Increasing daylight exposure might be a simple way to improve mental health. However, little is known about daylight-symptom associations in depressive disorders.

In a subset of the Australian Genetics of Depression Study (N = 13,480; 75% female), we explored associations between self-reported number of hours spent in daylight on a typical workday and free day and seven symptom dimensions: depressive (overall, somatic, psychological); hypo-manic-like; psychotic-like; insomnia; and daytime sleepiness. Polygenic scores for major depressive disorder (MDD); bipolar disorder (BD); and schizophrenia (SCZ) were calculated. Models were adjusted for age, sex, shift work status, employment status, season, and educational attainment. Exploratory analyses examined age-stratified associations (18–24 years; 25–34 years; 35–64 years; 65 and older). Bonferroni-corrected associations (p < 0.004) are discussed.

Adults with depression reported spending a median of one hour in daylight on workdays and three hours on free days. More daylight exposure on workdays and free days was associated with lower depressive (overall, psychological, somatic) and insomnia symptoms (p’s<0.001), but higher hypo-manic-like symptoms (p’s<0.002). Genetic loading for MDD and SCZ were associated with less daylight exposure in unadjusted correlational analyses (effect sizes were not meaningful). Exploratory analyses revealed age-related heterogeneity. Among 18–24-year-olds, no symptom dimensions were associated with daylight. By contrast, for the older age groups, there was a pattern of more daylight exposure and lower insomnia symptoms (p < 0.003) (except for 25–34-year-olds on free days, p = 0.019); and lower depressive symptoms with more daylight on free days, and to some extent workdays (depending on the age-group).

Exploration of the causal status of daylight in depression is warranted.

Adolescents with psychiatric disorders are at increased risk of suicide, with insomnia, depression, and social-personal factors playing pivotal roles. This study investigates the interplay between these factors in a sample of adolescent psychiatric inpatients in Italy, with a particular focus on their association with suicide attempts.

We conducted a cross-sectional study on 95 adolescent inpatients (54 suicide attempters, 41 non-attempters) to explore their sociodemographic and clinical variables, including insomnia, depression, and social-personal factors as history of bullying. Logistic regression analyses and Pearson’s correlations were used to identify significant predictors of suicide attempts and their interrelations.

Suicide attempters were predominantly female (90% vs. 75%, p = 0.04) and more likely to have a family psychiatric history (83% vs. 63%, p = 0.04), a history of bullying (26% vs. 9%, p = 0.01), and insomnia (79% vs. 53%, p = 0.01). Depression was strongly associated with suicide attempts (96% vs. 70%, p = 0.01), while physically active adolescents were significantly less likely to attempt suicide (27% vs. 53%, p = 0.01). Insomnia and depression were highly correlated (r = 0.94, p = 0.02), emphasizing the critical role of the former in emotional dysregulation. Behavioral factors, such as physical inactivity and bullying, emerged as additional key contributors to suicidal behavior.

This study highlights the multifaceted nature of suicide risk in adolescent psychiatric inpatients, with sleep disturbances, depression, and behavioral factors playing central roles. These findings underscore the need for integrated interventions targeting sleep, emotional regulation, and behavioral vulnerabilities to mitigate suicide risk.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prevalence has increased in the last 10 years, most likely due to increased recognition by clinicians. Even so, an issue with under-diagnostics may persist. Historically ADHD has been described as a male-dominant disorder. However, recent evidence shows that ADHD prevalence is similar between the sexes, but that the related impairment or symptomatology might vary. This study estimated the prevalence of undiagnosed ADHD symptoms (pADHD) and explored the sex-stratified symptomatology and associations with self-perceived health-related quality of life (HRQL) and experience of depressive symptoms.

This was done in a unique cohort of 50,937 healthy blood donors – individuals who successfully maintain regular commitments despite potential ADHD symptoms. ADHD symptoms were estimated using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), health-related quality of life (HRQL) measured using mental and physical component scores (MCS/PCS) estimated based on a 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) with a higher score indicating better HRQL, and depressive symptoms were measured using Major Depression Inventory (MDI) with higher score indicating more depressive symptoms.

