Previous research on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) research has overlooked high-functioning workers managed in occupational health settings.

To investigate clinical characteristics, service use, and sex-related differences in medication and work disability among employees with ADHD.

This study was a cross-sectional descriptive analysis of psychiatric comorbidities in 2117 patients (53.8% men, 46.2% women) with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD (ICD-10 F90.0) in the Finnish occupational health system (2018–2022). We explored service use, medication and sickness absence periods (using multinomial regression models) in a subset with available data (n = 1447).

Psychiatric comorbidity affected 80.5% of patients, most commonly involving anxiety disorders (51.8%) and depression (43.9%). Service use was high: 87.0% consulted a psychiatrist and 70.1% a psychologist. Medication profiles differed by sex (Cramer’s V = 0.15): men more frequently received psychostimulants only (27.4% v. 18.4%), whereas women were more likely to receive antidepressants only or antidepressant–anxiolytic combinations. Women demonstrated substantially higher levels of psychiatric sickness absence compared with men across all duration categories, with relative risk ratio (RRR) = 2.08 (95% CI 1.37–3.14) for short (1 to 7 days) absences, RRR = 2.03 (95% CI 1.42–2.90) for intermediate (8 to 30 days) absences and RRR = 2.75 (95% CI 2.16–3.52) for long-term (>30 days) absences.

Working adults with ADHD carry a heavy comorbidity burden and use specialised services extensively. Women are more frequently managed with comorbidity-focused medications rather than stimulants only and experience disproportionately higher psychiatric-related work disability. Sex-specific clinical pathways may be needed to preserve workability in this population.

Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a common condition, but there remain substantial gaps in our understanding of its effects, particularly on severity of disability and health status.

To characterise disability, quality of life and psychological and somatic symptom comorbidity in individuals with FND attending a specialist multidisciplinary clinic in Australia.

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of patients assessed at an FND clinic in Sydney, Australia, between August 2022 and February 2025. We assessed disability (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0)), health-related quality of life (EQ-5D five-level version (EQ-5D-5L), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey), psychological distress (Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)) and somatic symptom severity (Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15)).

The cohort (N = 105) was predominantly female (74.3%), with a mean age of 35.4 (s.d. = 13.3) years. Functional seizures (46.7%) and functional weakness (45.7%) were the most common presentations. Only 33.7% were employed; 42.9% were unable to work because of FND. The average delay from diagnosis to clinic assessment was 356 days (s.d. = 463). WHODAS 2.0 scores indicated high levels of disability, exceeding international norms for both physical and mental illness. EQ-5D-5L scores were low, with 15.8% reporting a health state rated as ‘worse than death’. Psychological distress and somatic symptom severity were high: 49.5% scored in the K10 ‘very high’ range and 54.5% had high PHQ-15 scores.

FND is associated with significant functional disability, poor quality of life and high levels of psychological and somatic symptom comorbidity. Delays in accessing appropriate care and high rates of vocational disruption highlight the need for earlier diagnosis and better access to integrated, multidisciplinary FND services in Australia.

The increasing recognition of neurodivergent conditions in healthcare settings in general highlights the necessity for better understanding and management in neuropsychiatric settings. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and co-occurrence of neurodivergent conditions and traits among patients with neuropsychiatric conditions. A descriptive quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary neuropsychiatric clinic. Participants included 166 consecutive patients, assessed using the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI) and the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS, version 1.1), with demographic characteristics considered.

In our final analysed cohort (n = 79), among patients with functional neurological disorder (FND) 11% had a confirmed diagnosis of adult spectrum disorder (ASD), 17% were believed to have undiagnosed ASD and 55% exhibited clinically significant ASD traits on the CATI tool. Additionally, 13% had a confirmed diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 25% were believed to have undiagnosed ADHD and 67% exhibited clinically significant ADHD traits on the ASRS tool.

The findings indicate a higher than expected prevalence of neurodivergent conditions in people with FND. Enhanced early identification and tailored treatment approaches are likely to be crucial for improving clinical outcomes and patient experiences in neuropsychiatric settings.

Known influences on tic severity include medical, biological and contextual factors.

