Campaigns to enhance public awareness and attitudes towards mental health problems have been a feature of mental health policy and practice for several decades. In Australia, Beyond Blue, an independent, not-for-profit organisation which was launched in 2000, marked a turning point in the national approach to improving population mental health. From the outset, it prioritised a systemic approach including national awareness campaigns, support for consumers and carers, early intervention, primary care reform and investment in research.

Over the past 25 years, Australia has seen substantial improvements in mental health literacy, stigma and help-seeking. To explore Beyond Blue’s contribution, we drew on nationally representative surveys of mental health literacy, stigma and service use. Analyses of surveys from the mid-2000s showed that respondents in states with greater exposure to Beyond Blue had higher awareness, better recognition of depression and more accurate treatment beliefs. Later studies confirmed that engagement with Beyond Blue was associated with higher mental health literacy, including among young people. National surveys have also shown significant reductions in stigma towards people with depression, changes not observed in other countries. Longitudinal data suggest that engaging with Beyond Blue predicts lower stigma and greater help-seeking over time.

National Surveys of Mental Health and Wellbeing have shown steady increases in professional help-seeking and perceived need for support since the late 1990s. While there are multiple reasons for this, recent national survey data link engagement with Beyond Blue to increased contact with health professionals and informal supports.

Globally, Beyond Blue is unique in its long-term, multi-pronged approach to improving population mental health. Its sustained focus and demonstrated impact on mental health literacy, stigma and help-seeking for depression and anxiety remain largely unmatched among comparable national initiatives.

Refugees bear the highest burden of mental health issues; however, they often underuse available mental health services. Interventions aimed at those with diagnosed conditions frequently do little to prevent the onset of disorders. Problem Management Plus for Immigrants (PMP-I) is a prevention intervention adapted from the World Health Organization’s Problem Management Plus (PMP). PMP-I includes psychoeducation, problem-solving, behavioural activation, social support and networking, and mind-body exercises. This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate the impact of PMP-I on mental, social and emotional well-being outcomes among Bhutanese refugees resettled in Massachusetts.

Bhutanese individuals aged 18 or older who had resettled in Massachusetts and scored ≤14 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were randomly assigned to two groups: PMP-I (n = 58 families) and a talk programme with a community support services pamphlet (n = 58 families). Trained community interventionists delivered five sessions of PMP-I to intervention participants in their family settings. Primary outcomes included scores on measures of stress (Cohen Perceived Stress Scale-10), and anxiety and depression (Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25), assessed at baseline, 6-week and 3-month post-intervention. Secondary outcomes included hair cortisol, coping, coping self-efficacy, social support, social network, family conflict resolution and family satisfaction. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyse differences in changes in outcomes between the intervention and control groups, adjusting for baseline scores on the primary outcomes, as well as age, duration of residence, marital status and history of chronic diseases.

All 232 participants recruited (116 families) were retained throughout the project. The intervention group evidenced a significantly greater decrease than the control group at both 6-week and 3-month post-intervention assessments on the primary outcomes of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptom scores. Similarly, the intervention group demonstrated significantly higher scores at both the 6-week and 3-month periods after the intervention compared to the control group on measures of coping, family conflict resolution, self-efficacy, family satisfaction and social networking with large effect sizes (Cohen’s d > 0.8, p < .01). Hair cortisol concentrations did not differ significantly between the intervention and control groups at either baseline or 3-month post-intervention.

The PMP-I improved the mental, social and emotional well-being of Bhutanese adults (PHQ-9 score ≤ 14) resettled in Massachusetts. Peer-delivered, family-centred PMP-I offers a significant public health benefit; however, a large-scale, RCT involving diverse refugee groups is necessary to replicate its success nationwide and beyond.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) shape children’s socioemotional development, yet longitudinal evidence from low- and middle-income countries remains limited. This study examined how ACEs relate to internalizing, externalizing and prosocial behaviours from childhood to adolescence in a rural Pakistani cohort.

Data were drawn from the Bachpan Cohort, a longitudinal study including 1,791 observations across three waves: ages 4–5, 8–9 and 12–15 years. ACEs were assessed using an adapted ACE-International Questionnaire. Outcomes were measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Network analysis, dose-response modelling and moderation analyses were employed.

