From safer tapering to voices from detention: the latest mental health research that matters

This month's evidence spans the clinical and systemic: slow antidepressant withdrawal works, therapeutic activities reduce restrictive practices, and lived experience reveals institutional racism's toll. Five new mental health research papers worth your time.

Read the most popular blogs below and don't forget to follow us wherever you get your research updates on social media!

📈 Top 5 blogs this month

1. How do you safely stop taking antidepressants?

This network meta-analysis of 76 trials found that slow tapering (over 4 weeks) combined with psychological support was most effective for preventing relapse when stopping antidepressants. Abrupt discontinuation and fast tapering substantially increased relapse risk and should be avoided.

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2."Who's got the obs sheets?" Improving therapeutic engagement during observations.

This large-scale quality improvement project across 55 mental health wards tested Board Relay, Zonal Observations, and Life Skills activities to improve therapeutic engagement. Results showed promising reductions in aggression, restrictive practices, and staff sickness.

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3. Antipsychotics slow working memory speed in healthy adults

New research reveals how antipsychotic medications affect working memory speed in healthy adults, providing crucial insights into the cognitive side effects of these widely prescribed drugs.

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4. Racialised experiences of detention under the Mental Health Act: a PhotoVoice study

The Co-Pact study uses powerful images and narratives from 48 people to reveal how compulsory admission under the Mental Health Act is experienced by racially minoritised communities. Participants described coercive care, institutional racism, and being “voiceless”, but also what could prevent crisis admissions.

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5. Does teenage body dissatisfaction actually cause eating disorders and depression?

This twin study of nearly 14,000 UK adolescents found that body dissatisfaction at age 16 was linked to eating disorder symptoms at 21 and depression at 26. Comparing twins helped researchers show these were likely causal relationships, not just correlations, though genetics also played a substantial role.

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New mental health prevention podcast aimed at schools

Throughout January we've been releasing a new podcast series aimed at teachers, school-leaders and mental health professionals, which explores school-based mental health through the lens of emotional skills and social relationships.

Learn how to reshape your mental health initiatives with insights from leading experts.

🎧 Listen now to the ReSET PODCAST Wherever you get your podcasts (just search for The Mental Elf)

We're delighted to have worked with the ReSET Project team at UCL for the last few months, crafting their dissemination strategy and producing blogs, videos, graphics, podcasts and a webinar for this major UKRI-funded trial.

There's a new podcast series coming your way in the Spring - working with the Nurture-U team and focusing this time on Student Mental Health!

🌳 Commission The Mental Elf to make your podcast

We help researchers share evidence through social media, podcasts, videos, webinars and more. Right now we're working with research groups across the country to disseminate their new research and maximise their reach and impact.

You can commission our expert team or write us into your next grant application as your dissemination partner.

🎗️ Contact us now and get yourself some #ElfHelp.

🔗 elfi.sh/help​

📧 andre.tomlin@nationalelfservice.net​

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