Category: Mental Health

Categories : Mental Health Obstetrics & GynaecologyTags :

Sedatives in Pregnancy Not Linked to Psychiatric Disorders in Children

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Findings offer reassurance to clinicians and pregnant women, say researchers 

Photo by SHVETS production

A large South Korean study published by The BMJ finds no increased risk of psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD and autism, in children whose mothers used sedative drugs (benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics) during pregnancy.

Benzodiazepines and Z-hypnotics are used to alleviate anxiety and insomnia, which are among the most common conditions during pregnancy.

Previous studies have examined the short term safety of benzodiazepine and Z-hypnotic use in pregnancy, but evidence on their psychiatric and neurodevelopment effects in children remains scarce.

To fill this evidence gap, researchers used South Korea’s National Health Information Database to track nearly 3.8 million children born between 2010 and 2022.

Pregnancies exposed to benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics were compared with unexposed pregnancies and with women who had used these drugs before but not during pregnancy (past users).

Twelve specific neurodevelopmental and general psychiatric disorders were assessed, including substance use disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorder, intellectual disability, autism, ADHD, and behavioural disorder.

Factors, such as mother’s age, income, underlying conditions and other medication use were also taken into account.

Among the 3 809 949 children, 94,482 (2.5%) were exposed to benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics during pregnancy, 3 715 467 were unexposed, and 147 307 were born to past users.

During the tracking period of up to 14 years, a total of 10 060, 311 997, and 15 645 events occurred in the exposed, unexposed, and past user groups, respectively.

Overall, rates of psychiatric disorders were slightly higher (19.2%) in exposed children compared with 13.8% in unexposed children and 16.5% in the past user group.

However, these associations were no longer significant when the researchers used sibling analysis to disentangle drug effects from shared family, genetic, and environmental factors, and no increased risk was found for individual psychiatric disorders.

Further analyses were generally consistent with the main findings, although some estimates, such as exposure in early and late pregnancy, and longer durations of Z-hypnotic use specifically, remained modestly elevated in certain groups.

This is an observational study, so can’t establish cause and effect, and the researchers acknowledge that a prescription may not always reflect actual ingestion and their follow-up period may be insufficient to capture late onset conditions such as schizophrenia or personality disorders. What’s more, this study was not designed to assess the overall safety of these drugs but specific psychiatric outcomes in children.

However, use of a large, nationally representative database and rigorous methods to overcome confounding suggest the results withstand scrutiny.

As such, they say this study suggests “no substantial evidence that prenatal exposure to benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics increases the risk of psychiatric disorders in children.”

Although these findings provide reassurance about neuropsychiatric safety, further research is needed to clarify the modest elevations seen in some analyses and help inform discussions when considering sedative therapy in pregnancy, they add.

In a linked editorial, researchers agree that this evidence is reassuring, but this does not mean that sedatives should be prescribed without caution.

Clinicians should be mindful of signals around prolonged use and late pregnancy exposure, while also balancing the risks of untreated maternal psychiatric illness, they write.

However, they conclude that this study “offers a compelling example of how observational research can generate reliable estimates of prenatal drug safety.

Source: The BMJ Group

Categories : Mental HealthTags :

Research Identifies the ‘Sweet Spot’ for ADHD Dosage

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Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya

Researchers have identified the best dosage for each ADHD medication using data from thousands of people with the condition.

A new study published 14 May in the Lancet Psychiatry provides the most comprehensive view of dosage effects for five commonly used medications for ADHD.

To help patients and clinicians choose the right dosage, the international research team led by Professor Samuele Cortese from the University of Southampton has also developed a free online tool based on the findings.

The research was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions, affecting about five per cent of school-age children and two to three per cent of adults.

Medication is a key part of treatment, and prescriptions have increased substantially in recent years. However, most clinical guidelines provide limited guidance on the most effective dosages.

Finding the right dose is important to avoid dosages that are too low to be effective or too high, causing unwanted side effects. To identify this dosage ‘sweet spot’, the research team analysed data from 113 clinical trials, including more than 25 000 participants.

They used an advanced method called dose–effects network meta-analysis, which allowed them to estimate how different doses of each medication affect both effectiveness and side effects.

The results show that patterns differ between medications and age groups.

Dr Mikail Nourredine from the University of Lyon, first author of the study, said: “Overall, our findings suggest that clinicians should avoid using doses that are too low to be effective. If symptoms are not well controlled, the dosage may need to be increased.

“We also found no evidence that going beyond the licensed maximum doses improves average effectiveness, and higher doses are usually linked to more side effects. However, our results derive from group averages. Specific individuals with ADHD may benefit from and tolerate well unlicensed doses.”

