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Addiction Medications in 371 Trials: No Approved Stimulant Drug

MHD card with a medication blister pack whose upper pockets hold rose capsules and white tablets while the bottom pockets are empty: addiction drugs work best for smoking and opioids, and none are approved for stimulants or cannabis.

A 2026 umbrella review of 16 systematic reviews covering 371 trials found strong medication evidence for tobacco and opioid use disorders, modest benefits for alcohol use disorder, and no approved drugs for stimulant or cannabis use disorders.1 Varenicline more than doubled smoking quit rates vs. placebo, methadone kept people in opioid treatment longer than buprenorphine, …

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Schizophrenia Aggression: Clozapine, Paliperidone, Olanzapine Ranked Top

MHD card with an amber network of antipsychotic drug nodes linked to a placebo node over a dark background, with a calming waveform: clozapine, paliperidone, and olanzapine reduced aggression in schizophrenia most, but confidence was low.

A 2026 analysis of 41 randomized studies involving 21,025 adults with schizophrenia found the largest estimated reductions in hostility and aggression for clozapine (standardized mean difference, or SMD, of −0.75), paliperidone (−0.62), and olanzapine (−0.60) vs. placebo.1 Confidence in every comparison was low or very low, the top 3 were not statistically separable, and most …

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VR Training for Alzheimer’s Improved Memory Tests, Not Daily Function

MHD card with a VR headset and memory tiles: 11 study reports include 2 from the same cohort; memory test scores improved, with no clear gain in daily life.

A 2026 meta-analysis of 11 reports from small randomized trials found that virtual reality (VR) training modestly improved thinking-test scores in people with Alzheimer’s dementia (standardized effect 0.44), but it did not produce a clear benefit for everyday functioning, quality of life, or mood.1 The studies were small, several had design problems, and the researchers …

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Adult ADHD Trials Often Skip Full Diagnostic Assessment

MHD featured image for adult ADHD randomized trials and diagnostic assessment quality.

A 2025 scoping review of 292 adult ADHD randomized controlled trials found that 49.7% allocated diagnosis without a general psychopathology assessment, and only 35% reported that psychiatrists or psychologists assigned the ADHD diagnosis. Research Highlights 292 adult ADHD RCTs were reviewed: Studart et al. screened 706 PubMed records and included 292 randomized controlled studies.1 49.7% …

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