Meditation experts had longer telomeres and fewer short telomeres than matched non-meditators. The psychological factor most strongly linked to telomere maintenance was the absence of experiential avoidance—the tendency to suppress or avoid negative emotions and thoughts—along with a sense of common humanity, as measured by the Self-Compassion Scale. These findings suggest that how meditators relate to their inner experience, rather than meditation itself, may be key to cellular aging.
Intranasal esketamine is a newer treatment for Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD), but its long-term benefits in real-world settings remain uncertain. A 6-month observational study of 60 highly chronic and complex TRD patients (average episode length 41.2 months, 61.6% with psychiatric comorbidity) found that depression scores (MADRS) dropped from an average of 33.9 at baseline to 15.7 at 6 months. Patients who had not responded to prior electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) showed no significant difference in therapeutic response compared to those who had not tried ECT. The findings suggest that intranasal esketamine may be worth testing promptly in TRD patients who have not responded to ECT.