Top psychiatry stories of 2018

As 2018 draws to a close, Healio Psychiatry has compiled a list of the top stories of the year for psychiatrists and other mental health professionals.

New evidence linking climate change and mental health, a study that used machine learning to reveal connections in the brain with psychiatric disorders, and findings from WHO’s “Global status report on alcohol and health 2018,” were just some of the most-read stories on Healio Psychiatry this past year.

Which story resonated with you most this year? Leave a comment or write to us on Twitter @PsychAnnals.

Climate change poses large-scale threat to mental health

A large body of evidence supports the findings that environmental stressors produced by climate change negatively impact human mental health. Using meteorological data plus sampling data from almost 2 million U.S. residents across a 10-year span, researchers found that both hotter temperatures and added precipitation worsen mental health. Read more.

Machine learning links brain connectivity patterns with psychiatric symptoms

Using machine learning, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that four dimensions of psychopathology — mood, psychosis, fear and disruptive externalizing behavior — were linked to distinct patterns of connectivity in the brain. Read more.

WHO: Harmful alcohol use kills 3 million globally in 2016

Although there have been positive trends in prevalence of heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related mortality since 2010, there have been no global reductions in total per capita consumption and the global burden of disease related to alcohol remains high, a report issued by WHO found. Read more.

Expanded label shows Trintellix effective for SSRI-emergent sexual dysfunction

The FDA has approved a supplemental new drug application for Trintellix, which will now include labeling data from a randomized trial showing improved treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction, according to a press release. Read more.

Dementia incidence increased 117% globally from 1990 to 2016

The incidence of dementia increased by 117% between 1990 and 2016, according to data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016. Read more.

Janssen seeks FDA approval for esketamine nasal spray

Janssen has submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA for esketamine nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression in adults. Read more.

FDA committees do not support buprenorphine/ samidorphan for major depression

In a combined meeting, the FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee voted unfavorably for buprenorphine/samidorphan intended for the adjunctive treatment of major depression. Read more.

CDC: Most overdose deaths involved fentanyl in 2016

A report from the CDC found that the most frequently mentioned drugs relating to overdose death in the U.S. from 2011 to 2016 varied over time and by intent of death, with oxycodone ranking first in 2011, heroin ranking first from 2012 to 2015 and fentanyl ranking first in 2016. Read more.

Death from self-injury exceeds diabetes deaths in the US

In 2015, self-injury mortality — comprising all methods of suicide and estimated non-suicide deaths from overdose and mixed drug effects — overtook diabetes as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Read more.

Increased access to medication, prevention interventions vital to combat opioid crisis

Strategies that expand access to medication for opioid use disorder and improve treatment retention are critical to address the opioid crisis, researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse wrote in a review published in JAMA Psychiatry. Read more.