Emotional neglect was the most prevalent ACE (83.7%). Parental psychiatric issues, parental trauma exposure and emotional neglect were the most central ACE stressors. A dose-response relationship emerged: compared to children with no ACEs, those with four or more ACEs showed higher internalizing (incidence ratio [IR] = 4.24) and externalizing problems (IR = 3.42) and lower prosocial behaviour (IR = 0.90). Girls showed greater internalizing vulnerability; boys showed more externalizing problems. ACE effects on internalizing problems strengthened with age.

ACEs are strongly associated with internalizing, externalizing and prosocial outcomes from childhood to adolescence. Findings highlight the need for tiered, gender-sensitive and developmentally appropriate interventions in low-resource settings.

Populations affected by humanitarian crises, including conflict, disasters and displacement, are frequently exposed to elevated psychological distress, while access to mental health services remains scarce. Problem Management Plus (PM+), a low-intensity psychological intervention developed by the World Health Organization, has shown clinical efficacy. However, evidence on its implementation in humanitarian contexts remains limited. This systematic review aimed to synthesize available evidence on the implementation outcomes of PM+ and its delivery formats (individual, group and digital) in such settings. The review included individual PM+, group PM+ and Step-by-Step.

Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we systematically searched four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and CENTRAL) for studies published up to June 2025. Eligible studies included populations in humanitarian settings receiving PM+ in any format and reported at least one implementation outcome based on Proctor’s framework (acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, cost, penetration and sustainability). Data extraction and quality appraisal were conducted independently by two reviewers. The protocol for this systematic review was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (Registration No. CRD42024551943).

Of 2093 records screened, 23 studies met inclusion criteria, representing 5377 participants across diverse humanitarian contexts. Feasibility (70% of studies) and acceptability (65%) were the most frequently assessed outcomes, with consistently positive findings, including adequate recruitment, retention and cultural adaptability of PM+. Evidence was strongest for participant and provider acceptability and feasibility of delivery, whereas system-level outcomes such as sustainability, adoption, penetration and cost were rarely reported. Delivery by trained non-specialist providers was common and supported by supervision structures. Fidelity assessments (43%) demonstrated high adherence to intervention manuals. In contrast, sustainability (9%) and cost evaluations (17%) were infrequently reported. Barriers to implementation included stigma, population mobility and resource constraints, while facilitators included contextual adaptation, community engagement and ongoing supervision.

PM+ demonstrates strong feasibility and acceptability when delivered by trained non-specialist providers in humanitarian contexts. However, gaps remain in evidence on long-term sustainability, cost-effectiveness and policy integration. The limited availability of system-level implementation data constrains conclusions regarding large-scale integration of PM+ in humanitarian settings. Future research should employ standardized implementation science metrics and focus on strategies to enhance scalability and embed PM+ within existing health systems.

Substance-induced mental disorders (SIMD) are an under-recognized consequence of psychoactive substance use, despite major implications for treatment needs, health service demand and outcomes. In the context of British Columbia’s (BC’s) ongoing toxic drug emergency, we aimed to (1) estimate the incidence and prevalence of SIMD in the provincial population and (2) describe socio-demographic, geographic, clinical and substance-specific patterns over a two-year period.

We conducted a retrospective, population-based study using linked administrative health data from Population Data BC for residents aged ≥12 years between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2023. SIMD cases were identified using a novel algorithm combining diagnostic codes with temporal linkage between substance-related events (poisoning, withdrawal or substance use disorder) and subsequent psychiatric diagnoses. Incident cases had no record of the same mental disorder in the previous two years; prevalent cases met SIMD criteria at any point in the study period. We calculated monthly, annual and cumulative incidence and prevalence rates per 10,000 population, stratified by sex, age group, health authority, urban/rural residence, neighbourhood income, psychiatric diagnosis, substance class, concurrent substance use disorder, involuntary treatment and mortality.

