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150 mg Caffeine Did Not Trigger Panic in Panic Disorder Trial

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A randomized crossover trial found that 150 mg caffeine did not increase subjective anxiety, interoceptive attention, or anxiety from body sensations in 29 people with panic disorder compared with 53 healthy controls.1 The result runs opposite the hypothesis, but it does not make caffeine inert: caffeine still increased physiological arousal, costly avoidance, and attention problems …

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Early Parkinson’s Non-Motor Symptoms Differed by Sex After Levodopa

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A 2026 multicenter Italian cohort followed 216 early Parkinson’s disease patients for 24 months after levodopa initiation and found sex/gender differences in non-motor symptom burden.1 Women had higher anxiety, pain, mobility, and emotional-well-being burden, while men had higher hypersexuality. Research Highlights Longitudinal sample: The study followed 216 early levodopa-naive Parkinson patients, including 139 men and …

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Heart Failure Depression Linked to Oral Health and Microbiome Dysbiosis

MHD featured image for emotional disorders, heart failure, and oral microbiome research.

A 2026 analysis linked emotional disorders in heart failure to poorer cardiovascular health, oral-health burden, and oral microbiome dysbiosis, but the strongest mediation signal came from oral health rather than systemic immune-inflammation index.1 In fully adjusted NHANES models, emotional disorders were associated with lower Life’s Essential 8 cardiovascular health, OR 0.39, while self-rated oral health …

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Major Upper-Extremity Amputation Raised Mental Health Odds

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: …

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Ethiopia Somali Region Stigma Delayed Mental Health Care

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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 …

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Germany International Students: 46% Depression, 47% Anxiety

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A 2026 survey of 327 international students in Germany found high symptom burden: 46.5% screened positive for moderate-to-severe depression, 46.8% for moderate-to-severe anxiety, and 31.2% endorsed recent death or self-harm thoughts on PHQ-9 item 9. Only 10.9% of students with moderate-to-severe depression and/or anxiety reported professional help.1 Research Highlights 327 international students were surveyed: Karing …

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