From antidepressants and psychotherapy to oxytocin, vagus nerve stimulation, ketamine and psychedelics: how established and novel treatments can improve social functioning in major depression.
Frontiers in psychiatry January 1, 2024 Aleksandra Kupferberg, Gregor Hasler 4 citations
Social cognitive deficits and impaired social behavior are common in major depressive disorder and harm quality of life and recovery. Standard treatments like antidepressants, psychotherapies, and brain stimulation show mixed results for improving social functioning, with some limitations and side effects. Newer treatments such as intranasal oxytocin, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy have demonstrated positive effects on social cognition and behavior by modulating self-referential processing, empathy, emotion regulation, and enhancing neuroplasticity. Animal models reveal underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Future research should explore combining treatments and investigate long-term outcomes and individual differences.