We identified 37,474 incident and 83,307 prevalent SIMD cases over two years, corresponding to a cumulative incidence of 77.5 and prevalence of 171.4 per 10,000 population. Monthly rates fluctuated in 2022, followed by a rise through 2023, with highest incidence (35.2 per 10,000) and prevalence (328.3 per 10,000) in May 2023. Males accounted for 62% of incident and 59% of prevalent cases; mean age was 43 years, with highest proportions in the 25–44 age range. Northern and Vancouver Island Health Authorities had the greatest burden. On average, individuals with SIMD had 3.2–3.6 healthcare visits per month. Cannabis- and hallucinogen-induced disorders were concentrated among younger people, while alcohol- and tobacco-related SIMD predominated in older adults; stimulant-related SIMD showed the highest hospitalization and involuntary treatment rates. Only about one-third of prevalent and fewer than one in five incident cases had a recorded concurrent substance use disorder.

SIMDs are common, clinically complex and unevenly distributed across demographic and geographic groups in BC. The high rates, substantial service use and frequent occurrence outside documented substance use disorder diagnoses underscore the need for improved detection of SIMD, integration of psychiatric and addiction care and regionally tailored prevention and treatment strategies within the ongoing toxic drug emergency.

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder associated with significantly elevated mortality. While antipsychotics are the cornerstone of treatment, their long-term effects on survival remain uncertain, particularly in non-Western populations. We aimed to assess the real-world association between antipsychotic treatment patterns and all-cause mortality among adults with schizophrenia in China.

This population-based cohort study included 435,816 adults from the Community Schizophrenia Registry System of Guangdong Province, China. Patients were classified into four groups: antipsychotic monotherapy, polytherapy, non-antipsychotic treatment and non-drug treatment. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for mortality.

Over a median follow-up of 7.2 years, 73,527 deaths (16.9%) occurred. Antipsychotic polytherapy (57.6%) was the most common regimen, followed by monotherapy (27.6%). Compared with the non-drug group, mortality risks were significantly lower for polytherapy (aHR: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.18–0.19), monotherapy (aHR: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.24–0.25) and non-antipsychotic treatment (aHR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.21–0.23). Both first- and second-generation antipsychotics showed comparable mortality benefits. While most polytherapy regimens performed similarly to or better than monotherapy, combinations like risperidone–sulpiride were associated with higher mortality. Subgroup analyses showed stronger benefits in women, younger individuals, rural residents and those with less severe illness.

Antipsychotic treatment is associated with significantly reduced mortality among patients with schizophrenia in China, with effects varying by patient characteristics and drug regimen.

The relationship between retirement and mental health remains unclear, with mixed evidence likely driven by methodological challenges and heterogeneity across population subgroups. This study explores the relationship between retirement, time since retirement and mental health, focusing on differences between those living alone and cohabiting.

We used data from 10,698 participants (48,815 observations) in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, waves 1–8, spanning 20 countries and 16 years. Participants were included if they were employed at baseline and retired during follow-up. We applied a triangulated approach using (1) multilevel linear spline models to examine trajectories and (2) fixed-effects instrumental variable analyses (IV) using statutory retirement age as an instrument to establish causal effects. The outcome was depressive symptoms measured using the EURO-D scale (higher scores indicate more depressive symptoms).

Multilevel spline models showed minimal change in depressive symptoms before retirement. At retirement, a small decline in EURO-D scores was indicated (−0.07 points per year [95% CI: −0.13 to −0.0003]), followed by an increase starting two years post-retirement (0.09 per year, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.16). IV analyses showed that retirement was associated with fewer depressive symptoms (−0.26, 95% CI: −0.45 to −0.07). Individuals living alone reported higher depressive symptoms, but cohabitation status did not moderate the relationship between retirement and mental health.

Retirement is associated with a short-term reduction in depressive symptoms, but the effect diminishes over time. While individuals living alone consistently report higher depressive symptoms, cohabitation status does not moderate the retirement-mental health relationship.

Lung cancer patients have a higher risk of suicide, but the long-term patterns and how they differ by treatment type have not been fully characterized. To investigate longitudinal suicide risk among lung cancer patients who underwent surgery compared to matched controls and to examine variations over time by treatment modality and patient characteristics.

