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This umbrella review of 34 meta-analyses, representing 235 randomised controlled trials done across 52 countries and 48 957 participants and ten chronic conditions, aimed to evaluate evidence on the efficacy of mobile phone interventions for populations with chronic diseases. We evaluated the strengths of evidence via the Fusar-Poli and Radua methodology. Compared with usual care, mobile apps had convincing effects on glycated haemoglobin reduction among adults with type 2 diabetes (d=0·44). Highly suggestive effects were found for both text messages and apps on various outcomes, including medication adherence (among patients with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and people with cardiovascular disease), glucose management in type 2 diabetes, and blood pressure reduction in hypertension. Many effects (42%) were non-significant. Various gaps were identified, such as a scarcity of reporting on moderators and publication bias by meta-analyses, little research in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, and little reporting on adverse events., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests SS has received research grants from the US National Institutes of Health and the Mind & Life Institute. OS has received research grants from Ekhaga Foundation and Olle Engkvist Foundation, has once received a payment from Mindfully Sweden for educational content, and was a cofounder of Eudelics AB. STM has received research grants from the National Institutes of Health. JT is an unpaid scientific adviser for Precision Mental Wellness with stock options. SBG has received research grants from the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the Hope for Depression Research Foundation, the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Center for Healthy Minds, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison; payments for reviewing grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute; and payments for delivering lectures from Chemnitz University of Technology and Veterans Affairs Canada., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence and associations of mindfulness meditation use and also its perceived mental health effects during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: Using repeated cross-sectional data from broad online samples weighted to be representative of the adult population in Britain, we estimated the prevalence of mindfulness meditation use and employed logistic regression models to investigate sociodemographic and political associations of mindfulness meditation use and also its perceived mental health effects during the COVID-19 pandemic., Results: The findings suggest that 16 percent of adults in Britain had learnt to practice mindfulness in 2021. In covariate-adjusted regression models, having learnt to practice mindfulness was more common among young and middle-aged adults, residents in London, and respondents who voted for the Liberal Democrats. Among mindfulness meditation users who reported having practiced mindfulness during the COVID-19 pandemic, 60 percent reported that it positively affected their mental health and 24 percent reported that it negatively affected their mental health. Notably, 41 percent of respondents with children under 18 (versus 13 percent of those without minors) reported negative mental health effects. In covariate-adjusted regression models, negative mental health effects from mindfulness practice during the COVID-19 pandemic were not concentrated in any particular groups, except for respondents with children under 18., Conclusions: Mindfulness meditation has become widespread in Britain, but the results in this study suggest that mindfulness meditation use may be concentrated in certain sociodemographic and political groups. The results also suggest that practicing mindfulness during the COVID-19 pandemic had positive mental health effects for a majority of users, but approximately one-quarter of users reported negative mental health effects. It is therefore important for future research to continue monitoring the prevalence of mindfulness meditation use in society and to investigate under what circumstances, for whom, and in what ways mindfulness-based practices may have negative effects on mental health., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: Otto Simonsson previously owned stock in Eudelics AB. Stephen Fisher has a very small number of shares in Deltapoll, but he does not consider this to be a significant conflict of interest. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products associated with this research to declare., (Copyright: © 2024 Simonsson, Fisher. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Psychedelic substances induce profound alterations in consciousness. Careful preparation is therefore essential to limit adverse reactions, enhance therapeutic benefits, and maintain user safety. This paper describes the development of a self-directed, digital intervention for psychedelic preparation. Drawing on elements from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing complex interventions, the design was informed by a four-factor model of psychedelic preparedness, using a person-centred approach. Our mixed-methods investigation consisted of two studies. The first involved interviews with 19 participants who had previously attended a 'high-dose' psilocybin retreat, systematically exploring their preparation behaviours and perspectives on the proposed intervention. The second study engaged 28 attendees of an ongoing psilocybin retreat in co-design workshops, refining the intervention protocol using insights from the initial interviews. The outcome is a co-produced 21-day digital course (Digital Intervention for Psychedelic Preparation (DIPP)), that is organised into four modules: Knowledge-Expectation, Psychophysical-Readiness, Safety-Planning, and Intention-Preparation. Fundamental components of the course include daily meditation practice, supplementary exercises tied to the weekly modules, and mood tracking. DIPP provides a comprehensive and scalable solution to enhance psychedelic preparedness, aligning with the broader shift towards digital mental health interventions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Previous research has suggested that classical psychedelics can foster significant and enduring changes in personality traits and subjective wellbeing. Despite the lack of evidence for adverse effects on mental health stemming from psychedelic use, concerns persist regarding the capacity of these substances to modulate information processing and attitudes towards factual data. The aim of the present study was to investigate the propensity for accepting alternative facts and the general treatment of knowledge within a sample of 392 participants, 233 of whom reported at least a single incidence of psychedelic use in their lifetime. To do this, we leveraged step-wise methods of linear modelling investigating effects of demographics, psychiatric conditions and concomitant drug use. Our findings revealed a moderate positive association between psychedelic use and beliefs in alternative facts, as well as the specific belief that facts are politically influenced. However, no links were found for favouring intuition over evidence when confirming facts. Among other investigated drugs, only alcohol was negatively associated with beliefs in alternative facts. Taken together, our results support the link between psychedelic use and non-conformist thinking styles, which can be attributed to the psychological effects of the drugs themselves, but may also mirror a common trait related to unconventional beliefs and illicit substance use., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: Previous research suggests that mindfulness meditation and psychedelic substances show promise as mental health interventions, but relatively little remains known about their potential impact on leadership outcomes., Aims: This study aimed to investigate if and how mindfulness meditation and psychedelic use may impact leadership among respondents with a management position as their primary role at work., Methods: Using samples representative of the US and UK adult populations with regard to sex, age, and ethnicity, this study used quantitative and qualitative methods to examine if and how mindfulness meditation and psychedelic use may impact leadership., Results: Among respondents with a management position as their primary role at work ( n  = 3,150), 1,373 reported having tried mindfulness meditation and 559 reported having tried psychedelics. In covariate-adjusted regression analyses, both lifetime number of hours of mindfulness meditation practice and greater psychological insight during respondents' most intense psychedelic experience were associated with describing a positive impact on leadership (ORs = 2.33, 3.49; p s < 0.001), while qualitative analyses revealed nuances in the type of impacts mindfulness meditation and psychedelic use had on leadership. There were several subthemes (e.g., focus, creativity, patience, empathy, compassion) that were frequently reported with both mindfulness meditation and psychedelic use. There were also unique subthemes that were more commonly reported with mindfulness meditation (e.g., improved sleep, stress reduction, calming effects) and psychedelic use (e.g., greater self-understanding, less hierarchical attitudes toward colleagues, positive changes in interpersonal attitudes and behaviors), respectively., Conclusion: Although causality cannot be inferred due to the research design, the findings in this study suggest potential complementary effects of mindfulness meditation and psychedelic use on leadership, which could inspire new approaches in leadership development., Competing Interests: PH was on the scientific advisory board of Bright Minds Biosciences Ltd., Eleusis Benefit Corporation, and Reset Pharmaceuticals Inc. OS was a co-founder of Eudelics AB. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Simonsson, Stenfors, Goldberg, Hendricks and Osika.)

