Major Trial to Test Whether Diet Can Ease Bipolar Depression
Researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Birmingham have launched ENERGISE-BD, a £7.9 million Wellcome-funded trial that will test whether a ketogenic (high-fat, low-carbohydrate) diet can reduce depressive symptoms in people with bipolar disorder. About 200 participants will follow either the ketogenic diet or the standard NHS EatWell eating guidance for 12 weeks, alongside their usual medication, with dietitians supporting them throughout. The study, designed in partnership with people with lived experience of bipolar disorder, follows a smaller pilot suggesting a keto diet could help — though researchers caution the evidence is still early and note the standard healthy-eating plan may help too.
Source: News-Medical.net — https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261001/New-trial-tests-if-diet-can-reduce-bipolar-depression-symptoms.aspx
Canada Launches CALM Study on Young People Living With Multiple Mental Health Conditions
Canadian researchers have launched the CALM Master Observational Trial, a large study aimed at understanding why teenagers and young adults so often experience several mental health conditions at once, such as depression with anxiety, or ADHD alongside substance use. Led by teams at McMaster University and the University of Calgary across six sites, the study has already enrolled more than 800 young people aged 11 to 24, and will track them over time with interviews, brain imaging, and genetic data. The goal is to build research that reflects the real complexity clinicians see — and eventually match young people with treatments that fit their full picture, not just a single diagnosis.
Source: scienmag.com — https://scienmag.com/canada-launches-landmark-study-to-decode-why-young-people-face-multiple-mental-disorders-at-once/
A Different Kind of Emergency Room for Mental Health Crises in Virginia
Riverside's psychiatric emergency department in Hampton, Virginia — the state's first freestanding unit of its kind — is offering people in mental health crisis an alternative to a general emergency room, where long waits can deepen distress. The unit runs around the clock for adults and children as young as five, with more than 16,000 visits since it opened in 2023, and has cut average stays from over ten hours to about six hours and twenty minutes. The calmer setting, with recliners, sensory rooms, and enclosed outdoor areas, is part of Virginia's broader push to expand crisis care through its Right Help, Right Now initiative, the 988 hotline, and mobile crisis teams.
Source: WHRO Public Media — https://www.whro.org/health/2026-10-02/an-er-wait-can-worsen-a-mental-health-crisis-hampton-offers-another-option