We identified 37,215 individuals newly diagnosed with lung cancer between 2010 and 2017 who underwent lung resection within 1 year of diagnosis, along with 1:3 age- and sex-matched controls. Subdistribution hazard ratios (sHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for suicide were estimated using a competing risk analysis.

The cohort (mean age 64.0 years; 62.5% male) was followed for a mean of 7.6 years. There were 154 suicides among lung cancer patients (incidence rate 0.6 per 1,000 person-years). Suicide risk peaked during the first year after surgery (sHR 1.88, 95% CI 1.23–2.87) and declined in subsequent years. Patients who underwent surgery alone had a higher risk in the first year (sHR 1.66, 95% CI 1.02–2.69), which gradually decreased over time. In contrast, patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy experienced a substantially higher initial risk (e.g., sHR 7.00, 95% CI 3.00–16.37 for surgery + radiotherapy) and maintained a moderate increase in suicide risk even beyond 5 years. Subgroup analyses showed an especially elevated first-year suicide risk among younger adults aged 20–49 years, males, and never smokers.

Suicide risk for lung cancer patients is highest during the first postoperative year, particularly for those who receive multimodal therapy, or are younger adults, males, or never smokers. These findings emphasize the need to prioritize early, tailored psychosocial support in survivorship care to help mitigate long-term suicide risk.

People with depressive disorder have increased premature mortality and higher rates of diabetes mellitus than general population. Evidence shows that diabetes may further increase their risk of premature death from diabetes-related complications, especially cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Earlier studies examining depression-associated outcomes in diabetes patients have shown mixed results and were hindered by important limitations, especially the use of self-reported questionnaires to ascertain depression, causing misclassification bias by identifying subclinical symptoms or diabetes distress. Associations of depression with specific diabetes complications have not been systematically evaluated. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the risk of mortality and complications among patients with depression and co-occurring diabetes (depression-diabetes group) relative to patients with diabetes-only (diabetes-only group), on their all-cause mortality rates, and if applicable cause-specific mortality rates, and occurrence of specific diabetes complications.

We systematically reviewed and quantitatively synthesized diabetes-related outcomes in patients with depression by searching Embase, MEDLINE, PsycInfo and Web-of-Science from inception to 20 December 2024, and included studies that examined mortality and complication outcomes in depression-diabetes group relative to diabetes-only group. Results were synthesized by random-effects meta-analytic models, with stratified-analyses (subgroup analyses and meta-regression) by study-level characteristics, including age, gender, study period, geographic region, follow-up duration and nature of diabetes sample. The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024595145).

Twenty-six studies were identified from nine geographic regions. Regarding mortality risk, depression-diabetes group exhibited increased risks of all-cause mortality (RR = 1.30 [95% CI: 1.21–1.39]) and CVD-specific mortality (1.15 [1.02–1.29]) relative to diabetes-only group. Regarding complication risk, depression-diabetes group showed increased risk of complications (1.28 [1.18–1.40]) relative to diabetes-only group, especially in incident-diabetes sample signifying advanced disease stage upon presentation, with stratified-analyses showing higher risk of metabolic complications (1.63 [1.33–1.99]) and cardiovascular complications (1.20 [1.11–1.29]), and lower likelihood of retinopathy (0.84 [0.76–0.94]), albeit comparable rates of cerebrovascular complications (1.36 [0.99–1.87]), nephropathy (1.09 [0.93–1.27]) and peripheral-vascular complications (0.97 [0.79–1.18]). Both overall mortality and complication risks were present in various regions and persisted over time. Heterogeneities were noted and could not be entirely explained by stratified analyses.

Our study demonstrated that patients with depression and co-occurring diabetes were associated with elevated overall mortality risk and complication risk (particularly metabolic and cardiovascular-complications) than non-depressed counterparts, suggesting an overall poorer glycemic control that might eventually drive their earlier death. Comprehensive and multipronged interventions are needed for individualized risk estimation of diabetes-related outcomes, with consequent early interventions to minimize the avoidable physical morbidity and premature mortality in this vulnerable population.

