Mental Health Daily

Physical Activity Linked to Better Quality of Life in Teens

by GLOOM

MHD card showing a glowing teen runner on a curved school running track at night with a thought bubble that turns a jagged stress scribble into calm arcs, illustrating a survey linking physical activity to better quality of life in teens.

In a 2026 survey of 420 middle school students in eastern China, more physically active teens reported more cognitive reappraisal (reframing stressful situations), better stress-management habits and better health-related quality of life.1 Research Highlights Activity linked to quality of life through coping scores: the researchers’ model combined proposed links through reframing stressful situations and stress-management …

Guanfacine Eases Hyperactivity in Autism; Inflammation Theory Untested

by GLOOM

MHD card showing a teal prefrontal dendrite with a magnified membrane of closed HCN channels and an amber microglia cell inside a dashed outline, illustrating that guanfacine eased hyperactivity in autistic children while its anti-inflammatory role remains untested.

Guanfacine, a non-stimulant ADHD medication, reduced hyperactivity in autistic children in a placebo-controlled trial. A 2026 review argues it may also steady prefrontal brain signaling and calm the brain’s immune cells, but that immune effect has never been tested with guanfacine itself.1 Research Highlights Hyperactivity fell in the largest autism trial: in 62 autistic children, …

Parcel-Guided rTMS for Treatment-Resistant Depression: 6 of 11 Remitted in Pilot

by GLOOM

MHD card showing a dark violet mosaic of irregular brain-atlas parcels, with three highlighted parcels meeting at a glowing crosshair target beneath a figure-eight TMS coil, illustrating parcel-guided rTMS for treatment-resistant depression.

Researchers aimed repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which uses magnetic pulses to stimulate brain cells, at a spot chosen from each person’s own brain scan. In a small Columbia University pilot, 6 of 11 adults with treatment-resistant depression ended with low depression scores that met the trial’s remission threshold.1 Research Highlights Symptoms improved at the …

Brazilian Eating Disorder Guidelines: CBT First for Bulimia and Binge Eating, Fewer Proven Options for Anorexia

by GLOOM

MHD card with an open glowing guideline book on a dark navy background, three colored pathways branching from its spine to three nodes, and stepped translucent evidence tiers at the right edge, illustrating eating disorder treatment guidelines.

New Brazilian Psychiatric Association guidelines put cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) first for bulimia and binge-eating disorder. When medication is needed, they recommend fluoxetine as an add-on for bulimia and lisdexamfetamine as the first-choice drug for binge-eating disorder. For anorexia, no single therapy has proven best, and drugs play only a small supporting role.1 Research Highlights …

Scarcity Mindset Study Reanalyzed: Game Rules, Not Tunnel Vision, Explained the Results

by GLOOM

MHD card with receding teal tunnel rings and a narrow spotlight falling on three gold coins beside a small target, illustrating a reanalysis finding that the scarcity tunneling effect came from game rules.

A new study reanalyzed a widely cited target-shooting experiment used to support the scarcity mindset theory. That theory says money shortages focus attention on immediate needs and make future costs easier to overlook.1 Giving players fewer or more shots changed their opportunities to score and borrow, explaining results previously attributed to narrowed attention. The findings …

Switching to Aripiprazole Every 2 Months Linked to Better Adherence in Bipolar I Disorder

by GLOOM

MHD card with a dark plum background, a 12-month calendar grid where every second month carries a glowing magenta injection marker, and a glowing syringe at right, illustrating aripiprazole injections given every 2 months for bipolar I disorder.

Adults with bipolar I disorder who switched to an aripiprazole injection given every 2 months had more days covered by medication over the next 6 months than in the 6 months before, according to a US insurance-claims study of 1,467 people.1 Hospital stays and medical costs fell too, but the study had no comparison group …

SDQ Had the Strongest Evidence Among Broad ADHD Rating Scales for Children

by GLOOM

MHD card with a glowing amber clipboard holding a rating questionnaire with filled answer bubbles, over a faint grid of checkmarks and crosses on a dark background, illustrating a review of ADHD rating scales for children.

Among broad child behavior questionnaires used to screen for ADHD, the short hyperactivity-inattention subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has the strongest measurement evidence, according to a 2026 review of 36 studies. None of the 12 scales reviewed met every quality standard.1 Research Highlights 36 studies, 12 scales: a systematic review in BMC …