In total, 3% were classified with pADHD (sex ratio 1:1). pADHD was associated with reduced MCS and PCS, and increased MDI score. Males scored on average higher on inattentive symptoms compared to females, whereas females scored on average higher on hyperactive-impulsive symptoms. Individuals scoring high on the combined inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptom presentation were most likely to be impaired in terms of higher MDI scores and lower PCS when compared to non-ADHD controls.

In conclusion, ADHD symptoms are common in this seemingly healthy and undiagnosed population. Symptom presentations differ between sexes and the type of presentation seems to impact the association with depressive symptoms and level of reduced HRQL.

Impairment in both psychosocial functioning and neurocognition (NC) performance is present in bipolar disorder (BD) yet the role of sex differences in these deficits remains unclear. The present systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether males and females with BD demonstrate differences in psychosocial functioning and NC performance.

The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched from inception until November 20, 2023.

Twenty studies published between 2005 and 2023 with a total sample size of 2286 patients with BD were included. A random effects meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant result with a small effect (SMD = 0.313) for sex differences in verbal learning and memory as well as visual learning and memory (SMD = 0.263). Females outperformed males in both domains. No significant sex differences were observed for any other NC outcome or psychosocial functioning. High heterogeneity and differences in assessment scales used should be considered when interpreting these findings, given their potential impact on results.

Future research should adopt a more homogenous, standardized approach using longitudinal designs to gain a clearer insight into sex differences in this population. This approach so may increase the use of preventative therapeutic options to address the difficult clinical challenge of reaching cognitive and functional recovery.

Depression affects twice as many women as men. Risk factors for depression certainly impact this difference, but their strong interconnectedness challenges the assessment of standalone contributions. Network models allow the identification of systematic independent relationships between individual symptoms and risk factors. This study aimed to evaluate whether the extended networks of depressive symptoms, cognitive functions, and leisure activities in like-sex twins differ depending on gender or zygosity.

Twins, including 2,040 women (918 monozygotic and 1,122 dizygotic) and 1,712 men (730 monozygotic and 982 dizygotic), were selected from the Danish Twin Registry for having, along with their like-sex co-twin, completed measures of depressive symptoms, cognition, and leisure activities (physical, intellectual, and social). Network models were estimated and compared at three levels: co-twins to each other within groups defined by gender and zygosity; monozygotic to dizygotic twins within the same gender, and between genders.

No significant differences were observed when co-twins were compared to each other, regardless of the pair’s zygosity or gender, nor when monozygotic twins were compared to dizygotic twins within gender. However, the gendered networks differed significantly in global strength, structure, and partial correlations between specific depressive symptoms and risk factors, all indicating stronger connectedness in women relative to men.

Environmental factors appear to best explain between-gender network differences. Women’s networks showed significantly stronger associations both among depressive symptoms and between depressive symptoms and risk factors (i.e., decreased cognition and leisure activities). Longitudinal research is needed to determine the causality and directionality of these relationships.

The prevalence of alcohol use disorder among older adults is increasing, with this population being particularly vulnerable to alcohol’s detrimental effects. While knowledge of preventative factors is scarce, physical activity has emerged as a potential modifiable protective factor. This study aimed to examine associations between alcohol consumption and physical activity in a large-scale, multi-national prospective study of the older adult population.

Longitudinal data from the SHARE study on physical activity, alcohol consumption, demographic, socioeconomic, and health variables, were analyzed in older adults. Individual-level data were examined using logistic regression models. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal models were calculated to account for potential latency in the association between physical activity and alcohol consumption.

The study included 3133 participants from 13 countries. Higher physical activity levels were significantly associated with higher alcohol consumption in cross-sectional (p = 0.0004) and longitudinal analyses (p = 0.0045) over a median follow-up of 6 years. While the presence of depressive symptoms and higher educational attainment were associated with higher alcohol consumption, female sex and persons with lower perceived health showed lower frequency of alcohol consumption. Additionally, the country of residence also proved to be a relevant factor for alcohol consumption.

Higher levels of physical activity showed an association with higher alcohol consumption in older adults. Future research should investigate whether this association is causal and underpinned by neurobiological, social, or methodological factors.