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.

Women's mental health issues to be discussed at 2010 Marc- Society International Conference

Nearly 500 researchers, clinicians and mental health advocates are expected to attend the 2010 Marc- Society International Conference, Perinatal Mental Health Research: Harvesting the Potential, Oct. 26 to 30, at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel in Pittsburgh. The event, which focuses on women's mental health issues related to childbearing, will feature keynote speaker former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who has been an active advocate for mental health reform.

28 Sep 2010

Sixth sense a reality: Research

A five year study monitoring brain activity during therapy sessions uncovered the mystery of “sixth sense” and how two people interact on a physiological level. The study from Sydney revealed how parts of their nervous systems can be aligned despite having no physical contact with each other.

27 Sep 2010

Study evaluates effects of psychological program to improve teachers' mental health

With respect to the Symptoms Check List-27, the values of the GSI (Global Severity Index) and of 3 subscales (those for depressive, dysthymic and mistrust symptoms), compared with the control group, improved significantly upon participation in the group program.

22 Sep 2010

Researchers present study results of psychosocial trauma experienced at 2006 Dawson College shooting

A research team from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and Fernand-Seguin Research Centre of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital presented today the results of its three-year study, a world first, into the 2006 Dawson College shooting to the Government of Quebec's Ministry of Public Security.

10 Sep 2010

Researchers find hair cortisol level can assess chronic stress in heart attack

Researchers at The University of Western Ontario have provided the first direct evidence using a biological marker, to show chronic stress plays an important role in heart attacks.

3 Sep 2010

Neurobiological markers of depression can help tailor antidepressant treatment to the brain

Depression is actually defined by specific clinical symptoms such as sadness, difficulty to experience pleasure, sleep problems etc., present for at least two weeks, with impairment of psychosocial functioning. These symptoms guide the physician to make a diagnosis and to select antidepressant treatment such as drugs or psychotherapy.

31 Aug 2010

Latest achievements in brain research and treatment for mental disorders

Mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, addiction and schizophrenia are the core challenge of most health care systems around the world. In the EU alone, each year 27% of the total adult population - this corresponds to 83 Million citizens - suffer from mental disorders. Depression alone affects almost 20 million ranking in the EU as the most disabling disorder of all diseases.

30 Aug 2010

23rd ECNP Press conference on impact of circadian rhythms on human brain

All humans are synchronised to the rhythmic light-dark changes that occur on a daily basis. Rhythms in physiological and biochemical processes and behavioural patterns persist in the absence of all external 24-hour signals from the physical environment, with a period that is close to 24 hours

30 Aug 2010

23rd European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress to be held 28 Aug - 1 Sep 2010 in Amsterdam

26 Aug 2010

Older Americans suffer from full-blown depression: Report

Maureen Duffy's memories of her grandmother are cloudy. Not because of time, but by a condition that cast a shadow over the woman Duffy had visited as a child.

10 Aug 2010

Pfizer announces unrestricted access to patient assessment aids for mental disorders

As part of its commitment to improving the quality of patient care, Pfizer today announced that it will make available assessment scales used by physicians and others in the healthcare community to support the evaluation and diagnosis of patients suffering from certain mental disorders.

23 Jul 2010

Call for greater support in mental health services for children

As support for funds for mental ailments mounts, a coalition of mental health experts are lobbying for greater support for mental health services for children. The coalition comprises The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists; the Australian Psychological Society; NIFTeY (National Investment for the Early Years); the Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association; the Australian Association of Infant Mental Health, and the Australian Child and Adolescent Trauma, Loss and Grief Network.

22 Jul 2010

MDMA (Ecstasy) holds promise for chronic treatment-resistant PTSD

MDMA (-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as Ecstasy), may one day offer hope for individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even people for whom other treatments have failed. Clinical trial results out today in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, published by SAGE, suggests that MDMA can be administered to subjects with PTSD without evidence of harm and could offer sufferers a vital window with reduced fear responses where psychotherapy can take effect.

20 Jul 2010

Active family engagement is important for recovery from substance abuse, chemical dependency

Active family engagement and commitment is one of the most underappreciated aspects of recovery from substance abuse and chemical dependency, according to clinical staff at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, a leading eating disorder and addiction treatment center.

16 Jul 2010

New study finds no evidence in support of LTPP's superiority over shorter-term methods of psychotherapy

This paper criticizes the methodology of a meta-analysis and 8 studies published in the JAMA last year which indicated that longer term psychodynamic psychotherapy (LTPP) was more effective than short therapies. The investigators found a miscalculation of the effect sizes used to make key comparisons and found no evidence to support claims of superiority of LTPP over shorter-term methods of psychotherapy.

16 Jul 2010

Survey shows only few Canadians identify painful physical symptoms of depression

Although the majority of Canadians believe in a mind/body connection, agreeing how they feel physically is related to how they feel emotionally (87 per cent), only half make the link when it comes to depression.

12 Jul 2010

Combination therapy for severe depression

Severe depression is life threatening. So it is worth every effort to get depression under control and make life more manageable. For most people, that means some combination of antidepressant drugs and talk therapy.

29 Jun 2010

Researchers demonstrate efficacy of routine psychotherapeutic treatment for depression

Depression is one of the most common forms of psychiatric disorder. It can occur at any time of life and it may affect children and adolescents as well as the elderly. However, depression can usually be suitably managed with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy. Researchers based at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have been able to demonstrate both the efficacy and the extent of the beneficial effect of routine psychotherapeutic treatment for depression.

11 Jun 2010

Therapies for female sexual dysfunction

Many women experience problems in the bedroom at one time or another. Female sexual dysfunction is not uncommon and although some women and healthcare providers have difficulty discussing it, it has been recognized by the medical community for decades. In fact, for the last twenty years, it has been listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a manual published by the American Psychiatric Association, used to classify and diagnose psychological disorders.

10 Jun 2010

Depressed mood makes pain more unpleasant

When it comes to pain, the two competing schools of thought are that it's either "all in your head" or "all in your body". A new study led by University of Oxford researchers indicates that, instead, pain is an amalgam of the two.

8 Jun 2010