Top 5 Most-Read MDD Articles of 2022

The most-read articles on major depressive disorder (MDD) for 2022 explored updated treatment guidelines in the United States, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation’s effects on adverse childhood experiences, and improvements and benefits in depression screening.

Here are the most-read MDD articles of 2022.

5. Which Depression Therapies Made the Updated US Guideline for Treating MDD?

Updated clinical practice guidelines for MDD include newer therapies like ketamine or esketamine or bright light therapy, but not psilocybin or cannabis because of insufficient safety and efficacy evidence, according to an updated clinical practice guideline (CPG) from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.

Before the 2022 updates, the CPG was first published in 2016. Terminology within guidelines has also been updated and reasoning behind nonrecommended treatments is included.

Read the full article.

4. Treatment Outcomes of Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy Associated With Temporary Neural Changes

In this study published in October, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy was potentially linked to neural changes that could influence treatment outcomes following treatment with the dissociative anesthetic. Previous evidence shows ketamine to be a proven treatment for treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorders, and chronic alcohol admission and abstinence.

The study investigators used PubMed, PsycInfo, and ClinicalTrials.gov to search for studies, with those conducted among nonhuman subjects or that investigated ketamine combination treatment excluded from analysis.

Read the full article.

3. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Appears Effective in Patients with Adverse Childhood Experiences

Patients with adverse childhood experiences can receive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as an alternative treatment option. Data from 116 participants (female patients and male patients) aged 16 and older were analyzed, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) was used to measure patient improvements. HAMD-17 scores increased 8.1 points on average for patients involved, with 26.3% of patients remitted by the end of acute treatment.

Read the full article.

2. Routine Depression Screening in Primary Care Reduces Disparities in Screening

Giving patients the opportunity to be routinely screened for depression in a primary care environment helps reduce care disparities, especially among those who may be at risk for underrecognition and undertreatment of depression. Approximately 52,944 patients from 7 primary care practice oo the University of California, San Francisco, Health, were included in this analysis. Techniques used to identify and rectify disparities included questionnaires in different languages and training medical assistants to perform the screening.

Read the full article.

1. Depression Screening Shown to Benefit Persons Living with Breast Cancer

Researchers using data from Kaiser Permanente Southern California compared behavioral health referral outcomes for patients with breast cancer between patients who received a tailored intervention or an education-only approached. This study released in early 2022 consisted of 1436 participants, with the primary outcome being percentage of eligible patients screened and referred for behavioral health assistance and secondary outcomes that included behavioral health referrals and utilization rates for behavioral health and oncology, among other specialities.

The study authors' primary conclusion was a likely advantage to routine screening for depression in community-based oncology.

Read the full article.