Psychotherapy News and Research

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Psychotherapy is “talk” therapy. It involves talking with a mental health professional to treat a mental illness. Psychotherapy can occur one-on-one or in a group. Research shows that support from family and friends can be an important part of therapy.

Self-help preventive cognitive therapy found to be effective in reducing recurrent depression

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic a Group of Dutch investigators reports on the findings of a randomized controlled trial on the role of self-help in depression.

8 Sep 2017

Collaborative care model can expand access to treatment for opioid or alcohol addiction

Combining substance abuse treatment with regular medical care can successfully treat people with opioid or alcohol addiction, providing an option that might expand treatment and lower the cost of caring for people caught up in the nation's opioid epidemic, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

6 Sep 2017

Better understanding of serotonin's function in the brain could lead to radical shift in psychiatric care

A better understanding of how a key chemical messenger acts in the brain could lead to a radical shift in psychiatric care, according to a new research paper.

4 Sep 2017

Study: Neurofeedback holds potential to treat people suffering from treatment-resistant depression

A small pilot study has indicated that neurofeedback - where patients concentrate on modifying their own brainwave patterns - has potential to treat many of the 100m people worldwide who suffer from Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD).

4 Sep 2017

PTSD screening using genetic markers could be a reality soon

A new study from researchers in the Netherlands, shows that persons who are affected with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) can show changes in microRNA (miRNA) molecules that are linked to genetic regulation.

3 Sep 2017

New findings on functional connections within the brain may provide insights into psychiatric disorders

Ongoing advances in understanding the functional connections within the brain are producing exciting insights into how the brain circuits function together to support human behavior--and may lead to new discoveries in the development and treatment of psychiatric disorders, according to a review and update in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

1 Sep 2017

Soul purpose: Seniors with strong reasons to live often live stronger

Building and maintaining a career became a primary driver in her life after Newman raised two daughters and went back to work at age 48. As a therapist, "I really loved helping people make changes in their lives that put them in a different, better position," she said.

31 Aug 2017

Wayne State awarded NIH grant to improve outcomes, care for African American adolescents with asthma

A research team led by Deborah Ellis, Ph.D., professor of family medicine and public health sciences in Wayne State University's School of Medicine, received a $3.2 million award from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

30 Aug 2017

Trial for PTSD treatment with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy receives FDA go-ahead

The United States Food and Drugs Administration FDA has granted permission for phase 3 trials in PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) patients using Ecstasy and psychotherapy in a treatment protocol called MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy PTSD affects thousands of war veterans and other individuals and often leads to fatal outcomes of self-harm and suicides

28 Aug 2017

CBT approaches found to be effective and efficient in treating ADHD symptoms in adults

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) group training was shown to achieve the same results as neurofeedback training in treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Both methods led to a comparable decrease in symptoms.

23 Aug 2017

Study provides insights into how social touch affects people with ASD

People with strong signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show neural signs of anxiety when they see social touch and report unpleasant feelings about social touch by comparison to people with weak signs of ASD.

22 Aug 2017

Research shows effectiveness of school-based programs in improving students' mental health problems

School-based mental health programs can reach large numbers of children, with increasing evidence of effectiveness in improving mental health and related outcomes, according to a research review in the September/October issue of the Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

11 Aug 2017

Counting on Medicaid to avoid life in a nursing home? That’s now up to Congress.

Ten years ago, a driver ran a stop sign as Jim McIlroy rode into the intersection on his motorcycle. Serious injuries left McIlroy paralyzed from the chest down. But, after spending some time in a nursing home, he returned to his home near Bethel, Maine.

31 Jul 2017

New substance restores brain function in Alzheimer's animal model

The protein amyloid beta is believed to be the major cause of Alzheimer's disease. Substances that reduce the production of amyloid beta, such as BACE inhibitors, are therefore promising candidates for new drug treatments.

28 Jul 2017

Study opens up new avenues to understanding complex experience of hearing voices

When people hear voices, it is whether those voices fit or are at odds with their life goals and values that governs whether they find them distressing.

19 Jul 2017

UCLA offers transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat patients with depression

Americans spend billions of dollars each year on antidepressants, but the National Institutes of Health estimates that those medications work for only 60 percent to 70 percent of people who take them.

14 Jun 2017

Neuroimaging measures of emotional brain function may help predict PTSD

Neuroimaging measures of emotional brain function after acute trauma may help predict whether a person will develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a new study in Biological Psychiatry.

8 Jun 2017

Online intervention can relieve distress, improve quality of life for cancer patients

Most patients experience significant distress after they are diagnosed with cancer. This distress not only erodes quality of life, but can also negatively affect the course of the disease and the patient's ability to tolerate treatment.

5 Jun 2017

Brief psychological intervention reduces depressive symptoms in patients with advanced cancer

Advanced cancer triggers enormous distress and brings challenges that can seem overwhelming. Yet, most cancer centers lack systematic approaches to help patients and families manage the practical and emotional toll of advanced cancer.