Evidence from other studies shows that a substantial proportion of children and adolescents are prescribed low dosages without appropriate increases. That’s despite timely and adequate dose adjustments being associated with better adherence to treatment.

Professor Cortese, an NIHR Research Professor at the University of Southampton, commented: “Our study and the tool have the potential to support shared decision-making between clinicians, patients, and families when choosing the best dose. It is not only a clinician’s decision – patients and caregivers should be involved.

“The tool helps show what can be expected from each dose so that the patient knows why that particular dose has been chosen. We are continuing research to further personalise these recommendations based on individual patient characteristics.”

The study Pharmacological interventions for ADHD: a systematic review and dose-effect network meta-analysis is published in The Lancet Psychiatry and is available online.

Source: University of Southampton

Categories : Mental Health Substance UseTags :

Cannabis and Tobacco Co-use Increases Psychosis Chances in High-risk Cohorts

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Results highlight concern about co-use, a growing trend that has been understudied until now

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

A new multisite study published May 12 in Nature Mental Health found that using cannabis and tobacco together increases the risk of developing psychotic disorders like schizophrenia among those considered high risk.  

Researchers led by Heather Ward, MD, assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director of Neuromodulation Research at Vanderbilt Health, analysed data from more than 1,000 participants in the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study, which tracks individuals at “clinical high risk” for psychosis. These individuals often experience mild or early symptoms but have not yet developed a full psychotic disorder.  

“The prevalence of cannabis and tobacco use, known as ‘co-use,’ has been rising in the general population for the past several decades, while exclusive tobacco use has declined and exclusive cannabis use has been on the rise,” Ward said. “However, little is known about cannabis and tobacco co-use in adolescents at risk for psychosis.”  

Substance use patterns – tobacco only, cannabis only, co-use, other substances and no substance use – were assessed over a two-year period in 734 individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis and 278 healthy controls.   

“People with psychosis are much more likely to use cannabis and tobacco than the general population. Because of their heavy cannabis and tobacco use, people with psychosis are also disproportionately affected by the negative consequences of cannabis and tobacco use,” said Ward, who recently presented study findings at the Society of Biological Psychiatry Annual Meeting in an oral session titled, “High Stakes: Consequences of Cannabis Use in Vulnerable Populations.”  

According to Ward, in people with psychosis, tobacco use is associated with a 20-year decreased life expectancy compared to the general population, that is attributable to the medical consequences of tobacco use, such as cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke and lung cancer.  

“In people in their first episode of psychosis, it is estimated that 25%–50% use cannabis. Cannabis use is associated with more severe psychosis symptoms, poor response to treatment and psychiatric hospitalisations. There is even evidence that cannabis use may cause psychosis in people who are already at risk,” Ward said.  

“Tobacco and cannabis use in isolation have devastating consequences for people with psychosis, so we wanted to see if people who co-use cannabis and tobacco had more severe psychiatric symptoms and if they were at greater risk for developing psychosis in the first place.”  

The study found that regular use of either cannabis or tobacco was linked to anxiety, depression and early psychotic experiences. However, people who used cannabis and tobacco together did not show worse short-term symptoms than those using just one.  

However, the biggest difference appeared over time. Those who used cannabis heavily and tobacco lightly were almost three times more likely to develop psychosis compared to those who used neither substance.  

The results highlight concern about co-use, a growing trend that has been understudied until now. Researchers defined co-use in the study as “using substances at the same time, on the same occasion, or within a defined time frame where their effects may overlap.”  

“We found that cannabis and tobacco co-use was associated with a nearly threefold increased risk of developing psychosis in people who were already at risk,” Ward said. “There is evidence to suggest that using tobacco and cannabis together may have synergistic effects on the brain.  

“Smoking tobacco and cannabis together increases absorption of THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis. It is possible that co-use itself is contributing to the development of psychosis. However, it is also possible that the people who are going to develop psychosis anyway have an underlying predisposition to using both cannabis and tobacco.”  

Ward said it is important for both patients and clinicians to know that cannabis and tobacco co-use is a risk factor for psychosis. Stopping use of cannabis and tobacco may improve mental health symptoms, and it is possible that stopping cannabis and tobacco co-use could reduce risk of developing psychosis in the first place.  

The next step is to replicate this finding in other groups of people at risk for psychosis, and “we need to test if stopping cannabis and tobacco use reduces risk of developing a psychotic disorder,” Ward said.  

Source: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Categories : Mental HealthTags :

Does 432Hz Tuning Improve your Wellbeing? A Music Psychologist Unpacks the Evidence

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Photo by morefun_boy on Unsplash

Sandra Garrido, University of Sydney

If you scroll through social media for long enough, you’ll probably find videos claiming that listening to songs tuned to “A 432Hz” can provide an amazing sense of calmness or healing.