We aimed to further understanding of contextual factors by exploring if tic severity is influenced by calendar month.

This study used data from the Calgary Child Tic Registry. Children are extensively clinically phenotyped at their first visit and followed prospectively until adulthood. We evaluated the mean Yale Global Tic Severity Scale-Revised (YGTSS-R) total tic severity score based on the calendar month. Multivariable linear regression models were fit to assess the individual months adjusted for age, gender, comorbidity and tic treatment variables.

The study included 370 participants, with 549 assessments of tic severity performed. In the univariable analysis based on calendar month, August had the lowest tic severity, with a mean YGTSS-R total tic severity score of 15.68 (95% CI 13.41–17.95). This was significantly lower than the month with the highest tic severity, February, with a mean score of 20.41 (95% CI 18.19–22.63). In multivariable models adjusted for age, gender, comorbidity and treatment for tics, the omnibus test for whether month contributes to a better fit were not significant (YGTSS-R total tic score P-value: 0.495). The only significant predictors of increased tic severity were treatment for tics (P < 0.0001), diagnosis of depression (P = 0.003) and diagnosis of obsessive–compulsive disorder (P = 0.02).

While our univariate analysis of tic severity by calendar month supported significantly lower tic severity in August compared with February, this association was no longer statistically significant when controlling for other variables known to impact tic severity.

Young adults (19–24 years) commonly experience elevated rates of sleep disturbance, anxiety, and cognitive stress yet often underutilise formal mental-health services. Music therapy, binaural beats, and related auditory entrainment techniques offer accessible, non-pharmacological approaches that may enhance emotional regulation, cognition, and physiological stability.

To systematically review interventional clinical trials published over the past decade evaluating music- and rhythm-based auditory interventions for mental-health and cognitive outcomes in young adults.

A systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE and PsycINFO (01 January 2015 – 01 January 2025) was conducted using the terms (music therapy OR binaural beats OR auditory entrainment) AND (mental health OR neurorehabilitation OR cognition OR anxiety OR depression). After screening 122 abstracts, 10 trials met inclusion criteria. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) and 95% confidence intervals were extracted or estimated. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB-2 tool. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251178490).

Interventions included bedtime music therapy, audiovisual stimulation, and binaural-beat exposure across laboratory, clinical, and rehabilitation settings. Most studies demonstrated significant or moderate improvements in at least one domain: anxiety reduction, stress physiology, mood regulation, sleep quality, or cognitive performance (standardised mean differences 0.3–0.6).

Evidence suggests that music-based and binaural-beat interventions can beneficially modulate sleep, anxiety, and cognitive processes in young adults. However, heterogeneity in design and small sample sizes limit the certainty of findings. Future adequately powered randomised controlled trials should address transdiagnostic mechanisms and long-term efficacy.

An increasing number of children and adolescents are prescribed second-generation antipsychotic medications, which may lead to cardiometabolic or other physical health impairments. It is unknown whether lifestyle interventions can prevent or manage these adverse effects.

To evaluate the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions for preventing or managing cardiometabolic risks and other adverse physical health outcomes in this population.

Four bibliographic databases were searched up to February 2024. Randomised controlled trials reporting a physical health outcome of children or adolescents (aged 6–17 years) taking antipsychotics and participating in a lifestyle intervention compared with treatment as usual (TAU) were eligible for inclusion. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool was used to assess risk of bias. Data were synthesised via a random-effects meta-analysis and narrative synthesis.

Four studies with a total of 370 participants were included. Most (75%) had a high risk of bias. Lifestyle interventions resulted in moderate but statistically non-significant reductions in participants’ body mass index (standard mean difference −0.70, 95% CI: −1.70 to 0.31) compared with TAU. Some studies reported improvements in other physical health outcomes favouring the intervention, although findings were inconsistent and varied across different measures. Reporting of secondary indicators of physical health, including participant or family health behaviours, was limited.

The effectiveness of lifestyle interventions for preventing or managing the cardiometabolic risk and other adverse physical health outcomes in this population is unclear due to the limited number of available trials, small samples and high risk of bias. Larger trials are needed.