Identifying cognitive impairment in routine care is essential, yet many brief screening instruments exhibit ceiling or floor effects. To our knowledge, no widely used brief cognitive screening instrument has incorporated the qualitative Clock Drawing Test (CDT) command–copy discrepancy, in which the copied clock is better organized than the clock drawn to command, into a composite score.

In this cross-sectional study, patients with amnestic multidomain mild cognitive impairment (aMD-MCI) or early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were consecutively recruited from a tertiary memory clinic at Salamanca University Hospital, Spain, and compared with cognitively unimpaired community-dwelling controls. All participants underwent the Mini-Mental State Examination and the CDT. CogniScan was derived post hoc from nine elements retained through binary partial least squares regression: five temporal-orientation items, three delayed-recall words and one CDT command–copy discrepancy indicator. Factor maps from the fitted model were used to visualize group separation, and receiver operating characteristic analyses were used to estimate apparent discriminative performance and candidate cutoffs.

The final sample included 183 older adults (median age, 75 years): 35 with aMD-MCI, 75 with early AD and 73 cognitively unimpaired controls. All nine CogniScan elements were strongly associated with cognitive status, with large effect sizes. In the primary binary analysis, discrimination was excellent (area under the curve [AUC] 0.99, 95% confidence interval 0.98–1.00). The Youden-optimized cutoff was ≥2 errors (sensitivity 96%, specificity 99%). In secondary exploratory analyses restricted to cognitively impaired participants, discrimination between aMD-MCI and early AD was lower (AUC 0.89, 95% confidence interval 0.82–0.97), consistent with partial overlap on the latent maps. In exploratory models, categorical educational level was not significantly associated with CogniScan score among controls and was not an independent predictor of cognitive status in the adjusted model.

CogniScan showed excellent apparent discriminative performance, but external validation across broader cognitive phenotypes and wider age and educational ranges is needed. It appears best suited as a binary detector of impairment rather than as a definitive stage classifier.

Self-report checklists are commonly used to collect health information in social and epidemiological studies. Little is known about the reliability of such self-report data. This study examined the 6-month test–retest reliability of 28 clinical diagnoses and health histories as self-reported by a sample of adult female mental health service users.

A convenience sample of female mental health service users (N = 293) provided self-report data on their health histories – including physical, psychiatric, neurodevelopmental and functional domains – two times, approximately 6 months apart. We calculated the agreement rates and Cohen’s kappa of the results.

The results demonstrated high levels of temporal consistency. Agreement rates were ≥84.5% for all conditions, while Cohen’s kappa values were above 0.50 for 21 out of 28 conditions.

Self-report checklists, as widely used in survey studies, can yield reliable health data. Social and health science researchers can employ such checklists to collect health background information of research participants, especially when clinical validation is not feasible or when hospital records are not accessible.

Although adolescent depression has been linked to individual chronic conditions, its broader role in shaping multimorbidity risk remains understudied.

A total of 87,562 UK Biobank participants were included, of whom 18,851 had documented adolescent depression. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to evaluate associations between adolescent depression and 24 chronic diseases, followed by stratified analyses by sex and age. Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was then conducted to infer causality for diseases showing significant associations. Genomic colocalization analyses were performed using relevant GWAS data to identify shared causal variants. Mediation analyses were performed to detect possible mediating factors, including the frailty index, KDM biological age acceleration, allostatic load and 30 circulating biomarkers.

Adolescent depression was associated with elevated risk for 12 chronic diseases, with strongest associations for hypothyroidism (HR = 1.29 [1.18–1.42]), diabetes (HR = 1.25 [1.13–1.38]) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (HR = 1.74 [1.50–2.01]). Risks were notably higher among females and younger adults. MR confirmed likely causal relationships for hypothyroidism (OR = 1.45 [1.03–2.05]), diabetes (OR = 1.01 [1.01–1.02]) and COPD (OR = 1.04 [1.02–1.06]). Genomic colocalization revealed a shared genetic signal at the CDSN/PSORS1C1 locus between adolescent depression and hypothyroidism. Mediation analyses revealed disease-specific pathways: creatinine for hypothyroidism, testosterone for diabetes, KDM biological ageing for COPD and frailty index across all three conditions.

