Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Current information on the use of antidepressants in pediatric patients

The Food and Drug Administration has issued an update to provide health care providers and patients with the most current information on the use of antidepressants in pediatric patients.

21 Aug 2004

Newly discovered protein switch may be key to understanding sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression

University of California researchers have found that a newly discovered protein switch which they named neuropeptide S appears to work in the brain to enhance wakefulness and reduce anxiety in laboratory animals. According to Rainer Reinscheid and his colleagues, the protein could help in the understanding of sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression.

18 Aug 2004

"Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study" - a landmark study

The "Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study" (TADS), reported in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first multi- center, randomized clinical effectiveness trial to review a combination of treatments for the types of adolescent depression likely to be treated in routine community-based practice settings.

18 Aug 2004

Treatment of child depression most successful with Prozac and cognitive-behavior therapy combination

A new study by researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, have found that treatment of child depression was most successful when a combination of Prozac and cognitive-behavior therapy was applied.

18 Aug 2004

80% of cancer patients use some form of complementary or alternative therapies

Plug the terms "alternative" and "cancer" into Google and the Internet search engine returns a list of 3.27 million - yes, million - sites with information both credible and questionable about nontraditional treatments for cancer. What's a cancer patient to make of such a vast array of options?

18 Aug 2004

Critical shortage of support services for parents raising children with autism

The findings come hard on the heels of controversy over the tragic death of autistic ten-year-old Jason Dawes at the hands of his mother, who had received only three of the 20 hours per week of early intervention that her child needed since the age of 18 months.

17 Aug 2004

Agreement on terminology for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

"There is so much confusion around what to call the broader effects of prenatal alcohol exposure when a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome cannot be made"

17 Aug 2004

Link between marijuana and mental health

An eminent University of Melbourne Psychiatry Professor will lead a conference detailing the latest research findings on the link between marijuana and mental health.

16 Aug 2004

Good health goes beyond diet, exercise and stress

While pleasurable experiences may lift your spirits, the ones that leave you with a sense of purpose and meaningful relationships may do even more: protect the body against ill health.

15 Aug 2004

Relationship between brain chemical messenger glutamate and schizophrenia traits

Researchers at the NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have identified a relationship between a small section of one gene, the brain chemical messenger glutamate, and a collection of traits known to be associated with schizophrenia.

15 Aug 2004

Investigating how young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder process sound

Mary-Claire Hanlon, a Psychology Honours student at the University of Newcastle under the supervision of Dr Frini Karayanidis and Associate Professor Ulrich Schall, is recruiting participants for the study investigating the role of sound and dopaminergic mechanisms (brain chemicals) in people with ADHD.

12 Aug 2004

Gene responsible for management of glutamate is a promising candidate in determining risk for schizophrenia

Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health have identified a relationship between a small section of one gene, the brain chemical messenger glutamate, and a collection of traits known to be associated with schizophrenia.

11 Aug 2004

Drug interactions between prescription medication and herbal supplements can be extremely dangerous

Herbal supplements may be natural, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are safe.

11 Aug 2004

Having good communication, a reliable partner and understanding in a marriage can boost a person’s health

Certain behaviors by one partner in long-term marriages appear to contribute to a spouse’s likelihood of experiencing chronic health problems, more disability and poorer perceived health, according to a study that looks at 729 adults who were at least 50 years of age and currently married and in their first marriage.

11 Aug 2004

Frog science helps to explain how the environment may have permanent effects on the nervous system

Scientists studying how the nervous system develops in frogs have found that altering the pattern of electrical signaling in individual neurons changes the kinds of neurotransmitters they produce.

11 Aug 2004

Scientists have turned procrastinating primates into workaholics by temporarily suppressing a gene in a brain circuit involved in reward learning

Using a new molecular genetic technique, scientists have turned procrastinating primates into workaholics by temporarily suppressing a gene in a brain circuit involved in reward learning. Without the gene, the monkeys lost their sense of balance between reward and the work required to get it, say researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health .

11 Aug 2004

Elderly people in the U.S. are being inappropriately prescribed medications

In the U.S. only 15 percent of the population is aged 65 years or older, but this group account for 33 percent of prescription drug users. Elderly persons are also more likely to take several drugs concurrently, the article states.

10 Aug 2004

Newborns may be harmed when pregnant women take Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and other anti-depressants during the third trimester of pregnancy

Health Canada is advising Canadians that newborns may be adversely affected when pregnant women take Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and other newer anti-depressants during the third trimester of pregnancy.

9 Aug 2004

Mexican-Americans have a far higher chance of suffering a stroke than non-Hispanic whites

And, according to a second study published today by the same team, the difference doesn't appear to be related to Mexican-Americans' higher incidence of diabetes, which had been thought to raise their risk of a certain type of stroke.

9 Aug 2004

Binge drinking accounts for a substantial number of deaths each year in the United States

Binge drinking and harmful drinking, including both medium to high levels of regular alcohol consumption, account for a substantial number of deaths each year in the United States.

9 Aug 2004

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Current information on the use of antidepressants in pediatric patients

Newly discovered protein switch may be key to understanding sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression

"Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study" - a landmark study

Treatment of child depression most successful with Prozac and cognitive-behavior therapy combination

80% of cancer patients use some form of complementary or alternative therapies

Critical shortage of support services for parents raising children with autism

Agreement on terminology for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Link between marijuana and mental health

Good health goes beyond diet, exercise and stress

Relationship between brain chemical messenger glutamate and schizophrenia traits

Investigating how young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder process sound

Gene responsible for management of glutamate is a promising candidate in determining risk for schizophrenia

Drug interactions between prescription medication and herbal supplements can be extremely dangerous

Having good communication, a reliable partner and understanding in a marriage can boost a person’s health

Frog science helps to explain how the environment may have permanent effects on the nervous system

Scientists have turned procrastinating primates into workaholics by temporarily suppressing a gene in a brain circuit involved in reward learning

Elderly people in the U.S. are being inappropriately prescribed medications

Newborns may be harmed when pregnant women take Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and other anti-depressants during the third trimester of pregnancy

Mexican-Americans have a far higher chance of suffering a stroke than non-Hispanic whites

Binge drinking accounts for a substantial number of deaths each year in the United States

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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