Mental Disorder News and Research

RSS

Health officials concerned with mental health problems after QLD floods

According to health experts Ipswich residents need to look out for the mental health of friends and family with the effects of January’s floods still weighing on many people. The Australian Medical Association of Queensland (AMAQ) launched the See the Signs awareness campaign this week to help people spot symptoms of mental health issues like depression.

5 May 2011

Roundup: Vt. universal care bill advances; Duluth, Minn., seeking to change retiree health benefits; Texas steps back from plan to close centers for disabled

Dr. James Mongan, a physician with a specialty in politics who for decades helped shape the health care debate in Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth, and who formerly served as president of Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners HealthCare, died in MGH yesterday.

5 May 2011

State roundup: Assisted living hazards in Fla.; Ariz.'s Medicaid limits

Despite some efforts to ease the blow to pediatric health care providers, Texas' proposed budget cuts will most likely have a disproportionate effect on children's hospitals.

3 May 2011

Mental Illness Foundation invites Quebecers to be attentive to loved ones

As part of the 60th National Mental Health Week, which runs from May 1 to 7, 2011, the Mental Illness Foundation invites Quebecers to take action and be attentive to loved ones coping with a mental illness and underlines that the search for good mental health is one of the protective factors in preventing mental illness.

2 May 2011

New training program for nurses to prevent workplace violence

Most people think of hospitals as places for healing. But the threat of violence—which can take many forms—can be a daily reality for nurses and other health care workers, creating a compelling need to properly address the issue, says Kate McPhaul, PhD, MPH, RN, assistant professor and program director for the School of Nursing's Community/Public Health Nursing master's specialty.

30 Apr 2011

Research roundup: Saving lives through health literacy

Health Literacy And Outcomes Among Patients With Heart Failure -- This study examines the correlation between health literacy, or the ability to understand basic health information, and the mortality rate among patients with heart failure, which is a condition that "requires self-management and frequent interactions with the health care system."

30 Apr 2011

Unintentional prescription opioid overdose deaths have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S.

Unintentional overdose deaths in teens and adults have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. In some 20 states in 2007 the number of unintentional drug poisoning deaths exceeded either motor vehicle crashes or suicides, two of the leading causes of injury death.

26 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: Sebelius on medical mistakes; Stockman on solving deficit; Fox on Medicare's political history

A recent study found that as many as one out of three hospital patients is harmed by his or her care. And the Institute of Medicine estimates that as many as 100,000 Americans die each year from preventable medical errors in hospitals. That's about the number of annual deaths caused by auto accidents, AIDS, and breast cancer combined.

26 Apr 2011

Human placenta plays an active role in serotonin synthesis

Research at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California's Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute shows for the first time that the human placenta plays an active role in synthesizing serotonin, paving the way to new treatment strategies that could mitigate health impacts such as cardiovascular disease and mental illness.

22 Apr 2011

Veterans with mental illness show increased rates of substance use disorders

A new study published in The American Journal on Addictions reveals that Veterans who suffer from mental health disorders also have high rates of substance use disorders.

21 Apr 2011

NAMI joins with HealthPartners to reduce stigma of mental illnesses

NAMI Minnesota and HealthPartners are joining together in a campaign to address the stigma of mental illnesses.

21 Apr 2011

High rates of substance use disorders among veterans with mental illness

...

19 Apr 2011

Patients with schizophrenia can benefit from L-lysine treatment

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that currently affects about one in every 200 people. Most patients find some relief from their symptoms by treatment with antipsychotics, however they may still suffer from cognitive and negative symptoms.

18 Apr 2011

Nurses use ineffective strategy for adapting circadian clocks to night-time schedule

As many as 25 percent of hospital nurses go without sleep for at least 24 hours in order to adjust to working on the night shift, which is the least effective strategy for adapting their internal, circadian clocks to a night-time schedule.

15 Apr 2011

Scientists identify filter neurons that can reduce 'brain clutter'

Until now, it has been assumed that people with diseases like ADHD, Tourette syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia - all of whom characteristically report symptoms of "brain clutter" - may suffer from anomalies in the brain's prefrontal cortex.

15 Apr 2011

Signs of failure, difficulties evident in nation's mental health system

The Boston Globe reports on new federal government findings regarding a "crisis" in the New Hampshire state mental health system. Meanwhile, KHN reports on how mentally ill patients sometimes are left to languish in hospital emergency departments.

15 Apr 2011

Catherine Zeta Jones treated for bipolar disorder

Catherine Zeta Jones – the 41-year-old Welsh actor checked into a day clinic in Connecticut for five days earlier this month for the treatment of bipolar disorder. “After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check in to a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her Bipolar II Disorder,” said publicist Cece Yorke said in a statement adding, “She's feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films.”

13 Apr 2011

Study suggests depression treatment may have long-term benefits

Ian Colman, an epidemiologist in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, recently completed a study that suggests that treatment of depression may have long-term benefits.

8 Apr 2011

Molecular switch regulating protein behavior increases human susceptibility to schizophrenia, mood disorders

Johns Hopkins researchers report the discovery of a molecular switch that regulates the behavior of a protein that, when altered, is already known to increase human susceptibility to schizophrenia and mood disorders.

7 Apr 2011

Affectionate communication may have positive impact on alexithymia sufferers

Every person has some level of alexithymia, as it is the personality trait which keeps people from sharing or even understanding their own emotions. Now, one University of Missouri researcher's latest study indicates that affectionate communication, such as hugging, could help those who have high levels of alexithymia lead more fulfilling lives.

7 Apr 2011