Adolescent depression confers systemic vulnerability through genetic and metabolic mechanisms, with amplified risks in females and individuals aged ≤55 years. These findings support early, integrated interventions to mitigate long-term multimorbidity.

Betel quid chewing (BQC) is a common psychoactive habit in Taiwan and other Asian regions. Evidence regarding its association with specific psychiatric disorders remains limited. This study examined associations between BQC assessed at Taiwan Biobank enrolment and major psychiatric disorders recorded in linked health-insurance claims data.

We analysed 51,522 male participants from the Taiwan Biobank successfully linked to the National Health Insurance Research Database, including 7,973 ever-users (BQC) and 43,549 never-users of betel quid (non-BQC). Psychiatric disorders included schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), depressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dementia. Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed with sequential adjustment for age, claims-record ascertainment period, education, urbanization, cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking. No correction for multiple testing was applied across the nine psychiatric outcomes.

Compared with non-users, BQC users were older, had lower educational attainment and had markedly higher prevalence of cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking. In crude analyses, BQC was associated with higher odds of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, MDD, depressive disorders, and panic disorder but lower odds of OCD and ADHD. After full adjustment, BQC remained associated with depressive disorders (adjusted OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.09–1.31). An exploratory inverse estimate for OCD (adjusted OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.39–0.98) was based on only 24 exposed cases. All estimates were nominal because no correction for multiple testing was applied.

In these linked Taiwanese data, BQC was modestly associated with depressive disorders, whereas associations with most other psychiatric conditions were attenuated after adjustment for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. As BQC was assessed at a single time point and psychiatric diagnoses could predate or follow that assessment, the findings represent associations and do not establish temporality or causality.

While there is growing evidence for the effectiveness of peer support (PS) in improving psychosocial outcomes among individuals with severe mental health conditions, the mechanisms through which these effects occur remain insufficiently understood. This study examines whether social inclusion, hope and empowerment mediate the relationship between PS, personal recovery and health and social functioning.

Data were collected from 565 adults with severe mental health conditions who participated in the multicentre UPSIDES randomised controlled trial across six sites in Germany, Uganda, Tanzania, India and Israel. Participants in the intervention group received structured PS from trained peer workers over a 6- to 8-month period. Standardised, self-report measures of social inclusion, hope, empowerment and personal recovery, as well as clinician-rated health and social functioning, were administered at baseline, 4 months, end of intervention (8 months) and 12-month follow-up. Cross-lagged panel modelling was used to explore longitudinal associations and mediating pathways.

The cross-lagged models showed strong autoregressive effects across all variables, indicating high temporal stability. There were no significant direct effects of PS on recovery or health and social functioning. However, mediation analysis identified significant indirect effects of PS on personal recovery via social inclusion (β = 0.114, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.049, 0.194], P < 0.05) and hope (β = 0.037, 95% CI [0.001, 0.086], P < 0.05). Similar indirect effects were observed for health and social functioning (via social inclusion: β = −0.035, 95% CI [−0.064, −0.013]; via hope: β = −0.026, 95% CI [−0.052, −0.006]; both P < 0.05).

Findings suggest that PS affects recovery-related outcomes primarily through intermediate mechanisms of enhanced hope and social inclusion. These results support theoretical models positing indirect pathways of change in PS interventions and highlight the value of targeting social and psychological domains when designing and implementing PS in mental health services. Individuals with lower baseline levels of hope and social inclusion may particularly benefit from PS.

Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN26008944

Population-based longitudinal evidence using administrative healthcare registries remains limited. We aimed to estimate the burden and temporal trends of major depressive disorder (MDD) among individuals aged ≥65 in Lombardy, Italy, 2013 to 2023.

We conducted a retrospective population-based longitudinal study using multi-source administrative healthcare registries (Lombardy region, Italy), including an open cohort of individuals aged ≥65 years. Incident and prevalent MDD cases were identified from 2013 to 2023, through an algorithm combining hospital discharge records, administrative exemptions, long-term care facility admissions and community psychiatric services. Age-standardised incidence rates per 100,000 person-years and annual prevalence (%) were estimated overall, by sex and age, using the age-truncated (≥65) WHO standard population. Annual percent changes (APCs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by Poisson regressions.

