Psychiatry News and Research

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

ABAM Foundation lauds findings and recommendations in Addiction Medicine

The American Board of Addiction Medicine Foundation today lauded the significant findings and recommendations in the landmark report just published by CASA Columbia, Addiction Medicine: Closing the Gap between Science and Practice.

27 Jun 2012

CAMH releases comprehensive reviews of most effective treatments for alcohol dependence

Scientists from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have released comprehensive reviews of the most effective treatments for alcohol dependence, one of the most prevalent addictions in Canada.

27 Jun 2012

Oxford University Press launches PASSit for medical community

Royal College exams are a critical hurdle in a doctor's career. Oxford University Press is pleased to be launching PASSit, an online service which will meet doctors' demands for high quality exam revision tools on their PCs and tablets.

27 Jun 2012

Genetic risk for schizophrenia linked to brain volume alterations

Patients with schizophrenia and their unaffected first-degree relatives show altered gray and white matter volumes in specific brain regions compared with mentally healthy individuals, researchers report.

26 Jun 2012

Liability for schizophrenia linked to cognition in mood disorders

Schizotypal traits and genetic liability for schizophrenia are associated with reduced cognitive functioning in patients with mood disorders, Japanese study results show.

26 Jun 2012

Study investigates EEGs as potential diagnostic tool for autism

Widely available EEG testing can distinguish children with autism from neurotypical children as early as age 2, finds a study from Boston Children's Hospital. The study is the largest, most rigorous study to date to investigate EEGs as a potential diagnostic tool for autism, and offers hope for an earlier, more definitive test.

26 Jun 2012

New Alzheimer's Society funded project to investigate role of chronic stress in dementia

Chronic stress is being investigated in a new Alzheimer's Society funded research project as a risk factor for developing dementia.

26 Jun 2012

Study examines protective factors that are important in preventing violence among veterans

A national survey identifies which U.S. military veterans may be at most risk of aggression after deployment and what strategies could potentially help reduce likelihood of violence when service members return home.

25 Jun 2012

De novo somatic gene mutations likely to cause hemimegalencephaly

Hemimegalencephaly is a rare but dramatic condition in which the brain grows asymmetrically, with one hemisphere becoming massively enlarged. Though frequently diagnosed in children with severe epilepsy, the cause of hemimegalencephaly is unknown and current treatment is radical: surgical removal of some or all of the diseased half of the brain.

25 Jun 2012

Study reveals function of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in the brain

Every day the human brain is presented with tasks ranging from the trivial to the complex. How much mental effort and attention are devoted to each task is usually determined in a split second and without conscious awareness. Now a study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers finds that a structure deep within the brain, believed to play an important role in regulating conscious control of goal-directed behavior, helps to optimize behavioral responses by predicting how difficult upcoming tasks will be.

25 Jun 2012

First study to link risk of cognitive decline to severity of diabetes

Preventing diabetes or delaying its onset has been thought to stave off cognitive decline -- a connection strongly supported by the results of a 9-year study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

23 Jun 2012

Young children have higher prevalence of mental health problems: Study

A study published in the June 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that young children who have been investigated for maltreatment by child welfare agencies have a higher prevalence of mental health problems and that very few receive treatment for those problems.

23 Jun 2012

Superior temporal sulcus perfusion linked to QoL in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia patients with a relatively high quality of life show hypoperfusion in the superior temporal sulcus compared with those with a relatively low quality of life.

22 Jun 2012

Amygdala volume reduced in schizophrenia, not psychotic BD

Amygdala volume is reduced in patients with schizophrenia compared with those who have psychotic bipolar disorder, researchers report.

22 Jun 2012

‘Take home’ methadone maintenance therapy has added benefits

Patients who are given “take home” methadone maintenance treatment for opioid dependence are less likely to be admitted to hospital than those who do not, a study shows.

22 Jun 2012

Risk of cognitive decline linked to severity of diabetes

22 Jun 2012

CDSS best for assessing depression symptoms in schizophrenia

Results from a systematic review of published studies suggests that the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia is the most reliable and valid instrument for assessing depression symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.

21 Jun 2012

Cognitive function worse in pediatric BD I than II

Children with bipolar I disorder have significantly poorer cognitive functioning than those with bipolar II disorder, research shows.

21 Jun 2012

Study to test NAC and aspirin for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder

A commonly available pharmaceutical drug with anti-inflammatory properties and a nutritional supplement thought to have antioxidant effects are now being tested at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) as add-on therapies for people diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

21 Jun 2012

Genetics play a significant role in determining side effects of opiates

Genetics play a significant role in determining which patients will suffer the most from the disturbing side effects of opiates, commonly prescribed painkillers for severe to moderate pain, according to a new Stanford University School of Medicine study, which pinpoints nausea, slowed breathing and potential for addiction as heritable traits.

21 Jun 2012