It’s even claimed that listening to music tuned to this frequency can align your internal frequencies to those of the universe. It’s an alluring idea – that simply listening to music tuned in a specific way could improve your health.

But does it have any scientific basis?

An ancient idea

Firstly, what does it even mean if songs are tuned to A 432Hz?

Hertz (or Hz) is a measurement of frequency, or the number of times sound waves vibrate per second. Sounds are transmitted as waves through the air which hit our eardrums to create the sensation of hearing. The more quickly those sound waves are vibrating, the higher the pitch of the note.

In standard concert tuning, the note A above middle C is tuned to 440Hz. A 432Hz tuning simply means the pitch of that A and all the other notes in the music are tuned a little lower than normal.

Some argue 432Hz is closer to natural harmonic frequencies than 440Hz and that using this tuning is therefore better for wellbeing.

The idea that sounds or music can heal or even align us with the cosmos is not new. Long before social media, the ancient Greeks linked sound to the frequencies of the universe. Pythagoras proposed musical notes were governed by simple numerical ratios, the same ratios he believed underpinned the cosmos itself.

Later, medieval and Renaissance thinkers built on these ideas with the concept of “music of the spheres” – the idea that sound could be used to align us with the vibrations of the planets in a kind of cosmic harmony that influenced human emotions and wellbeing.

No magical effect

Although the concept of cosmic alignment is intriguing, there’s little scientific support for the idea that specific frequencies have any magical effect on wellbeing.

In one study from 2019, researchers played movie soundtracks tuned to 440 Hz to participants on one day and to 432 Hz on another day, finding that after listening to the 432 Hz tunings participants had slightly decreased heart rate and blood pressure. However, the study was limited by a very small sample and non-randomisation of participants, making it difficult to separate true frequency effects from expectancy or general relaxation responses.

Modern research suggests the effects of sound or music on wellbeing are less about any single special frequency, and more about how we perceive and interpret sound.

Some have theorised the use of frequencies that correspond to specific brainwave patterns such as delta waves (0.5–4Hz, associated with deep sleep), or alpha waves (8–12Hz, associated with relaxed wakefulness), can make the brain synchronise to those frequencies and achieve a relaxed state.

However, research in support of this theory is inconclusive. One study from 2017 found no changes in electrical activity in the brain after hearing such frequencies presented as binaural beats.

Binaural beats themselves are another form of sound that many claim can have miraculous effects on wellbeing. When two slightly different frequencies are played separately into each ear, the brain perceives a rhythmic pulse at a rate equal to the difference between the two frequencies. This is called a binaural beat.

There is some evidence that our physiological systems (such as breathing and heart rate) synchronise to any beat that we hear. This can help lower our levels of arousal or alertness.

That’s why most of us tend to be attracted to slower, calmer sounding music when we want to relax, for example, since the slower beat helps slow our breathing and heart rate and make us feel sleepier or calmer.

Focusing on your own response

Does that mean binaural beats have any special therapeutic effect? Not really.

A recent study found binaural beats can increase relaxation and alter brain activity. But crucially, similar effects were also observed with other types of moving or spatialised sounds. The authors concluded the benefits were likely driven by general auditory features rather than the binaural beats themselves.

It all comes down to individual preferences and perceptions. For example, binaural beats are frequently associated with meditation or mantras. And it could be this association which enhances the supposed wellbeing effects of binaural beats for some people.

Similarly with music tuned to A 432Hz.

Our brains tend to interpret sounds as expressions of emotional states. When humans are relaxed, our voices are usually lower in pitch than when we are excited or agitated.

Thus, notes of a lower pitch are sometimes perceived as more relaxing than notes that are higher pitched. Again, this doesn’t mean there is anything special or magical about 432Hz tunings – just that for many people, lower pitched notes seem calmer. The same effect could be achieved by listening to other music or frequencies with a lower pitch.

So while 432Hz might sound soothing to some ears, it’s not a shortcut to cosmic alignment. Rather than thinking about the numbers, focus on really becoming aware of your own response. Notice how different sounds make you feel, what slows your breathing, eases your body, or lifts your mood.

When it comes to wellbeing, what works is what works for you.

Sandra Garrido, Senior Research Fellow, School of Psychology, University of Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Categories : Mental HealthTags :

Is It Anxiety or OCD? 2 Psychology Experts Explain the Difference

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Photo by Joice Kelly on Unsplash

Emily Upton, UNSW Sydney; Black Dog Institute and Kayla Steele, UNSW Sydney

Anxiety itself is not a mental illness. It’s a normal, adaptive emotion that helps us respond to perceived threats.