We identified 19,851 incident MDD cases during the study period. Age-standardised incidence declined from 126.5/100,000 person-years (95% CI 121.7–131.3) in 2013 to 50.6 (47.6–53.7) in 2023, with an APC of 10.8% (−11.8 to −9.7). Age-standardised annual prevalence decreased from 0.94% (0.93–0.95) in 2013 to 0.63% (0.62–0.64) in 2023, corresponding to an annual decline of 3.0% (−4.7 to −1.3). Rates were higher among females. Burden and trends did not differ significantly by sex but across age groups, with the largest reductions among individuals aged 80 years or older.

Administrative data capture clinically diagnosed MDD within the healthcare system, rather than the broader burden in the community. Comparable epidemiological estimates are needed to interpret trends across different settings.

The COVID-19 pandemic is often portrayed as a universal mental health crisis, especially in studies lacking pre-pandemic data. Research including pre-pandemic assessments nonetheless yields mixed results, making the pandemic’s impact unclear, particularly when considering differences between general and clinical populations (defined as individuals with prior mental disorder diagnoses). This study examined depression and anxiety trajectories from pre-pandemic to pandemic phases in general and clinical populations. It also explored how symptom trajectories varied by sociodemographic and pandemic-related factors.

In the current study, we drew on three general-population cohorts from Germany and France (n = 1,813) that had previously been harmonized within the Co-RESPOND project. We additionally harmonized and integrated three clinical cohorts from the Netherlands (n = 1,069) into this pooled dataset. Cohorts were included in the present study if they provided pre-pandemic baseline data and at least two assessments during the pandemic. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured using validated instruments and transformed into z-scores to enable cross-cohort comparability. Symptom trajectories were identified separately for general-population and clinical cohorts using latent growth mixture modelling, and logistic regressions were used to examine factors associated with trajectory membership.

Participants in the general-population sample had a median age of 39.8 years, while those in the clinical sample had a median age of 57.4 years. Women accounted for 64.6% of the general-population group and 67% of the clinical group. In the general population, approximately 80% showed decreasing symptoms, including those with higher initial severity, while 20% maintained low levels. Divorce/separation and having children were related to more favourable anxiety and depression trajectories, while older age and childcare burden were associated with less favourable trajectories of depressive symptoms. In the clinical population, approximately half improved from moderate symptom levels, with the remainder exhibiting consistently high or low symptoms. Being in a relationship, older age and being a man were linked to more favourable anxiety trajectories.

This study provides substantial evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic did not lead to a uniform deterioration in mental health, as most adults across both general and clinical populations experienced stable or improving symptoms. Our findings underscore the need for mental health surveillance and differentiated, proportionate responses that reflect diverse symptom patterns and risk profiles.

Fixed phone boxes enabling calls to a suicide crisis line have been established at a number of public sites where suicides occur. However, the evidence for the effectiveness of this intervention on suicide deaths is not well established. This study examined the effectiveness of fixed phone boxes by comparing suicide rates during the pre-intervention and post-intervention periods.

Using suicide mortality data from three sites in Australia and three sites in the United States, Poisson regression models were used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) at each site. Pooled IRR (pIRR) was then calculated for all sites using a random-effects meta-analysis.

IRRs and 95% CIs at each site were: Australian sites A: 1.32 (0.94–1.85); B: 2.45 (1.52–3.94); C: 0.32 (0.08–1.33); United States sites D: 3.28 (1.46–7.35); E: 0.57 (0.17–1.95); F: 1.65 (0.45–6.10). The pooled IRR was 1.46 (0.86–2.49). Between-site heterogeneity was large, I2 = 66.5%.

Contrary to general expectation, these findings indicate that fixed phone boxes do not reliably reduce suicide mortality, with two sites even showing increased rates after installation. Their impact appears highly inconsistent across locations, providing no consistent evidence of benefit. This suggests that additional or alternative interventions are necessary to achieve meaningful reductions in suicide mortality at high-risk locations.

