MentalHealthDaily

STAIR-R Did Not Beat Supportive Care for Refugee PTSD

by GLOOM

A pilot randomized trial involving 71 refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder found large symptom improvement after narrative exposure therapy-based care, but adding refugee-adapted emotion-regulation training before narrative exposure therapy did not outperform supportive problem-solving before narrative exposure therapy in the full sample.1 Research Highlights 71 refugees were randomized: 35 received STAIR-R plus narrative exposure therapy, …

Major Upper-Extremity Amputation Raised Mental Health Odds

by GLOOM

Major upper-extremity amputation was linked to substantially higher odds of new mental-health diagnosis, antidepressant initiation, and psychotherapy claims than minor upper-extremity amputation in a matched national database study. The clearest clinical implication is early mental-health screening after major limb loss, not waiting for distress to surface months later.1 Research Highlights 2,452 matched patients were analyzed: …

Ethiopia Somali Region Stigma Delayed Mental Health Care

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for mental health stigma and care-seeking in Ethiopia's Somali Region.

A 2026 qualitative study from Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State found a harsh care-seeking pattern: mental illness was often recognized only when it looked like visible “madness,” was commonly explained through spiritual causes, and carried stigma severe enough to delay biomedical care.1 Research Highlights 16 interviews shaped the analysis: Warfa et al. interviewed health workers, service …

Veteran Suicide Rates: 17.6 Daily, 73.5% by Firearm

by GLOOM

Editorial card showing the U.S. flag and silhouette of a service member, illustrating the 2024 VA national veteran suicide prevention annual report.

The most-quoted figure on veteran suicide is “22 a day,” produced from 21-state death-certificate data for 1999–2010.2 The VA’s 2024 Annual Report — with mortality data through 2022 — puts the current daily count at 17.6 Veteran suicides, but the per-Veteran rate has gone the other way.1 Research Highlights Daily count was 17.6: 6,407 Veteran …

Complex PTSD Therapy Helped Affect Regulation Most

by GLOOM

A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials found no broad superiority for phase-based complex PTSD care across most outcomes. Affect dysregulation was the clearest exception, improving more when treatment was phase-based, multi-phase, and exposure-containing. Research Highlights Most therapy formats helped: across waitlist and treatment-as-usual comparisons, psychological interventions reduced PTSD symptoms (k = 9; …

PTSD Social Function Therapy Improved Family Function in Older Veterans

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for PTSD social-function group therapy in older veterans.

A 2026 pilot randomized trial involving 36 older U.S. veterans with PTSD symptoms found that a structured social-function group therapy produced stronger signals for romantic and family functioning than a support group, with condition-by-time effects of eta-squared = 0.072 and eta-squared = 0.112. The same trial did not show a specific advantage for friendships and …

Whole-Family Domestic Violence Intervention: 83 Parent Interviews

by GLOOM

MHD featured image for whole-family domestic violence and parenting intervention.

A 2026 qualitative study of the For Baby’s Sake domestic-violence program used 83 interviews with 39 parents and found a practical engagement pattern: parenting work gave some mothers and fathers a way into safety planning, violence acknowledgment, and emotional-regulation change.1 Research Highlights Longitudinal interviews showed the engagement route: researchers conducted 83 interviews with 39 parents, …