psychological distress: a population-based cohort study in southern Switzerland.

Aims: It is widely recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic exerted an impact on the mental health of the general population, but epidemiological evidence is surprisingly sparse. We aimed to explore the association between serologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and psychological distress - assessed by symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress - in the general adult population in southern Switzerland, a region widely affected by the pandemic. We also investigated whether this association varied over time and between pandemic waves from late 2020 through 2021.

Hospitalization for SARS-CoV-2 and the risk of self-harm readmission: a French nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Aims: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on the risk of self-harming behaviours warrants further investigation. Here, we hypothesized that people with a history of hospitalization for self-harm may be particularly at risk of readmission in case of SARS-CoV-2 hospitalization.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis based on the French national hospitalization database.

Heterogeneity in 10-year course trajectories of moderate to severe major depressive disorder among veterans.

Aims: Epidemiological studies show that despite the episodic nature, the long-term trajectory of depression can be variable. This study evaluated the heterogeneity of 10-year trajectory of major depressive disorder (MDD) related service utilization and associated clinical characteristics among US Veterans with a first diagnosis after 9/11.

Methods: Using a cohort design, electronic health record data for 293,265 Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans were extracted to identify those with MDD between 2001 and 2021 with a full preceding year of clinical data and 10 years following the diagnosis.

The public health significance of prior homelessness: findings on multimorbidity and mental health from a nationally representative survey.

Aims: The associations of prior homelessness with current health are unknown. Using nationally representative data collected in private households in England, this study aimed to examine Common Mental Disorders (CMDs), physical health, alcohol/substance dependence, and multimorbidities in people who formerly experienced homelessness compared to people who never experienced homelessness.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilised data from the 2007 and 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys.

Surge in antidepressant usage among adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from an interrupted time series analysis.

Background: Depressive disorders are a major public health issue in Western societies, particularly among adolescents, young adults and women. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health challenges, increasing depression and anxiety symptoms, especially in younger people. This study focuses on the hard-hit Emilia-Romagna Region (ERR) in Italy, examining changes in antidepressant (AD) drug use post-COVID-19 to understand the pandemic's effect on mental health.

Gender disparity and post-traumatic stress disorder and elevated psychological distress in humanitarian migrants resettled in Australia: the moderating role of socioeconomic factors.

Aims: Humanitarian migrants are at increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and elevated psychological distress. However, men and women often report varying degrees of stress and experience different challenges during migration. While studies have explored PTSD, psychological distress, gender, and resettlement stressors, they have not explored the interplay between these factors.

The overestimation of the effect sizes of psychotherapies for depression in waitlist controlled trials: a meta-analytic comparison with usual care controlled trials.

Aims: There is considerable evidence that waiting list (WL) control groups overestimate the effect sizes of psychotherapies for depression. It is not clear, however, what are the exact causes for this overestimation. We decided to conduct a meta-analytic study to compare trials on psychotherapy for depression with a WL control group against trials with a care-as-usual (CAU) control group.

Testing whether multi-level factors protect poly-victimised children against psychopathology in early adulthood: a longitudinal cohort study.

Aims: Exposure to multiple forms of victimisation in childhood (often referred to as poly-victimisation) has lifelong adverse effects, including an elevated risk of early-adulthood psychopathology. However, not all poly-victimised children develop mental health difficulties and identifying what protects them could inform preventive interventions. The present study investigated whether individual-, family- and/or community-level factors were associated with lower levels of general psychopathology at age 18, among children exposed to poly-victimisation.

Network analytical investigation of relationships between symptoms of common mental disorders among refugees and asylum seekers in Türkiye.

Aims: Forcibly displaced people, such as refugees and asylum-seekers (RAS), are at higher risk of mental disorders, mainly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. Little is known about the complex relationships between these mental disorders among culturally and linguistically diverse RAS. To investigate this, the present study applied a novel network analytical approach to examine and compare the central and bridge symptoms within and between PTSD, depression and anxiety among Afghan and Syrian RAS in Türkiye.

Association of a history of depression with infertility, miscarriage and stillbirth: a longitudinal cohort study.

Aims: The role of depression in subsequent infertility, miscarriage and stillbirth remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association of a history of depression with these adverse outcomes using a longitudinal cohort study of women across their reproductive life span.

Methods: This study used data from participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health who were born in 1973-1978.

Mediating pathways between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and type 2 diabetes mellitus: evidence from a two-step and multivariable Mendelian randomization study.

Aims: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a global health burden, more prevalent among individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to the general population. To extend the knowledge base on how ADHD links to T2D, this study aimed to estimate causal effects of ADHD on T2D and to explore mediating pathways.

Methods: We applied a two-step, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) design, using single nucleotide polymorphisms to genetically predict ADHD and a range of potential mediators.