Migrant domestic workers (MDWs) are separated from family and at-home support networks while working abroad. This may affect their mental health due to stressors, social isolation and loneliness. Evidence shows mixed results on whether social capital and social support enhance MDWs’ mental health, warranting further investigation. This study assessed how positive and negative dimensions of social network capital are associated with mental health, loneliness and self-rated health among MDWs in Macao SAR, China.

Using respondent-driven sampling, 1,681 MDWs (Filipino n = 1329; Indonesian n = 352) were enrolled. Egocentric name-generating questions captured network size, emotional closeness, social support helpfulness, reciprocity burden and financial support access. Multivariable linear regression examined associations stratified by nationality, and subgroup analysis by network type were examined. To address multiple comparisons across five network capital measures and five outcomes, p-values were adjusted using the Benjamini–Hochberg (BH) false discovery rate procedure.

Network capital characteristics differed across network types. The mean (standard deviation) overall network size was 6.00 (3.77) for Filipino MDWs and 3.69 (2.52) for Indonesian MDWs. Following BH adjustment, among Filipino MDWs, greater social support helpfulness was associated with lower loneliness (Standardized β [Stdβ] = −0.15, Standard error [SE] = 0.02, p < 0.001) and better self-rated health [Stdβ = 0.15, SE = 0.01, p < 0.001]), while higher reciprocity burden was consistently associated with poorer outcomes (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]: Stdβ = 0.21, SE = 0.63, p < 0.001). Network size was associated with higher mental health symptom scores (Depression: Stdβ = 0.08, SE = 0.04, p = 0.004; Anxiety: Stdβ = 0.08, SE = 0.04, p = 0.003; PTSD: Stdβ = 0.08, SE = 0.11, p = 0.003), but less loneliness (Stdβ = –0.07, SE = 0.01, p = 0.007). Among Indonesian MDWs, reciprocity burden and financial support access showed associations primarily with depression (reciprocity burden: Stdβ = 0.44, SE = 0.60, p < 0.001; financial support: Stdβ = 0.22, SE = 0.97, p = 0.007) and anxiety (reciprocity burden: Stdβ = 0.32, SE = 0.60, p < 0.001; financial support: Stdβ = 0.23, SE = 0.97, p = 0.008) within roommate networks. Most standardized effect sizes were modest (Stdβ < 0.25).

Network capital is associated with mental health, loneliness and self-rated health among MDWs, but patterns differ by nationality and network type. Culturally responsive and context-specific strategies that strengthen supportive ties and reduce network-related burdens may improve MDWs’ health.

South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, and lower happiness has been associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in Korean populations. We aimed to estimate a nation-level item network of happiness, affect, personality and well-being evaluations in South Korea and to test whether this network differed by sex, income and generation.

We analysed 2020–2023 Korean Happiness Survey data from 64,531 respondents in South Korea; the network analyses used 61,675 complete cases. A Gaussian graphical model with Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator regularization estimated edges among happiness, affect, personality and well-being evaluations. Subgroup differences by sex, income and generation were assessed with permutation-based Network Comparison Tests.

The network contained 199 of 435 possible edges (45.7%). The strongest affective and happiness-related pairwise connections included happiness-enjoyment, stress-tiredness, sadness-depression and depression-anger. Global strength did not differ significantly across the planned subgroup comparisons, but network structure differed by sex, income, Millennials and Generation Z (MZ) versus Generation X, and MZ versus Baby Boomers. In the income comparison, happiness was more negatively linked to the agreeableness item ‘generally trusting’ in the low-income network, whereas its link with time for hobbies was stronger in the high-income network. In the generational comparison, the happiness-stress edge differed between the MZ generation and Baby Boomers, whereas no happiness-connected edge survived false discovery rate correction for MZ versus Generation X. No happiness-connected edge differed significantly by sex.

In South Korea, happiness was most closely linked to enjoyment and embedded within tightly connected affective and evaluative domains. The subgroup differences were selective rather than global, suggesting that future work relevant to population well-being and suicide prevention may benefit from focusing on specific happiness-linked domains such as positive affect, stress-related ties, discretionary time and perceived future security.