Anxiety is the automatic reaction that makes you jump back when you think you’ve seen a snake while bushwalking – before realising it’s a stick.

It’s also (inconveniently) the sweaty palms and shaky voice you notice before a presentation or a first date, or the circling thoughts that keep you awake at 3am.

Most of us have ways to cope with anxious thoughts and feelings that can give us more of a sense of control. This could be checking and double-checking we’ve got the room right for our presentation, or seeking reassurance from someone we love.

But when might these behaviours fit a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder? And when could they actually be a sign of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)?

As clinical psychologists, we find these questions come up a lot, perhaps spurred by a recent surge of interest in OCD on social media. So what’s the difference between anxiety and OCD? And how are they treated?

Social media is full of content ‘diagnosing’ OCD and explaining how it’s different to anxiety. TikTok

When is anxiety something more serious?

“Normal” anxiety can become an anxiety disorder when fears or worry are persistent, intense and start interfering with everyday life.

About one in three people will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime.

Among the most common are social anxiety disorder (fear in social situations), panic disorder (frequent panic attacks, and fears you’ll have another) and generalised anxiety disorder (persistent and excessive worry).

These disorders have slightly different symptoms. But all share excessive and persistent fear or worry that causes distress or leads people to avoid important parts of life including work, study or social activities.

So, what about OCD?

Although OCD involves anxiety, it is actually considered a separate disorder in the diagnostic manual used by mental health professionals.

It is possible to have both – around half to three-quarters of individuals with OCD also meet criteria for one or more anxiety disorders as well.

OCD involves obsessions, compulsions, or both. These cause significant distress or interfere with daily functioning.

Obsessions are intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images or urges. This could mean an intense fear your food is contaminated, suddenly visualising hurting someone, or a feeling that keeps entering your mind that you’ve made a serious mistake.

Compulsions are the repetitive behaviours (or mental rituals) people feel driven to perform to ease that distress, such as checking, repeating phrases, excessive hand-washing or seeking reassurance.

Many of us will occasionally experience unwanted thoughts or go back to check the oven is actually off. Keeping things tidy or being particular about routines can simply be habits that don’t cause distress.

But what makes OCD different is its severity and impact.

If obsessions or compulsions take up large amounts of time, cause you significant distress, or interfere with daily life, it may be a sign of OCD.

You can’t “spot” OCD from behaviour alone. OCD can also be invisible because many compulsions happen mentally, such as repeating phrases or counting. People with OCD may also try to hide their symptoms out of shame.

Are OCD and anxiety treated differently?

While anxiety disorders and OCD share some similarities, including repetitive distressing thoughts, the patterns and beliefs driving them are different. This means the way they’re treated will also differ.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective treatments for both anxiety disorders and OCD.

For OCD, treatment often involves a specialised form of CBT called exposure and response prevention (ERP). It involves gradually facing situations that trigger distressing thoughts while resisting the urge to perform compulsions.

For example, someone with contamination fears might gradually reduce the number of times they wash their hands before eating. Over time, people learn the feared outcome does not occur, that they can tolerate their discomfort without the ritual, and that the anxiety passes on its own.

Treatment for anxiety disorders focuses on the specific fear. For generalised anxiety, for example, it involves understanding patterns of worry, challenging beliefs that keep worries going, and developing more helpful ways to respond to problems, such as brainstorming solutions and taking small actions.

Antidepressant medication (particularly selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, or SSRIs) can be an effective component of treatment for both anxiety disorders and OCD. A combined treatment approach of medication (SSRIs) and therapy (CBT) often leads to the best treatment outcomes, especially for severe OCD.

A final note

While it’s great mental health is being discussed more openly online and stigma is reducing, social media can also blur the line between personal experience and evidence-based information.

If something you’ve seen online has sparked curiosity about your mental health, the best next step is to talk with a qualified professional who can help you understand what you’re experiencing and what support might help.

For more information and resources about anxiety and OCD, visit the Black Dog Institute or Beyond Blue, and ReachOut or Headspace for young people.

There are lots of evidence-based online treatment programs for anxiety disorders and OCD you can access for free or low-cost, such as This Way Up, MyNewWay or Mindspot.

There are also online treatments for kids and teens with OCD and anxiety.

You can also ask your GP about a Mental Health Care Plan for Medicare-rebated psychology sessions.

Emily Upton, PhD Candidate in Psychology, UNSW Sydney; Black Dog Institute and Kayla Steele, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist, UNSW Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Categories : Mental HealthTags :

People with Poor Mental Health Have Worse Healthcare Experiences

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Poorer mental health was associated with worse reported care and less trust in the healthcare system

Photo by Alex Green on Pexels

People with self-reported poorer mental health also report worse quality of care and lower confidence in healthcare systems, according to a study published May 5th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Margaret E. Kruk from Washington University in St. Louis, U.S., and colleagues.