In two studies using samples representative of the US adult population with regard to age, sex and ethnicity, we investigated relationships between loving-kindness and compassion-based practices with speciesism, animal solidarity and desire to help animals. In a cross-sectional study (Study 1, N = 2,822), results showed that past 30 days practice and estimated lifetime number of hours of lovingkindness or compassion meditation were associated with more animal solidarity and greater desire to help animals. Past 30 days practice was also associated with less speciesism, but only when adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. In an experimental study (Study 2, N = 1,102), results showed that participants randomized to a befriending meditation (a practice similar to loving-kindness and compassion meditation) condition scored higher on animal solidarity and desire to help animals than participants randomized to a control condition. No significant difference was observed on speciesism, but mediation analyses suggested that effects on all three outcomes were mediated through perceived commonality with animals., Competing Interests: OS is a co-founder of Eudelics AB. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials., (Copyright: © 2022 Simonsson et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Preliminary evidence suggests that classic psychedelics may be effective in the treatment of some psychiatric disorders, yet little remains known about their effects on health behavior and physical health., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate associations of lifetime classic psychedelic use and psychological insight during one's most insightful classic psychedelic experience with health behavior and physical health., Methods: Using data representative of the US population with regard to sex, age, and ethnicity ( N  = 2822), this study examined associations of lifetime classic psychedelic use and psychological insight with health behavior and physical health., Results: Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with more healthy tobacco-related and diet-related behavior ( β  = 0.05 and 0.09, respectively). Among lifetime classic psychedelic users ( n  = 613), greater Psychological Insight Questionnaire (PIQ) total scale, PIQ Avoidance and Maladaptive Patterns (AMP) subscale, and PIQ Goals and Adaptive Patterns (GAP) subscale scores were each associated with higher odds of more healthy exercise-related behavior [adjusted odds ratios (aOR) (95% confidence interval, CI = 1.38 (1.13-1.68), 1.38 (1.13-1.68), and 1.32 (1.10-1.60), respectively] and higher odds of having a healthy body mass index (BMI) [aOR (95% CI) = 1.32 (1.07-1.63), 1.36 (1.10-1.69), and 1.23 (1.01-1.50), respectively], and greater GAP subscale scores were associated with more healthy diet-related behavior ( β  = 0.10). All PIQ scales were positively associated with some health behavior improvements (overall, diet, exercise) attributed to respondents' most insightful classic psychedelic experience ( β  = 0.42, 0.18, and 0.17; β  = 0.40, 0.19, and 0.17; and β  = 0.40, 0.15, and 0.15, respectively), but only PIQ total scale and AMP subscale scores were positively associated with alcohol-related health behavior improvements ( β  = 0.13 and 0.16, respectively)., Conclusion: Although these results cannot demonstrate causality, they suggest that psychological insight during a classic psychedelic experience may lead to positive health behavior change and better physical health in some domains, in particular in those related to weight management., Competing Interests: The authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: P.S.H. is on the scientific advisory board of Bright Minds Biosciences Ltd., Eleusis Benefit Corporation, and Reset Pharmaceuticals Inc. O.S. and R.C. are co-founders of Eudelics AB., (© The Author(s), 2022.)

Background: Recent research suggests that ayahuasca and its alkaloid-containing ingredients may be helpful in the treatment and prevention of certain movement and neurodegenerative disorders. However, such research is still in its infancy and more studies in normative samples seem necessary to explore effects of ayahuasca on clinically relevant brain structures, such as the corpus callosum., Aims: The purpose of the present study was to investigate links between ayahuasca use and callosal structure in a normative sample., Methods: Using structural imaging data from 22 ayahuasca users and 22 matched controls we compared the thickness of the corpus callosum between both groups at 100 equidistant points across the entire midsagittal surface. In addition, we investigated point-wise correlations between callosal thickness and the number of past ayahuasca sessions., Results: The corpus callosum was significantly thicker within the isthmus in the ayahuasca group than in the control group. There was also a significant positive correlation between callosal thickness and the number of past ayahuasca sessions within the rostral body, albeit none of these effects survived corrections for multiple comparisons. No region was significantly thicker in the control than in the ayahuasca group, and no callosal region was negatively linked to ayahuasca use, even at uncorrected significance thresholds., Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence of links between ayahuasca use and the corpus callosum. However, future studies need to replicate these findings, preferably using larger sample sizes and ideally also utilizing longitudinal research designs, to draw any practical conclusion and offer implications for follow-up clinical research., Competing Interests: OS is a co-founder of Eudelics AB. DA serves as a scientific and clinical advisor at Biomind Labs. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Simonsson, Bouso, Kurth, Araújo, Gaser, Riba and Luders.)

