Beliefs in evil spirits and the practice of deliverance from supernatural forces have been widespread throughout history. Many psychological and physical afflictions have been attributed to involuntary demonic possession. Traditional remedies, for those reporting inhabitation by evil spirits, can involve exorcism believed to expel such forces. Similar beliefs may be symptomatic of major mental illness and treatments namely medication and psychotherapy, are frequently recommended. An increasingly secular western world is also seeing growth in non-denominational Christian churches and other faiths, who accept spirit possession and exorcism. Culturally competent mental health professionals, seeking to understand their patients’ world view, may struggle with exorcism, seeing it as an interference to conventional treatment. They may be being unwilling thus to attempt differentiation between possession and mental illness. This paper explores the diversity of views on this topic and points of contention and overlap. The risks and cautions necessary in approaching this issue are stressed.

Substance use disorders and addictions are mental disorders deeply interconnected with other psychiatric conditions – and this connection is of fundamental importance. Although addictions are formally recognized as mental health disorders, they are often not addressed as such in research or clinical practice. Psychiatric research, clinical care, and treatment development remain largely organized along traditional diagnostic boundaries. While diagnostic classifications provide structure and clinical utility, it is increasingly evident that psychiatric diagnoses are neither fully separable nor independent entities. Despite extensive discussion on comorbidity, addictions are frequently excluded from broader conceptualizations of the intertwined nature of mental disorders. Yet, they share substantial commonalities with other psychiatric conditions across clinical presentation, psychopathology, genetic vulnerability, neurobiological mechanisms, socioenvironmental risk factors, and treatment strategies. Maintaining a conceptual divide between addictions and other psychiatric disorders reinforces diagnostic “tunnel vision,” constraining our understanding of neuropsychopathology and contributing to persistent gaps in care and treatment accessibility. This narrative review examines the overlapping risk factors, clinical features, and therapeutic approaches that link addictions with other mental disorders. We argue that advancing psychiatric research and nosology requires a deliberate acknowledgement of these transdiagnostic overlaps and shared mechanisms. The challenge is particularly evident in the understanding and treatment of dual disorders. Progress will depend on integrative, collaborative frameworks that bridge scientific and clinical perspectives and foster dynamic feedback between empirical research and clinical practice. Recognizing mental disorders as interdependent systems may offer a more coherent and effective foundation for understanding and treatment.

Due to the high prevalence of depression among young adults, identifying prevention strategies during young adulthood are crucial. Dietary polyphenols have been associated with depression in older cohorts; however, the association remains unclear, particularly in young adults. This study aimed to assess the prospective association between the intake of total polyphenols, polyphenol classes, and polyphenol subclasses with depressive symptoms in young adults. Data from 1,484 Raine Study Generation 2 participants [52.7% female; baseline mean age (SD): 20 (0.5)] at the -20, -22, and -27 year follow-ups (N = 964, 979, and 1,094, respectively), with overlap across follow-ups, were used. Energy-adjusted polyphenol intake was estimated from food frequency questionnaire data using our expansion of the AUSNUT 2011-13 and Phenol-Explorer to include polyphenol content data and categorised into quartiles. The primary outcome was self-reported depressive symptoms assessed via the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale averaged across the three timepoints. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the association between the polyphenol intake exposures and depressive symptoms. Sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle- and health-related behaviours were adjusted for. Participants in the highest quartiles for flavonol and hydroxybenzoic acid intake had lower depressive symptoms across time than participants in the lowest quartiles [flavonols (Q4 v Q1 mean difference: -1.41, 95%CIs: -2.51, -0.31); hydroxybenzoic acids (Q4 v Q1: -1.42, 95%CIs: -2.54, -0.29)]. We found no evidence of a highest versus lowest association for all other polyphenol categories. Future studies are required to investigate whether increasing polyphenol intake could protect against depression in young adults.

Menopausal age represents the endpoint of the entire reproductive cycle of women, and it is a biological marker that indicates the overall health and ageing status of women. Flavonoids are the most common polyphenolic compounds in the daily diet, and their intake is related to reduced risks of certain diseases. Our study aimed to analyse the relationships between the intake of flavonoids and menopausal age. We selected 29 940 participants from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database from 2007–2008, 2009–2010 to 2017–2018. A total of 680 participants were included in our analysis after screening. Multiple logistic regression was used to explore the association between dietary flavonoid subclasses intake and menopausal delay (≥ 55 years old). Restricted cubic splines plots were generated to reveal the nonlinear relationships between the subclasses of flavonoids intake and menopausal age. According to the adjusted multiple factor logistic regression analysis, the top quartile intake (compared with bottom intake) of anthocyanidins was positively associated with delayed menopause (OR = 4·123; 95 % CI: 1·130, 15·041; Ptrend = 0·036), whereas the moderate intake of flavonols was negatively associated with delayed menopause (Q2 v. Q1, OR = 0·081 (95 % CI: 0·025, 0·261), Ptrend = 0·001; Q3 v. Q1, OR = 0·271 (95 % CI: 0·093, 0·791), Ptrend = 0·023). The restricted cubic splines revealed that non-linear association was observed between the intake of isoflavones, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and later menopause (P value for non-linearity < 0·05). Our findings suggest that specific dietary flavonoids intake may have potential roles in regulating menopausal timing.