Rates of depression and anxiety have increased worldwide since the COVID-19 pandemic, and more people are pursuing mental health treatment as a result. However, there is limited up-to-date data describing how these individuals seek out and receive care. Detailed, population-level information can help healthcare systems meet this growing population’s needs.

To make a start on gathering this data, Kruk and her colleagues surveyed 32 419 adults in 18 high-, low-, and medium-income countries. More than 1000 people from each country responded. Participants self-reported data via the People’s Voice Survey in 2022 and 2023.

First, survey respondents self-assessed their physical and mental health (the latter including “poor,” “fair,” “good,” “very good,” and “excellent”). Then, they quantified their overall confidence in the healthcare system, their own use of healthcare services, the typical quality of care received, and their ability to manage their own mental health (a metric called patient activation).

Mental healthcare receipt among people with poor mental health. Infographic displaying the weighted distribution of mental health status and care receipt. Each figure icon represents 2% of the population. Dark orange = respondents with poor/fair mental health who received mental healthcare in the past 12 months; light orange = those with poor/fair mental health who did not receive care; blue = those with good/very good/excellent mental health.

Image credit: Kruk ME, et al., 2026, PLOS Medicine, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Across all countries, respondents reporting poor mental health were more likely to report chronic illness, poorer overall health, lower patient activation, worse care quality and lower confidence in the healthcare system. Between 0.9% (Lao PDR) and 52.4% (UK) of these respondents reported receiving mental health care in the last year. Respondents in Nigeria reported the best overall mental health (4.7% people reported the lowest proportion of “poor” or “fair” mental health (4.7%), while respondents in China had the highest proportion (39.6%).

The researchers hope these results can help the countries in question – and individual healthcare systems – better serve the needs of those with poor mental health. While this is a descriptive study, the researchers posit patient activation as a potential target for elevating overall health and wellness.

The authors acknowledge that big-picture data doesn’t describe individuals’ specific experiences within the healthcare system. They suggest comparison across similar health systems and tracking system performance over time to continuously improve health services.

The authors add, “What stands out from this study is that poor mental health doesn’t exist in isolation. People reporting poor mental health were nearly twice as likely to have a chronic illness and far less likely to feel empowered to manage their own health. Health systems need to stop treating mental health in a silo and recognise that these patients are showing up across all areas of care – and often with more complex needs.”

Kruk adds, “As a research consortium working across very different health systems, we expected to find variation, and we did, in treatment access. But the experience gap was remarkably consistent: people with poor mental health had worse care, more unmet needs, and less trust in the system, regardless of where they lived. Health systems globally need to rethink how they serve this growing group, not just whether they can reach them.”

Provided by PLOS

Categories : Mental Health Substance UseTags :

It Is Time for SA to Get Serious About the Link Between Substance Abuse and Mental Health

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Around 3.8 million people in South Africa developed depression in 2024, researchers estimate in a major modelling study. Photo from Pixabay CC0

By Gauta Mashego

Substance abuse is both a symptom and a consequence of untreated mental illness, and government needs to urgently step in to confront this dangerous overlap, argues Gauta Mashego of SECTION27.

Mental health globally has been in crisis for years. The strain on mental health was especially visible when the world stood still during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of the global outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to the World Health Organization. However, as the pandemic eased and life returned to the usual, open conversations around mental health also tapered off.

In South Africa, as in many low-and-middle income countries, people struggle with mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. Around 3.8 million people in South Africa developed depression in 2024, estimate researchers in a major modelling study published as a preprint in March on medRxiv.

Mental health is shaped by many factors

Several studies worldwide report a high prevalence of substance use among people with mental illness compared to the general population.

Researchers have found that patients who suffer from psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar mood disorder, were more likely to abuse alcohol and illegal substances. Indeed, findings from a community survey highlighted a substantial burden of co-occurring mental disorders and alcohol use among men in three provinces in South Africa.

What also makes our society vulnerable to both mental health conditions and increased use of drugs and the development of substance use disorders, is our historical context of apartheid as well as socio-economic factors such as poverty, unemployment, and violence. Researchers have argued that mental health problems are related directly to poverty, while others also make the case that the poor are at greater risk than the rich to suffer from mental illness. At the same time, those living with mental illness are more likely to remain trapped in poverty due to high treatment costs, reduced productivity, and stigma around mental illness.

The kids are not alright

Underage drinking further complicates an already complex problem.

Up-to-date statistics of underage drinking in South Africa are limited, however the matter was thrust into the spotlight on Christmas day in 2025 when a disturbing video circulated on social media showing children between the ages of 6 and 12 consuming alcohol in the presence of adults.

