Psychiatry News and Research

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

$11.3 million autism study launched

Autism researchers at the University of Washington will take the initial step in attempting to prevent the developmental disorder when they launch an $11.3 million study this week.

4 Jan 2008

Study looks at earliest exposure to alcohol - sipping or tasting

Very little is known about alcohol use by children. New findings show that the introduction to alcohol use may occur as early as eight or 10 years of age, and is an experience that typically occurs in the home.

4 Jan 2008

Bright light therapy helps some with bipolar depression

Bright light therapy can ease bipolar depression in some patients, according to a study published in the journal Bipolar Disorders.

4 Jan 2008

Some antipsychotic drugs may be missing their mark

Drugs that treat depression, schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions and that target a particular protein on brain cells might not be triggering the most appropriate response in those cells, new research suggests.

2 Jan 2008

Religion habit cuts anxiety in women

For many, religious activity changes between childhood and adulthood, and a new study finds this could affect one's mental health.

2 Jan 2008

Cocaine vaccine to cure addiction undergoes clinical trials

Clinical trials on a cocaine vaccine are currently being conducted by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

2 Jan 2008

Treating often ignored non-cancer health issues after cancer diagnosis prolongs survival

Receiving treatment for non-cancer health issues while being treated by specialists for cancer improves cancer survival rates according to a study published in the December 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

28 Dec 2007

Brain abnormalities found underlying borderline personality disorder

Using new approaches, an interdisciplinary team of scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City has gained a view of activity in key brain areas associated with a core difficulty in patients with borderline personality disorder -- shedding new light on this serious psychiatric condition.

20 Dec 2007

Researchers prevent muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis

Severe muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis - a highly debilitating autoimmune disorder - can be prevented or reversed by blocking a key step in the immune response that brings on the disease, researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine have found.

20 Dec 2007

Brains respond differently to thirst depending upon age

Twelve healthy subjects in their 60s and 70s showed a different pattern of brain activations during thirst and satiation than did 10 healthy subjects in their 20s who drank the same amounts and underwent imaging with positron-emission tomography (PET).

20 Dec 2007

Omega-3 fatty acids for depression - new trial

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences are seeking participants for a clinical trial examining whether two polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids are effective treatments for depression.

18 Dec 2007

Predicting post-traumatic stress disorders in deployed veterans

Richardson is a psychiatrist with Parkwood Hospital, part of St. Joseph's Health Care, London and a professor with the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario.

14 Dec 2007

Data suggests chromium picolinate may improve cognitive function

Nutrition 21, Inc. has announced the results of a clinical study that showed daily supplementation with 1000 mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate improved cognitive function in older adults experiencing early memory decline.

14 Dec 2007

Green tea for Parkinson's disease

Does the consumption of green tea, widely touted to have beneficial effects on health, also protect brain cells? Authors of a new study being published in the December 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry share new data that indicates this may be the case.

14 Dec 2007

First view of synapse in real time

For the first time, scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have observed in real time a cellular mechanism that's crucial to how brain cells communicate.

14 Dec 2007

Experts call for a change in Australian law to aid people with schizophrenia

A group of Sydney researchers has shown that mental health law which focuses on "dangerousness" rather than the right to treatment can delay proper care for up to six months.

14 Dec 2007

New schizophrenia treatment

Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating of the major psychiatric disorders, and is also one of the most difficult to treat.

14 Dec 2007

Venlafaxine extended-release effective for patients with major depression

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most common major mental illness, afflicting almost one in five individuals.

13 Dec 2007

Different areas of the brain respond to belief, disbelief and uncertainty

The human mind is a prolific generator of beliefs about the world. The capacity of our minds to believe or disbelieve linguistic propositions is a powerful force for controlling both behavior and emotion, but the basis of this process in the brain is not yet understood.

13 Dec 2007

Time to remove the stigma associated with incontinence

An independent panel convened this week by the NIH found that fewer than half of individuals experiencing fecal or urinary incontinence - the inability to control bowel movements or urination, respectively - report their symptoms to healthcare providers without being prompted.

13 Dec 2007