Psychiatry News and Research

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Psychiatry is the treatment, study and prevention of mental disorders.

Healthy diets during infancy and early childhood can prevent obesity in future

Rats born to mothers fed high-fat diets but who get normal levels of fat in their diets right after birth avoid obesity and its related disorders as adults, according to new Johns Hopkins research.

31 Aug 2012

Impulsive and compulsive personality traits linked with traumatic upbringing during childhood

Previous research has shown that personality traits such as impulsivity or compulsiveness are indicators of an increased risk of addiction. Now, new research from the University of Cambridge suggests that these impulsive and compulsive personality traits are also associated with a traumatic upbringing during childhood.

31 Aug 2012

Patients at risk for psychosis report increased childhood trauma

Patients at clinical high risk for psychosis are more likely to have a history of traumatic childhood experiences than mentally healthy individuals, Finnish researchers report.

30 Aug 2012

Duration of untreated bipolar disorder ‘too long’

The mean duration of untreated bipolar disorder is “unacceptably” long, say French researchers who report that an increased duration is associated with more mood episodes, more suicidal behavior, and greater mood instability.

30 Aug 2012

Tips to make the college transition easier

Your high school graduate is off to college to embark on a newly independent life. But they're not the only one making a transition: parents too face emotional and lifestyle adjustments. With advice on empty-nest syndrome and the college transition, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital physicians offer expert tips for parents and children on topics including redecorating your child's room, credit cards, keeping in touch and more.

30 Aug 2012

Evidence lacking for use of misoprostol in PPH prevention

There is insufficient evidence for the effectiveness of misoprostol in preventing postpartum hemorrhage, suggest findings from a review of available research published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

29 Aug 2012

MAOA gene appears to make women happy

A new study has found a gene that appears to make women happy, but it doesn't work for men. The finding may help explain why women are often happier than men, the research team said.

29 Aug 2012

Limited evidence supports medical intervention use in adolescents and young adults with autism

Vanderbilt University researchers studying interventions for adolescents and young adults with autism are reporting today that there is insufficient evidence to support findings, good or bad, for the therapies currently used.

28 Aug 2012

Research roundup: Who do patients seek for primary care?; Treating kids with antipsychotics

n order to find out what kind of doctor patients were visiting for primary care service, researchers analyzed the frequency in which patients visited generalists and specialists in 1999 and 2007 by using a nationally representative sample of outpatient visits.

26 Aug 2012

Vigorous exercise associated with mental illness vulnerability

Contrary to expectations, engagement in vigorous exercise is positively associated with the incidence and prevalence of psychiatric disorders, particularly bipolar II disorder and alcohol dependence, US researchers report.

24 Aug 2012

Prescription drug monitoring systems alert abuse

Electronic prescription monitoring programs may significantly improve drug-abuse detection and could alert clinicians to “doctor shopping,” say researchers.

24 Aug 2012

Schizophrenia patients benefit from text message reminders

A text message-based service may help improve medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia, researchers report.

23 Aug 2012

New UCLA study pinpoints unique human patterns of gene activity in the brain

Human and chimp brains look anatomically similar because both evolved from the same ancestor millions of years ago. But where does the chimp brain end and the human brain begin? A new UCLA study pinpoints uniquely human patterns of gene activity in the brain that could shed light on how we evolved differently than our closest relative.

23 Aug 2012

A father’s stress can lead to psychiatric disorders in female offspring

A study in mice conducted by researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) suggests that a woman's risk of anxiety and dysfunctional social behavior may depend on the experiences of her parents, particularly fathers, when they were young.

23 Aug 2012

Neuroscientists try to decipher precisely how human brain constructs our sense of self

Ancient Greek philosophers considered the ability to "know thyself" as the pinnacle of humanity. Now, thousands of years later, neuroscientists are trying to decipher precisely how the human brain constructs our sense of self.

23 Aug 2012

Study provides new direction for research in bipolar disorder during pregnancy

The impact of bipolar disorder during pregnancy has been hotly contended among the research community. Now, a new study from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University is sorting out the debate and calling for more targeted, prospective research.

23 Aug 2012