Background: A rise in mental illness is expected to follow the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also been projected to lead to a deep global economic recession, further adding to risk factors., Aims: The aim of this review was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health., Method: Searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Sociological Abstracts. We included studies of all populations exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic, and other similar pandemics/epidemics and economic crises, compared with non-exposed time periods or regions. The outcome was mental health., Results: The 174 included studies assessed mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (87 studies), 2008 economic crisis (84 studies) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic (three studies). Outcomes were divided into affective disorders, suicides, mental healthcare utilisation and other mental health. COVID-19 pandemic studies were of lesser quality than those for the economic crisis or SARS epidemic. Most studies for all exposures showed increases in affective disorders and other mental health problems. For economic crisis exposure, increases in mental healthcare utilisation and suicides were also found, but these findings were mixed for COVID-19 pandemic exposure. This is probably because of quarantine measures affecting help-seeking and shorter follow-ups of studies of COVID-19 pandemic exposure., Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of available, accessible and sustainable mental health services. Also, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations should be particular targets of policy interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: Absenteeism from work due to illness, and related costs, has increased steadily during the past decades. In recent years, there has been a reemergence of research on the therapeutic effects of classic psychedelics showing associations with both physical and mental health. However, the association between classic psychedelics and sick leave remains unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between lifetime classic psychedelic use and sick leave in the past 30 days among adults in the United States ( N = 407,717), using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2005-2019), weighted to be representative of the US adult population., Methods: The primary analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, risky behavior, and use of other substances., Results: There was a significant and negative association between lifetime classic psychedelic use and sick leave in the past 30 days (B = -0.09, p < 0.01) when adjusting for all control variables., Conclusion: These findings suggest that classic psychedelics could potentially lead to reduced sick leave and associated costs in the general population, but more research is needed to investigate potential causal pathways of classic psychedelics on sick leave and evaluate possible mechanisms.

Previous research has found associations between classic psychedelic use and nature-relatedness, but the link between classic psychedelic use and human−animal relations remains largely unexplored. Using data representative of the US adult population, with regard to age, sex and ethnicity (N = 2822), this pre-registered study assessed lifetime classic psychedelic use, ego dissolution during respondents’ most intense experience using a classic psychedelic, and three measures related to human−animal relations: speciesism, animal solidarity and desire to help animals. The results showed that lifetime classic psychedelic use was negatively associated with speciesism (β = −0.07, p = 0.002), and positively associated with animal solidarity (β = 0.04, p = 0.041), but no association was found with desire to help animals (β = 0.01, p = 0.542). Ego dissolution during the respondents’ most intense experience using a classic psychedelic was negatively associated with speciesism (β = −0.17, p < 0.001), and positively associated with animal solidarity (β = 0.18, p < 0.001) and desire to help animals (β = 0.10, p = 0.007). The findings indicate that classic psychedelics and ego dissolution may have an impact on human−animal relations. As these results cannot demonstrate causality, however, future studies should use longitudinal research designs to further explore the potential causal link between classic psychedelic use and human−animal relations.

