Neural Correlates of Outcome of the Psychotherapy Compared to Antidepressant Therapy in Anxiety and Depression Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

The current pharmacological strategies for the management of anxiety disorders and depression, serious conditions which are gaining greater prevalence worldwide, depend on only two therapeutic classes of mood-stabilizing drugs: Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs). Although first line agents with proven efficacy, their clinical success in the management of anxiety disorders and depression is still considered highly complex due to the multifaceted nature of such conditions. Several studies have shown a possible therapeutic target could be found in the form of the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme [ACE] type 2 (ACE2), Angiotensin [Ang]-(1-7) and Mas receptor pathway of the Renin- Angiotensin System (RAS), which as will be discussed, has been described to exhibit promising therapeutic properties for the management of anxiety disorders and depression. In this article, the literature to describe recent findings related to the role of the RAS in anxiety and depression disorders was briefly revised. The literature used covers a time range from 1988 to 2019 and were acquired from the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s (NCBI) PubMed search engine. The results demonstrated in this review are promising and encourage the development of new research for the treatment of anxiety and depression disorders focusing on the RAS. In conclusion, the ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas pathway may exhibit anxiolytic and anti-depressive effects through many possible biochemical mechanisms both centrally and peripherally, and result in highly promising mental health benefits which justifies further investigation into this system as a possible new therapeutic target in the management of neuropsychiatric disorders, including any as of yet undescribed risk-benefit analysis compared to currently-implemented pharmacological strategies.

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App review of anxiety and depression chatbots and their self-care features (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.26334 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Arfan Ahmed ◽

Nashva ALi ◽

Sarah Aziz ◽

Alaa A Abd-Alrazaq ◽

Asmaa Hassan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Self Care ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Conversational Agents ◽

Eligibility Criteria ◽

On Demand ◽

User Ratings ◽

Google Play

BACKGROUND Anxiety and depression rates are at an all-time high along with other mental health disorders. Smartphone-based mental health chatbots or conversational agents can aid psychiatrists and replace some of the costly human based interaction and represent a unique opportunity to expand the availability and quality of mental health services and treatment. Regular up-to-date reviews will allow medics and individuals to recommend or use anxiety and depression related smartphone based chatbots with greater confidence. OBJECTIVE Assess the quality and characteristics of chatbots for anxiety and depression available on Android and iOS systems. METHODS A search was performed in the App Store and Google Play Store following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) protocol to identify existing chatbots for anxiety and depression. Eligibility of the chatbots was assessed by two individuals based on predefined eligibility criteria. Meta-data of the included chatbots and their characteristics were extracted from their description and upon installation by 2 reviewers. Finally, chatbots quality information was assessed by following the mHONcode principles. RESULTS Although around 1000 anxiety and depression related chatbots exist, only a few (n=11) contained actual chatbots that could provide the user a real substitute for a human-human based interaction, even with today's Artificial Intelligence advancements, only one of these chatbots had voice as an input/output modality. Of the selected apps that contained chatbots all were clearly built with a therapeutic human substitute goal in mind. The majority had high user ratings and downloads highlighting the popularity of such chatbots and their promising future within the realm of anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS Anxiety and depression chatbot apps have the potential to increase the capacity of mental health self-care providing much needed assistance to professionals. In the current covid-19 pandemic, chatbots can also serve as a conversational companion with the potential of combating loneliness, especially in lockdowns where there is a lack of social interaction. Due to the ubiquitous nature of chatbots users can access them on-demand at the touch of a screen on ones’ smartphone. Self-care interventions are known to be effective and exist in various forms and some can be made available as chatbot features, such as assessment, mood tracking, medicine tracking, or simply providing conversation in times of loneliness.

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Exercise training effects on sleep quality and symptoms of anxiety and depression in post-traumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials

Mental Health and Physical Activity ◽

10.1016/j.mhpa.2021.100385 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. 100385

Author(s):

Melissa J. McGranahan ◽

Patrick J. O'Connor

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Randomized Control Trials ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Post Traumatic ◽

Randomized Control

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Accuracy of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Depression subscale (HADS-D) to screen for major depression: systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis

BMJ ◽

10.1136/bmj.n1231 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. n1231

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Major Depression ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Individual Participant Data ◽

Hospital Anxiety ◽

Depression Subscale ◽

Individual Participant

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IQ and Internalising Symptoms in Adolescents with ASD

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders ◽

10.1007/s10803-020-04810-y ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Monisha Edirisooriya ◽

Dominika Dykiert ◽

Bonnie Auyeung

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Intelligence Quotient ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Social And Emotional ◽

The Relationship ◽

Adolescents With Asd

AbstractIntelligence quotient (IQ), has been found to relate to the presence of internalising symptoms in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This meta-analysis sought to clarify the direction of the relationship between IQ and two prevalent internalising symptoms, anxiety and depression, in adolescents with ASD. Secondly, this study aimed to highlight methodological factors contributing to inconsistent findings in existing research. Self-reported anxiety was found to be significantly higher in youth with a lower IQ, while depression was positively associated with IQ. Consequently, parents, schools and clinicians should be cautious of underestimating anxiety in youth with a lower IQ. However, care should also be taken to ensure adolescents with ASD without intellectual disabilities are not overlooked with regards to social and emotional support.

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