Psychiatry News and Research

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

Aggressive children more inclined to misuse drugs

Aggressive and hyperactive boys with low parental monitoring are more likely to befriend deviant peers and become heavy drug users as teens, according to a new study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors. Yet the investigation by scientists from the Universit- de Montr-al and Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center found that bad boys can be protected from heavy substance use as teenagers if they are highly monitored and befriend good boys as children.

18 Aug 2010

Hospitals should inform patients about availability of insurance coverage for breast reconstruction: New law

While breast reconstruction after a mastectomy is covered by insurers in New York, many poor, minority, and less educated women do not seek out the procedure. Now, NY Gov. David A. Paterson has signed into law a bill that is aimed at reversing this trend.

18 Aug 2010

Psychological support from health visitors prevents depression after child birth: Study

The world's first ever analysis of data from a full scale clinical trial in adults shows that training Health Visitors to assess and psychologically support mothers after childbirth can prevent the development of depression over the following year.But the substantial reduction in the number of NHS health visitors was identified by researchers as a key issue for the health and well-being of mums.

18 Aug 2010

Brain stimulation may improve thinking in people with schizophrenia

Mild electrical stimulation to the brain could improve thinking and reduce auditory hallucinations in people with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder, researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have found.

17 Aug 2010

Gene variations likely to have important effects on gene function: Study

Everyone is special in their own unique way. From a genetic point of view, no two humans are genetically identical. This means that DNA for each individual contains variants that are more or less comm. on in the overall population.

17 Aug 2010

HealthGrades honors Eastern Long Island Hospital with Outstanding Patient Experience Award

Eastern Long Island Hospital (ELIH) is among the top 15 percent in the nation for patient experience based on an analysis of patient surveys from 3,775 hospitals across the country by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. By placing in the top 15 percent, ELIH received the 2010/2011 HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award(TM).

17 Aug 2010

Psychological stress in middle age increases risk of dementia later in life

Psychological stress in middle age could lead to the development of dementia later in life, especially Alzheimer's disease, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Based on data from a study which followed women for 35 years, this is the first research in Sweden to indicate a link between stress and dementia.

17 Aug 2010

Antidepressant alleviates depression in peri- and postmenopausal women: Study

An antidepressant can alleviate symptoms of major depression in women experiencing or about to experience menopause, according to a study released today led by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher.

17 Aug 2010

Amphetamine abuse associated with increased risk of aortic dissection

Young adults who abuse amphetamines may be at greater risk of suffering a tear in the main artery leading from the heart, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

16 Aug 2010

Abnormalities in certain genes may cause autism: Research

Together with colleagues from an international research group, autism researcher Christopher Gillberg of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has found in a new study that autism can be partially explained by abnormalities in certain genes. The group's results could, in the long run, pave the way for more appropriate treatments for autism.

16 Aug 2010

MeCP2 protein regulates properties of psychostimulant drugs: Research

When a certain protein is mutated or missing, symptoms of the neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome arise, causing a gradual loss of brain function during early development.This fact led Duke University Medical Center researchers to test a theory that the protein might also contribute to nerve-cell connection (synapse) changes in a fully formed adult mouse brain when exposed to psychostimulant use.

16 Aug 2010

Psychological stress in middle age can lead to dementia: Research

16 Aug 2010

Adverse effects in childhood lead to immune impairment later in life

The emotional pains we suffer in childhood can lead to weakened immune systems later in life, according to a new study.Based on this new research, the amount of this immune impairment even enhances that caused by the stress of caregiving later in life."What happens in childhood really matters when it comes to your immune response in the latter part of your life," explained Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University. She explained her work at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Diego.

16 Aug 2010

Low socioeconomic status, stressful childhood events develop risk of cardiovascular disease

Early life adversity through poverty, social isolation or abuse in childhood is linked to heightened reactivity, which can lead to heart disease later on, a leading expert on stress and disease said Saturday."Many diseases first diagnosed in mid-life can be traced back to childhood," Karen A. Matthews, PhD, said at the 118th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. "Having some bad health habits in your 20s and 30s is part of the reason why people get diseases later on. However, it isn't the whole reason. The evidence shows that certain reactions to adverse childhood experiences associated with lower socioeconomic status, isolation and negative events can affect the disease process."

16 Aug 2010

New implantable device to prevent sudden cardiac arrest

Northwestern Memorial Hospital heart rhythm specialists recently gave a 34-year-old man a makeshift paramedic—who's always on duty—inside of his chest by implanting a device that did not require X-ray assistance and the usual snaking of wires leading to the heart. In fact, the innovative device rests just beneath the surface of the skin and its components are positioned using the patient's own anatomical landmarks.

13 Aug 2010

New research with agitated monkeys may help predict childhood anxiety & depression

According to the latest discovery from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, there may be a possible link between brain activity and childhood anxiety.

12 Aug 2010

Healthcare professionals need to develop empathic skills: Tischler's book on mental health

Doctors and other healthcare professionals should use the arts and humanities to develop their empathic skills and improve mental healthcare practice, according to a new book.Mental Health, Psychiatry and the Arts, edited by Dr Victoria Tischler in the Division of Psychiatry at The University of Nottingham, argues that visual art, poetry writing, novels and music can be used in the education of medical and nursing students and other mental health professionals to improve their understanding of the patient experience.

12 Aug 2010

Study examines cosmetic impact of surgical procedure for body dysmorphic disorder

A new study finds that while many who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) seek cosmetic procedures, only two percent of procedures actually reduced the severity of BDD. Despite this poor long-term outcome, physicians continue to provide requested surgeries to people suffering from BDD. The study was recently published in Annals of Plastic Surgery.

12 Aug 2010

Increased brain activity predicts anxious temperament in young primates

A new study focused on anxiety and brain activity pinpoints the brain regions that are relevant to developing childhood anxiety. The findings, published in the Aug. 12 edition of the journal Nature, may lead to new strategies for early detection and treatment of at-risk children.

12 Aug 2010

Shire announces divestiture of Daytrana to Noven Pharmaceuticals

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced the divestiture of Daytrana (methylphenidate transdermal system) to Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Daytrana, which is approved and marketed in the US for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children and adolescents, will continue to be available for patients through Noven.

11 Aug 2010