Psychosis News and Research

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Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality". People suffering from psychosis are said to be ''psychotic.''

Breakthrough shows immune cells may play a role in schizophrenia

A type of immune cell called the “macrophages” are known to be one of the first soldiers of the body that can fight off infections and plays a role in maintaining immunity and in inflammation. According to latest research in schizophrenia, these macrophages can become altered and may cause changes in the brain leading to changes in the brain similar to schizophrenia.

14 Sep 2018

Study reaffirms success of conditional release programs for criminally insane individuals

After being found not guilty by reason of insanity, it's not typically a crime - rather declining mental health or breaking rules of conditional release like not drinking alcohol - that puts people back in a psychiatric hospital or even jail, researchers say.

6 Sep 2018

Dopamine receptor study opens door to targeted treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders

New work from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons sheds light on how dopamine receptors signal within cells, opening the door for more targeted--and more tolerable--therapeutics to treat an array of neuropsychiatric disorders.

4 Sep 2018

Component of cannabis could help in psychosis

Researchers from King’s College London have now found how the chemical cannabidiol or CBD from cannabis can reduce the abnormal brain activity in patients who are at risk of psychosis. The study was published in the latest issue of the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

30 Aug 2018

Cannabis use and mental illness link found

A large new study has found that people with mental ailments such as schizophrenia are more genetically inclined to use cannabis.

29 Aug 2018

Psychologist to assess how the brain maintains precise short-term and long-term memories

A person's general intelligence and ability to understand language are reliant on the brain's ability to maintain precise information acquired over a short period of time.

17 Aug 2018

Long-term cannabinoid exposure impairs memory, study shows

A new study led by Ana Sebastião, group leader at Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes and Professor of Faculdade de Medicina of Universidade de Lisboa and her team in collaboration with researchers from the University of Lancaster, shows that the long-term use of either cannabis or cannabis-based drugs impairs memory.

13 Aug 2018

Collaboration between Merck and InnoCore could improve biologic drug delivery

Following today’s (Friday 3 August) announcement of Merck and InnoCore’s collaboration, Rahael Maladwala, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on what this might mean for biologic drug delivery:

10 Aug 2018

Study identifies brain-based dimensions of mental health disorders using machine learning

A new study using machine learning has identified brain-based dimensions of mental health disorders, an advance towards much-needed biomarkers to more accurately diagnose and treat patients.

2 Aug 2018

Scientists take important step to understand mechanisms that cause Huntington's disease

The neuroscientist Dr David Vilchez and his team at CECAD, the University of Cologne's Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research, have made an important step towards understanding the mechanisms that cause the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington's disease.

27 Jul 2018

Long-term use of cannabis or cannabis-based drugs can impair memory, shows study

Long-term use of either cannabis or cannabis-based drugs impairs memory say researchers. The study has implications for both recreational users and people who use the drug to combat epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.

23 Jul 2018

Collaborative care models have proven to improve outcomes and access to mental health care

Mental health has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons, from unexpected celebrity suicides to a reported increase in depression diagnoses.

23 Jul 2018

Study finds discharge against medical advice as predictor of readmissions in heart attack patients

In a new study led by Keele University researchers found discharge against medical advice as the strongest predictor of 30-day unplanned readmissions in heart attack patients.

18 Jul 2018

Virtual reality could offer psychotherapy for fear of heights, study shows

A virtual reality (VR) coach can effectively deliver psychotherapy to help overcome a fear of heights in people with this phobia.

13 Jul 2018

Study finds disrupted stress response in people with schizophrenia

Stressful situations affect the brain and body differently in people with schizophrenia compared to people without the mental illness or individuals at high risk for developing psychosis, a new CAMH study shows.

11 Jul 2018

Research could help mental health professionals to better treat patients with psychoses

Psychotic disorders often are severe and involve extreme symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations in which people lose their sense of reality.

16 May 2018

National trial shows how high-tech strategies may change the field of mental health

A national research trial initiated by UT Southwestern in 2012 is generating the first set of results this year that provides an early glimpse into how such high-tech strategies may change the field of mental health.

16 May 2018

First, marijuana. Are magic mushrooms next?

In Oregon and Denver, where marijuana is legal for recreational use, activists are now pushing toward a psychedelic frontier: "magic mushrooms."

14 May 2018

Scientists develop new approach using MRI to predict psychosis in high-risk patients

By using images of the brain to look at how its outer surface is folded on itself, researchers can predict which high-risk patients will develop psychosis with more than 80 per cent accuracy.

26 Apr 2018

FDA re-examining safety of new drug approved for Parkinson’s disease psychosis

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking again at the safety of a drug Nuplazid that was approved earlier in 2016. This is the only drug that has been approved for the treatment of psychiatric manifestations such as hallucinations and delusions that are associated with Parkinson's disease.