Providing insights into the drinking behaviours of adolescents aged between 11 and 18, a 2019 Human Sciences Research Council study in townships across three provinces found that most had their first drink at the age of 13 or 14 years.

Highlighting the extent of underage drinking among Grade 8–11 learners from public schools in all nine provinces, the 2011 South African Youth Risk Behaviour Survey recorded that around 17% of 13-year-olds and 18% of 14-year-olds had engaged in drinking five or more drinks within a few hours on one or more days in the preceding month.

Mental disorders that commonly co-occur with alcohol use disorders in adolescents include antisocial disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders.

Young people’s drinking habits are often linked to factors such as social norms, and the accessibility and affordability of alcohol. Added to this, since young people are often prolific consumers of media, they are frequently exposed to alcohol advertising and marketing, which encourages the consumption of alcohol.

But there is some hope.

The Liquor Amendment Bill aims to amend the Liquor Act of 2003 to prohibit the advertising, promotion or product placement of liquor in all forms of media. The Amendment Bill is at a very early stage in the legislative process, and it is likely to take time before we see any changes to the law (and longer before we see its implementation).

Other legislative changes debated include raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 and keeping schools alcohol-free, and more generally to place a moratorium on new liquor licences and stronger enforcement against Liquor Act violations.

South Africa also has a National Drug Master Plan 2019-2024. It was released by the Department of Social Development, and importantly, it recognises addiction as a chronic disease affecting the brain and behaviour.

However, experts say that while it is a great document, the Central Drug Authority which is tasked with implementing the plan, needs more power and resources to implement the plan’s recommendations.

South Africa also has a National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan (2023-2030), that was introduced by the Department of Health. Similarly to its previous iteration, the latest plan envisions the integration of mental healthcare into primary healthcare. A key objective of the new plan is to ensure that mental healthcare users have access to care near their places of work. Another aim is to strengthen collaboration between government departments like education and social development to ensure that mental health is incorporated in planning and service development.

However, as it stands, many public healthcare facilities lack mental health professionals, with rural and underserved communities having little to no access to care. Only about 50% of public hospitals offering mental health services have a psychiatrist, while the country has less than one psychologist for every 100 000 people.

Shortages of mental health professionals mean patients often wait months for appointments. For an adolescent or a child who experiences anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts, these delays can feel unbearable and it is quite possible that they may give up before receiving help. Currently, only one in ten children diagnosed with treatable mental conditions will have access to care.

While South Africa developed extensive legislative and policy frameworks to give effect to the constitutional right to healthcare, including mental healthcare, constitutional promises must make a difference in the lives of people. Unfortunately, millions of people in the country face barriers to mental healthcare, exposing the persistent gap between constitutional promises and lived reality.

When families lack access to counselling, community-based mental health services and early intervention programmes, harmful coping mechanisms continue to be passed down rather than prevented. To achieve the objectives of the Mental Health Policy Framework by 2030 and to catch up with the National Drug Master Plan that lapsed in 2024, stronger political will and meaningful action are urgently required. This is a crisis South Africa can’t evade.

*Mashego is a candidate attorney with SECTION27.

Note: Spotlight is published by SECTION27, but is editorially independent – an independence that the editors guard jealously. Spotlight aims to deepen public understanding of important health issues by publishing a variety of views on its opinion pages. The views expressed in this article are not necessarily shared by the Spotlight editors.

Republished from Spotlight under a Creative Commons licence.

Read the original article.

Categories : Mental HealthTags :

Parental Depression: How Does Timing Impact Mental Health in Adult Offspring? 

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Photo by Alina Matveycheva

A new Yale study shows how the timing of depression in mothers and fathers affects mental health in their adult children. This includes influences on depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders.

Timing effects across development

A research team led by Kieran O’Donnell, PhD, at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) found that pregnancy is a sensitive period, and exposure to high levels of maternal depression during pregnancy alone is associated with increased risk of psychosis in adult offspring. The findings highlight the importance of adequate mental health support during pregnancy.  

The effects of maternal depression on adult symptoms of depression were detected across childhood, as well as during pregnancy, while paternal effects emerged from mid-childhood. The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open. 

Study design and methods

O’Donnell and his team used a statistical framework borrowed from econometrics to analyse the study data. They analysed the effects of parental depression, assessed from pregnancy through 21 years of age, on adult mental health outcomes in a 30-year study of more than 5 000 participants.  

“This is one of the most comprehensive studies – if not the most comprehensive – to ask if there are sensitive periods or developmental stages when exposure to parental depression has a particularly strong impact on later mental health,” says O’Donnell, an associate professor at Yale Child Study Center and in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at YSM.

