Although a relationship between body fat and mental health problems has been established, sex-based differences in this association remain insufficiently understood.

To investigate the association of whole-body and regional fat mass indices with anxiety symptoms in men and women.

A nationwide sample of 3856 men and 5010 women was analysed. Fat mass of the whole body, trunk, arm and leg was measured using a bioelectrical impedance analyser, and fat mass indices (kg/m2) were derived by dividing fat mass by height squared. Symptoms of anxiety were determined using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. Logistic regressions were used to investigate the association of each fat mass index with anxiety symptoms. Sex-stratified analyses were conducted to assess sex-related differences.

The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 3.3% among men and 5.5% among women. Among female participants, a one-standard deviation increase in whole-body, trunk, arm or leg fat mass index was associated with 1.20-fold (95% CI: 1.04–1.39), 1.21-fold (95% CI: 1.04–1.41), 1.19-fold (95% CI: 1.04–1.35) and 1.19-fold (95% CI: 1.03–1.38) increases in odds of anxiety symptoms, respectively. By contrast, no clear association was observed between fat mass indices and anxiety symptoms in men.

Our analysis demonstrated sex differences in the relationship between body fat and anxiety, with high whole-body and regional fat mass indices positively associated with anxiety symptoms in women.

Mental health problems have long-lasting impacts and often begin in adolescence, yet young people face multiple barriers to accessing care and support, including a fragmented system, limited awareness of services and stigma. Afloat was developed to guide users to suitable support.

This study aimed to (a) co-develop a mobile app to support young people’s access to mental healthcare and support; and (b) evaluate its acceptability, potential impact on service use, mental health outcomes and economic implications.

Afloat was co-developed with young people to provide information on available support, and included personal stories from peers and links to care resources. A pilot evaluation involved 105 participants aged 16–25 years from London, UK. Participants completed surveys at baseline and 3 months to assess changes in mental health, service use, stigma and self-identification of mental health issues. App usage was monitored through analytics. A budget-impact analysis estimated financial implications of Afloat implementation.

Participants reported high acceptability and satisfaction. After 3 months, there was an increase in the likelihood of help-seeking and a reduction in mental health symptoms. The increase in actual service use was significant only among those with mild-to-moderate symptoms. Budget-impact analysis indicated potentially increased costs from additional service use.

Afloat shows preliminary promise as a tool associated with increased help-seeking and improved mental health. Long-term benefits of timely intervention may offset short-term costs from increased service use, although this requires formal evaluation. Further research is required to assess long-term outcomes and economic implications.

Psychiatry is a rewarding career, but many medical students have limited exposure to the specialty. Extracurricular enrichment programmes aim to provide early exposure to psychiatry, promote positive attitudes and encourage early career interest.

To systematically review literature on extracurricular psychiatry enrichment programmes for undergraduate medical students.

The review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD420251025990) and followed PRISMA guidelines. Four databases were searched using pre-determined search strings. Records were screened and data extracted independently by two authors. Quality was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A narrative synthesis summarised and consolidated findings.

Of 731 articles screened, 65 full reports were assessed for eligibility and 27 were included. These studies were conducted across 10 countries, most commonly the USA and UK. Programme duration and format varied from single-day events (n = 2) to longitudinal mentoring schemes spanning medical school (n = 5). Summer schools were most common (n = 10). Other schemes included mentoring, elective courses, special study modules, student-led clinics and film/media-based activities. Student feedback was positive, particularly for mentoring and film/media initiatives. Most studies reported improved attitudes towards psychiatry and mental illness, with several reporting statistically significant improvements using validated tools. Of 18 studies assessing career intentions, 16 reported increased interest in a career in psychiatry, and six studies reported higher subsequent match rates into psychiatry specialty training.

The available literature on voluntary extracurricular enrichment programmes suggests that they may provide positive student experiences and are associated with improved attitudes and early interest in psychiatry through meaningful learning opportunities. However, the evidence base is limited as most studies were small, self-selected samples with short-term follow-up and predominantly self-reported outcomes.

Mental disorders are a leading cause of disease burden in 10–24-year-olds. In Australia, fragmentation within and across health, mental health and human services sectors contributes to gaps in service provision and increased disease burden. Comprehensive methodologies are needed to identify service gaps and inefficiencies to shape policy, optimise resource allocation and improve outcomes for young people.

To describe the design and methodology of a population-based data linkage study involving evaluation of health, mental health and human service use among young people in Victoria and identify subgroups experiencing unmet mental health needs.

The primary cohort comprises young people aged 12–25 years in the period between January 2018 and December 2025. For comparative purposes, children aged 5–11 years and adults aged 26–53 years are also included. We describe data sources, linkage methodology and planned analyses. Traditional statistical methods alongside contemporary machine learning and natural language processing techniques will be used.

The study will provide a comprehensive examination of the clinical characteristics of young people, their service use behaviour and typical pathways through care that cannot be gleaned from examining datasets in isolation. Ongoing consultation and engagement with young people and key stakeholders will inform interpretation, dissemination and translation of findings.

By integrating data across multiple service sectors, this study will generate novel evidence regarding pathways through care and unmet mental health needs among Victorian young people. Findings will inform mental health service reform and support improvements in healthcare delivery, service integration and outcomes for young people.

Concurrent psychiatric care in medical in-patients is associated with adverse hospital stay outcomes, but data from low- and middle-income countries is limited.

We aimed to investigate the association between psychiatric diagnosis–medication concordance and discharge disposition outcomes in acute medical in-patients.

This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 16 868 adults presenting to the Department of Internal Medicine at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan (2018–2022) with specified acute care conditions. Patients were classified into four groups based on presence of a psychiatric diagnosis and/or psychiatric medication use: neither, medication without diagnosis, diagnosis without medication and both. Primary adverse outcomes were in-hospital mortality and leaving against medical advice. Multinomial logistic regression was used, adjusting for age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, medication burden and individual acute medical conditions.

A total of 2527 (15.0%) patients had a documented psychiatric diagnosis; however, 6279 (37.2%) received at least one psychiatric medication. Referencing patients with neither exposure, those receiving psychiatric medications without a documented diagnosis had the highest adjusted odds of mortality (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.95, 95% CI 1.74–2.19, p < 0.001) and higher odds of leaving against medical advice (aOR 1.21, 95% CI 1.06–1.39, p = 0.006). Patients with a documented diagnosis but no psychiatric medications had higher odds of leaving against medical advice (aOR 1.28, 95% CI 1.04–1.57, p = 0.022) without a significant increase in mortality (aOR 1.21, 95% CI 0.98–1.49, p = 0.076). Patients with both a diagnosis and psychiatric medication usage showed no significant change in either outcome.

Diagnosis–treatment concordance may be associated with in-patient prognosis in acute care conditions.