The importance of nutrition in human health has been understood for over a century. However, debate is ongoing regarding the role of added and free sugars in physiological and neurological health. In this narrative review, we have addressed several key issues around this debate and the major health conditions previously associated with sugar. We aim to determine the current evidence regarding the role of free sugars in human health, specifically obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cognition, and mood. We also present some predominant theories on mechanisms of action. The findings suggest a negative effect of excessive added sugar consumption on human health and wellbeing. Specific class and source of carbohydrate appears to greatly influence the impact of these macronutrients on health. Further research into individual effects of carbohydrate forms in diverse populations is needed to understand the complex relationship between sugar and health.

A relationship between excessive sugar consumption and cognitive function has been described in animal models, but the specific effects of sugars in humans remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the current knowledge, research characteristics, and quality of evidence of studies investigating the impacts of free and added sugars on human cognition in healthy participants. The review identified 77 studies (65 experimental trials, n = 3831; 9 cross-sectional studies, n = 11,456; and 3 cohort studies, n = 2059). All cohort studies and eight of the nine cross-sectional studies found significant positive correlations between added sugar consumption and risk of cognitive impairment. Four studies identified reduced risk of cognitive impairment associated with natural fructose-containing foods. The majority of randomised control trials assessed short-term glucose facilitation effects on cognitive outcomes. The results from these studies suggest the need for a tightly regulated blood glucose level, dependent on individualised physiological factors, for optimal cognitive function. A meta-analysis of a subset of studies that assessed the impact of glucose on recall found improvements in immediate free recall compared to controls (p = 0.002). The findings highlight the potentially detrimental effect of excessive, long-term, or prenatal added sugar consumption on cognitive function. Further research is needed to examine the specific effects of free and added sugars on cognitive function.

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject?: Mental health clients experience higher estimated rates of domestic violence, yet mental health services are less likely to screen for domestic violence. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?: This paper qualitatively explores the perspectives and experiences of mental health practitioners in inpatient and community teams in a publicly funded hospital and health service (i.e. public mental health service). Mental health practitioners described a lack of domestic violence training, as well as a lack of knowledge of domestic violence and support mechanisms for victims, when domestic violence is disclosed by clients. The paper highlights the unique difficulties and barriers experienced by clinicians in screening for domestic violence while also dealing with clients suffering a mental health crisis. What are the implications for practice?: The paper sheds more light on the issue of domestic violence in mental health in terms of screening, and identifies avenues for improvement in mental health services; particularly the need for staff training and education. Introduction: Domestic violence is particularly prevalent within mental health client groups, though screening for domestic violence within mental health services is often overlooked.Aim: To investigate the experiences and opinions of domestic violence screening by mental health clinicians in a publicly funded hospital and health service.Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with twelve clinicians working in publicly funded mental health services in Queensland, Australia. Transcripts were thematically analysed.Results: Four main themes emerged from the data: staff training and experience; prioritizing domestic violence screening; attitudes to domestic violence; and victim support. Participants discussed a lack of training for, or expectations of, domestic violence screening in mental health services. They also highlighted a lack of resources enabling them to appropriately respond when domestic violence was identified.Discussion: Education, attitudes and resources relating to domestic violence are major factors that should be addressed for the successful screening and treatment of clients in mental health.Implications for Practice: This paper informs services of the gaps in knowledge and care around domestic violence and mental health. A less medicalized approach to the treatment of mental health should be adopted, and domestic violence training introduced for all healthcare practitioners, to improve client outcomes.

Pregnancy represents a crucial timepoint to screen for disordered eating due to the significant adverse impact on the woman and her infant. There has been an increased interest in disordered eating in pregnancy since the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected the mental health of pregnant women compared to the general population. This systematic review is an update to a previous review aiming to explore current psychometric evidence for any new pregnancy-specific instruments and other measures of disordered eating developed for non-pregnant populations. Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, ProQuest, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Scopus, MEDLINE, and Embase from April 2019 to February 2024. A total of 20 citations met criteria for inclusion, with most studies of reasonable quality. Fourteen psychometric instruments were identified, including two new pregnancy-specific screening instruments. Overall, preliminary psychometric evidence for the PEBS, DEAPS, and EDE-PV was promising. There is an ongoing need for validation in different samples, study designs, settings, and administration methods are required. Similar to the original review on this topic, we did not find evidence to support a gold standard recommendation.

Introduction: Social media, gaming, and other types of screen time have been associated with a number of child and adolescent mental health concerns, including NSSI, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and suicides. However, findings have been complicated by a quickly changing technological landscape and the COVID-19 pandemic. Inconsistent findings may be related to the dissimilar impacts of different screen time types on different age groups. The aim of this systematic review is to explore the pattern of impact of different screen time types on children and adolescents, investigating age groups of particular risk, and synthesising outcomes, recommendations, and strategies described to inform future studies and guidelines. Methods and analysis: A systematic review will be conducted of all study types, and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. The following databases will be searched for relevant publications: CINAHL, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, PsychArticles, Scopus, and Web of Science. Searches will be limited by language (English). Article selection, quality evaluation, and data extraction will be conducted independently by two reviewers. Quality assessment will be conducted using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklists for the appropriate study type. Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval is not required since we are not using patient data. Findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal article, and disseminated via conference presentations. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023493058.

Objective: This systematic review aimed to summarise and synthesise research conducted in psychiatric mother‐baby units (MBUs) in relation to patients, their families, or staff, published from 1st January 2016 to 1st May 2024.Method: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed‐method studies were included for review if they were published in peer‐review journals in English and reported research on MBUs between January 2016 and May 2024. From the initial yield of 10,007 unique studies, 53 studies were included for review.Results: MBU research was found to more frequently investigate maternal characteristics rather than the benefits of MBU treatment compared to studies conducted prior to 2016. Most studies that did investigate impact of admission showed favourable results, however few follow‐up studies and studies comparing MBU outcomes to other clinical settings were undertaken. Little research has been conducted to investigate the differential impacts of MBU admission on different diagnoses and long‐term (>1 year) patient outcomes. There was a dearth of research investigating partners of women in MBUs and few studies conducted on infant outcomes.Conclusions: MBUs were consistently found to improve mental health systems and mother‐infant attachment in patients after admission. More research investigating patient support networks and child health, impact of diagnosis on outcomes, and studies with adequate follow‐up are required.