Findings and implications for intervention

“Finding that parental mental health was important for long-term mental health outcomes in the next generation was not surprising, and is consistent with previous studies,” says O’Donnell. “What did come as a surprise was the clear difference in the patterns of associations between maternal and paternal depression and each mental health outcome we studied, as well as the distinct timing effects of mother’s versus father’s depression. These findings suggest that multiple and possibly distinct mechanisms underlie the associations between maternal and paternal depression and offspring mental health.” 

One of the study’s goals was to investigate key periods of development when parental interventions might be most effective in promoting mental health in the next generation. Study findings suggest that earlier intervention is better, and providing adequate mental health support for parents during pregnancy is important.

“Our findings also highlight the importance of checking in on parents’ mental health across childhood,” O’Donnell adds. “Doing so will benefit parents and may also have a positive benefit on the long-term mental health outcomes of their children.” 

Source: Yale University

Categories : Mental HealthTags :

Simple Rituals Like Tea Drinking Help Rewire Focus

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Scientists use cutting-edge imaging to explore how Rooibos may support healthy brain cells. From left: Catherine Smit, Dr Sholto de Wet and Prof Ben Loos.

In a world of endless notifications, relentless multitasking and constant information overload, the ability to focus is slipping through our fingers. Research suggests the human attention span has shrunk dramatically over the past two decades, with a widely cited Microsoft study putting it at just eight seconds today, down from 12 seconds in 2000. That’s shorter than the attention span of a goldfish.

Meanwhile, chronic stress and cognitive overload are now recognised as major contributors to burnout, anxiety and reduced productivity.

The role of simple rituals in restoring focus

Against this backdrop, scientists are beginning to explore not only what we consume, but also how we consume it, including the role of simple rituals like tea preparation, in restoring mental clarity.

Emerging research into Rooibos, a naturally caffeine-free herbal tisane indigenous to South Africa, suggests that both its bioactive compounds and the act of drinking it may support the brain under pressure.

How stress impacts the brain

From a neuroscience perspective, chronic distraction has measurable consequences.

According to Prof Ben Loos from Stellenbosch University’s Department of Physiological Sciences, stress isn’t good for the brain and can affect how well it functions. “It can contribute to a pro-inflammatory state and neuro-inflammation.” He explains that prolonged cognitive overload increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), creating a damaging cellular environment that impairs brain function.

Over time, this affects critical regions, such as the prefrontal cortex, responsible for attention and decision-making, and disrupts neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to adapt and learn. “Individuals may feel depleted due to an overload of the prefrontal cortex,” Prof Loos notes, adding that unmanaged stress can impair memory and learning capacity.

While much of the modern response to fatigue involves stimulants like caffeine, researchers are increasingly interested in alternatives that support the nervous system without overstimulation. Naturally caffeine-free Rooibos presents one such option.

Antioxidants and cellular protection

At a molecular level, Rooibos contains potent antioxidants, notably aspalathin and quercetin, which have been studied for their neuro-protective potential.

Prof Loos explains that Rooibos works in different parts of the body to help protect cells from the kind of damage that can build up as we age. “In simple terms, the compounds in Rooibos help keep brain cells healthy, support the body’s natural energy levels and keep cells working as they should, which is important for maintaining a sharp, active mind.

“A big part of this comes down to structures in our cells called mitochondria. These are like tiny energy generators that turn the food we eat into fuel, giving both the body and brain the energy they need to function properly, grow and stay healthy,” he says. For the brain cells, this means, making new connections with other brain cells and simply aging healthier.

Research has highlighted that mitochondrial dysfunction is closely linked to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. By supporting mitochondrial health, Rooibos compounds may help create a more stable internal environment for cognitive function.

This microscopic image shows active mitochondria (in red) inside brain cells. Rooibos appears to help these energy-producing structures stay strong and adaptable, supporting overall cell health. (Image: Catherine Smit)

Supporting brain chemicals linked to learning and memory

Dr Taskeen Docrat from the Applied Microbial Health and Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI) at CPUT explains that the natural compounds in Rooibos not only help protect our cells, but might also support the brain chemicals that are important for memory and learning. These antioxidants help the body manage and reduce harmful stress that can damage cells.

Dr Taskeen Docrat, researcher from the Applied Microbial Health and Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI) at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) explores how Rooibos antioxidants may support cognitive health.

She mentions that Aspalathin, one of the compounds in Rooibos, helps protect the brain by lowering this kind of stress. Quercetin, another compound, may boost the levels of a protein called BDNF, which plays an important role in helping the brain learn, adapt and store new information.