Mortality trends among Indigenous peoples in Brazil remain poorly characterised. An ecological time-series study (2010–2022) was conducted, comparing Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations using nationwide open-access demographic and mortality data. Mortality was stratified by sex, age, and ICD-10 groups, populations were compared using Pearson’s chi-square test (p < 0.05), and trends were evaluated with joinpoint regression (JR) to estimate Average Annual Percentage Changes (AAPCs). Between 2010 and 2022, mortality among Indigenous peoples increased by 82.5% (from 2,927 to 5,343), compared with a 42.3% increase in the non-Indigenous population. Over 40% of deaths among Indigenous peoples occurred outside health facilities in both years, versus fewer than 30% among non-Indigenous populations. Crude mortality rates remained lower in Indigenous peoples (2010: 35.8 versus 55.9; 2022: 43.5 versus 74.8 per 10,000 population). However, age-specific differences were marked: mortality among Indigenous children and adolescents (0–19 years) was 3.3 times higher in 2010 and 3.8 times higher in 2022, while mortality among adults aged ≥40 years was approximately 2.5 times lower in both years compared with non-Indigenous populations (all p < 0.05). Mortality rates among Indigenous peoples were consistently higher for maternal, perinatal, and congenital conditions in both 2010 and 2022. JR revealed heterogeneous proportional mortality trends: significant increases in perinatal, congenital, and external causes (AAPC approximately 5.0–6.4%), as well as neoplasms, circulatory, haematological, digestive, respiratory, and endocrine/metabolic diseases (AAPC approximately 1.6–4.4%); a significant decline in infectious and parasitic diseases (AAPC −6.6%); and stability in other groups. Indigenous peoples in Brazil continued to face unfavourable mortality, particularly among children, adolescents, and maternal conditions. Many leading causes of death are preventable. Strengthening primary healthcare, expanding prenatal and perinatal services, improving vaccination and mental-health support, and adopting culturally safe, community-driven strategies to address chronic diseases are critical to reducing inequities and preventable deaths.

This review summarises evidence from cohort and intervention studies on the relationships between nutrition in early life, epigenetics and lifelong health. Established links include maternal diet quality with conception rates, micronutrient sufficiency before and during pregnancy with preterm birth prevention, gestational vitamin D intake with offspring bone health, preconception iodine status with child IQ, adiposity with offspring obesity and maternal stress with childhood atopic eczema. Animal studies demonstrate that early-life environmental exposures induce lasting phenotypic changes via epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNA, with DNA methylation of non-imprinted genes most extensively studied. Human data show that nutrition during pregnancy induces epigenetic changes associated with childhood obesity risk, such as Antisense long Non-coding RNA in the INK4 Locus (ANRIL, a long non-coding RNA) methylation variations linked to obesity and replicated across multiple populations. Emerging insights reveal that paternal nutrition and lifestyle also modify sperm epigenomics and influence offspring development. Although nutritional-randomised trials in pregnancy remain limited, findings from the NiPPeR trial showed widespread preconception micronutrient deficiencies and indicated that maternal preconception and pregnancy nutritional supplementation can reduce preterm birth and early childhood obesity. The randomised trials UPBEAT and MAVIDOS have shown that nutritional intervention can impact offspring epigenetics. Postnatal nutritional exposures further influence offspring epigenetic profiles, exemplified by ALSPAC cohort findings linking rapid infant weight gain to later methylation changes and increased obesity risk. Together, these studies support a persistent impact of maternal and early-life nutrition on child health and development, underpinned by modifiable epigenetic processes.

Loneliness and social isolation represent persisent global public health concerns, particurarly for people in later life, with extensive mental, social, and biological consequences. Both have been associated with increased risk of depression, anxiety, dementia, cardiovascular disease, premature mortality, and greater demand for health and social care services. A growing body of evidence indicates that nature-based interventions are effective in reducing loneliness, enhancing mood, and promoting overall well being, yet they still remain underutilised within health and social care strategies; particularly for older adults and those with limited mobility. One such initiative, Cycling Without Age, a grassroots programme, demonstrates the potential of nature-based interventions. Evidence across multiple contexts indicates improvements in mood, life satisfaction, and social connectedness, alongside benefits for families and care staff. Cycling Without Age illustrates a type of scalable, person-centred intervention that could be integrated into healthy ageing strategies. However, rigourous large-scale research remains scarce, which highlights the need for further evaluation to guide policy adoption and sustainable implementation. Effective responses to loneliness and social isolation require integrated support programmes that foster social connectedness and healthy ageing, delivered through coordinated efforts spanning public health, urban design, and community services.

There is a positive association between bacteraemia with Streptococcus bovis–Streptococcus equinus complex (SBSEC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the relationship between the timing of SBSEC bacteraemia and CRC is not well-established. Associations with other gastrointestinal cancers have also been suggested. Using national registries, we retrospectively examined the incidence of CRC and other gastrointestinal cancers after SBSEC-bacteraemia in Sweden 2010–2019, and analysed the timing, characteristics, and prognosis of diagnosed CRC. Individuals with SBSEC-bacteraemia were matched to randomly selected controls from the general population at a 1:10 ratio. Cox-regression determined CRC hazard ratios (HR). In total, 908 individuals with SBSEC-bacteraemia were identified and 9,080 controls, of whom 75/908 (8.3%) and 168/9080 (1.9%) respectively had previously diagnosed CRC (p < 0.01). During follow-up of individuals without previous CRC, CRC was diagnosed in 45/833 (5.4%) individuals with SBSEC and 114/8912 (1.3%) controls (p < 0.01). The HR of CRC diagnosis for SBSEC was 10.3 (95% CI 6.7–15.8) overall and 19.8 (95% CI 11.1–35.3) during the first year of follow-up. In conclusion, there was an increased incidence of CRC, and most were diagnosed within the first year. Neither the tumour location, −stage, or -grade of diagnosed CRC nor the rates of other gastrointestinal cancers differed significantly.