The European Union Brexit referendum has divided the British electorate, with high levels of animosity between those who affiliate with the Remain side (Remainers) and the Leave side (Leavers) of the debate. Previous research has shown that a brief befriending meditation reduces affective polarization among Democrats and Republicans in the United States, but the results have not been replicated in a non-US sample and the psychological mechanisms underlying the effects have yet to be examined. The present study therefore used a post-test only randomized controlled design to investigate the effects of a brief befriending meditation on affective polarization among Remainers and Leavers (n = 922). Results showed that participants in the befriending condition scored modestly lower on affective polarization than participants in the attentional control condition (t(921) = 2.17, p = .030, d = 0.14) and that perceived commonality with the political outgroup mediated the effects. In sum, audio-guided befriending practices may be a highly scalable means to reduce high levels of affective polarization through increasing perceived commonality., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Mobile phone-based interventions have been proposed as a means for reducing the burden of disease associated with mental illness. While numerous randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses have investigated this possibility, evidence remains unclear. We conducted a systematic meta-review of meta-analyses examining mobile phone-based interventions tested in randomized controlled trials. We synthesized results from 14 meta-analyses representing 145 randomized controlled trials and 47,940 participants. We identified 34 effect sizes representing unique pairings of participants, intervention, comparisons, and outcome (PICO) and graded the strength of the evidence as using umbrella review methodology. We failed to find convincing evidence of efficacy (i.e., n > 1000, p < 10 -6 , I 2 < 50%, absence of publication bias); publication bias was rarely assessed for the representative effect sizes. Eight effect sizes provided highly suggestive evidence (i.e., n > 1000, p < 10 -6 ), including smartphone interventions outperforming inactive controls on measures of psychological symptoms and quality of life ( d s = 0.32 to 0.47) and text message-based interventions outperforming non-specific controls and active controls for smoking cessation ( d s = 0.31 and 0.19, respectively). The magnitude of effects and strength of evidence tended to diminish as comparison conditions became more rigorous (i.e., inactive to active, non-specific to specific). Four effect sizes provided suggestive evidence, 14 effect sizes provided weak evidence, and eight effect sizes were non-significant. Despite substantial heterogeneity, no moderators were identified. Adverse effects were not reported. Taken together, results support the potential of mobile phone-based interventions and highlight key directions to guide providers, policy makers, clinical trialists, and meta-analysts working in this area., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is common in adolescence and is associated with several adverse outcomes. Despite this, few established treatment options exist. Online treatment seems promising for several conditions; however, knowledge on NSSI is scarce. It is important to explore how online treatment for NSSI is experienced to improve such interventions and learn more about factors that are important in the treatment of adolescents with NSSI., Objective: This study aims to explore the experiences of a novel online treatment for adolescents with NSSI and their caregivers., Methods: A qualitative study using thematic analysis was conducted through semistructured interviews with 9 adolescents and 11 caregivers at treatment termination or at the 6-month follow-up of the online emotion regulation individual therapy for adolescents., Results: A total of 3 overarching themes were identified. The theme support can come in different shapes showed how support could be attained through both interaction with the therapist as well as through the format itself (such as through the fictional characters in the material and the mobile app). Caregivers found it helpful to have their own online course, and adolescents accepted their involvement. The theme self-responsibility can be empowering as well as distressing showed that self-responsibility was highly appreciated (such as deciding when and how to engage in treatment) but also challenging; it caused occasional distress for some. The theme acquiring new skills and treatment effects showed the advantages and challenges of learning several different emotion regulation skills and that decreased emotion regulation difficulties were important treatment outcomes for adolescents. In addition, several different skills seemed to facilitate emotion regulation, and having access to such skills could hinder NSSI., Conclusions: Online emotion regulation individual therapy for adolescents seems to offer an accepted way to deliver family interventions for this target group; facilitate skills training with several means of support, including support from both the mobile app and the therapist; contribute to decreasing emotion regulation difficulties and teaching skills that could hinder NSSI; and cause (in some individuals) distress because of the self-responsibility that is inherent to online formats, which needs to be addressed., (©Olivia Simonsson, Hedvig Engberg, Johan Bjureberg, Brjánn Ljótsson, Julia Stensils, Hanna Sahlin, Clara Hellner. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 23.07.2021.)

The objective of the current study was to investigate the associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and cardiometabolic diseases. Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2005-2014), the present study examined the associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and two types of cardiometabolic disease: heart disease and diabetes. Respondents who reported having tried a classic psychedelic at least once in their lifetime had lower odds of heart disease in the past year (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.77 (0.65-0.92), p = .006) and lower odds of diabetes in the past year (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.88 (0.78-0.99), p = .036). Classic psychedelic use might be beneficial for cardiometabolic health, but more research is needed to investigate potential causal pathways of classic psychedelics on cardiometabolic diseases., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

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