The science of ritual and the nervous system

But beyond biochemistry, there is growing recognition of the psychological benefits of ritual. Structured, repetitive behaviours, such as preparing and drinking tea, can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and recovery.

Dr Docrat explains that ritualised behaviours activate the part of our nervous system that calms us down. This can lower stress hormones in our body, specifically, cortisol. When cortisol levels drop, we tend to feel less stressed, which can lead to better emotional regulation and clearer thinking.”

This aligns with broader psychological research showing that small, intentional rituals can reduce anxiety and improve focus by creating a sense of control and predictability in otherwise chaotic environments.

Importantly, Rooibos offers these benefits without the potential downsides of caffeine. While moderate caffeine intake can enhance alertness, excessive consumption – particularly in high-stress contexts – may increase heart rate, anxiety and sleep disruption.

“Opting for a caffeine-free drink like Rooibos could provide safer support for the nervous system without the crash,” Dr Docrat notes.

A holistic approach to focus and mental clarity

Although direct evidence linking Rooibos consumption to improved focus is still emerging, the underlying mechanisms are compelling. Prof Loos cautions that it’s not easy to correlate what they see on the molecular level to high-level functions, such as mental focus, but adds that improved cellular health in the brain likely supports better neuronal function overall.

In a world where distraction is the norm, the solution may not lie in pushing the brain harder, but in creating conditions that allow it to function optimally. Incorporating simple, non-caffeinated rituals like drinking Rooibos may offer a dual benefit – biochemical support for brain health and a psychological pause that resets attention.

As Prof Loos concludes, we need moments of calm, silence and focus to manage stress, sharpen the mind and support resilience and creative thinking.

Categories : Mental Health NeurologyTags :

How Oestrogen in the Brain Impacts Stress and Trauma Response

On By ModernMedia

New research reveals how oestrogen levels in the brain influence vulnerability to stress-related memory problems, helping explain sex differences in PTSD risk.

Photo by Sherise Van Dyk on Unsplash

For some people, a single traumatic event like a shooting, a natural disaster or a violent assault, can leave an imprint that lingers long after the immediate danger has passed. Memories of that event may return with unusual intensity, shaping mood, behaviour, and mental health in ways that are difficult to predict. Others exposed to similar trauma recover without developing lasting memory problems or trauma-related symptoms.

Why those outcomes diverge is a central question in stress and trauma research. Clinicians have long observed that severe acute stress can permanently alter memory for some people but not others, and that women face roughly twice the lifetime risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent research from the University of Pennsylvania in collaboration with the University of California-Irvine suggests that part of the answer may lie in the brain’s biological state at the precise moment trauma occurs.

Elizabeth Heller, PhD, an associate professor of Pharmacology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and her team in the Heller Lab, have now shed light on how the brain’s biological state at the time of stress, particularly its oestrogen levels, can shape vulnerability long after the acute stress has lifted. Heller helped uncover that oestrogen levels in the brain may play a surprising role in this vulnerability, and for both sexes. The study, published in Neuron, also provides new insight into why women are more likely than men to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to face higher dementia risk later in life.

Unpacking oestrogen’s role in memory vulnerability

Oestrogen is widely known to support learning and memory. This study found that high levels of oestrogen in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for memory, help the brain’s cells change and adjust more easily. However, in the context of severe acute stress, this flexibility can increase vulnerability to stress-related memory problems.

Heller and the Penn team mapped how high levels of oestrogen interact with chromatin structure (the storage packaging up DNA inside cells) in the hippocampus to make some brains more susceptible to PTSD‑like memory changes.

The findings help explain why traumatic events such as natural disasters, mass violence, and assaults can cause long-term memory problems, and why women are roughly twice as likely as men to develop PTSD.

“A lot of what determines vulnerability is the state your brain is already in,” Heller explained. “If a traumatic event hits during a period when oestrogen is already unusually high, the resulting plasticity can amplify the impact in lasting ways, promoting vulnerability to stress. Even with these findings in hand, the word oestrogen can mislead readers into assuming the biology applies only to women. That assumption shaped public understanding for decades, but it doesn’t hold up against what this research, and years of foundational neuroscience, actually shows.

As Heller notes, oestrogen is a critical brain hormone in both sexes. It is produced locally in regions like the hippocampus where it helps regulate learning, mood, and responses to stress. Recognising that universality is essential to understanding what this study truly reveals.

“The striking thing is that oestrogen levels are actually high in both males and in females in some parts of the hormonal cycle. Thus, the effects of high oestrogen levels happen in both males and females,” Heller said. “We tend to treat oestrogen as a women’s health hormone, but the brain makes its own oestrogen, and it plays powerful roles in stress, memory, mood, and emotion across sexes.”

By Eric Horvath

Source: Penn Medicine