Psychiatry News and Research

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

Long-term medication and counseling helps smokers quit

People who want to quit smoking have an improved chance of success if they receive long-term comprehensive drug and psychological interventions, according to a new study by UCSF researchers.

1 Nov 2004

Electroconvulsive therapy improves quality of life in patients with major depression

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) improves mood, quality of life and activities of daily living in patients with major depression, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

1 Nov 2004

New evidence to explain why mental function becomes less efficient with ageing

Dementia and milder forms of loss of mental ability affects millions of older people every year, but the causes are unclear. Previous research using brain scanning has shown that brain shrinkage and changes in the brain's white matter 'wiring', are associated with mental function slowing down in old age.

29 Oct 2004

Why some anesthesiologists end up abusing drugs

University of Florida researchers have presented a new theory at the 34th annual Society for Neuroscience on why some anesthesiologists end up abusing drugs.

25 Oct 2004

Calorie restriction prevents certain aging-related changes in the brain

Severe calorie restriction prevents certain aging-related changes in the brain, including the accumulation of free radicals and impairments in coordination and strength, according to a mouse study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

24 Oct 2004

Exercise protects brain cells affected by Parkinson's

In an animal model of Parkinson's, exercise prevents degeneration of nerve cells that are normally impaired or destroyed by the disease, according to University of Pittsburgh researchers.

24 Oct 2004

Human primitive spinal cord cells may delay symptoms and paralysis associated with Lou Gehrig's disease

Human primitive spinal cord cells delayed symptoms and paralysis by a week when implanted in the spinal cord of rats destined to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, researchers from Johns Hopkins report.

24 Oct 2004

New Yorkers' use of mental health services rose only slightly after 9//11

New Yorkers' use of mental health services rose only slightly during the year after the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks compared with the year before the attacks, a recent study suggests. But the number of mental health visits among people already receiving treatment increased after the attacks.

22 Oct 2004

Atypical antipsychotics commonly used to treat children with aggression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia may trigger insulin resistance

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center say a group of drugs known as "atypical antipsychotics" that are commonly used to treat children with aggression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia may trigger insulin resistance, a condition that increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease later in life.

21 Oct 2004

Highly sensitive receptors in the brain may function differently in a person with a family history of alcoholism

Receptors in the brain that are highly sensitive to alcohol may function differently in a person with a family history of alcoholism, according to a Yale study published this month.

21 Oct 2004

Adults who were abused or neglected as children tend to visit doctors more often

"Many patients visit doctors with symptoms that cannot be explained by underlying physical disease," says researcher Francis Creed, M.D., of the University of Manchester. "Common examples are headache, abdominal and chest pains and constant tiredness."

21 Oct 2004

Awareness helps primary doctors prevent patients' suicide

Although few of their patients commit suicide in a year, primary care physicians should use office visits to note possible risk factors for suicidal behavior, bolstered by candid discussions if needed, according to a review of recent research.

18 Oct 2004

Researchers have found two areas of the brain that appear to compete for control over behavior

You walk into a room and spy a plate of gooey doughnuts dripping with chocolate frosting. But wait: You were saving your sweets allotment for a party later today. If it feels like one part of your brain is battling another, it probably is, according to a newly published study.

18 Oct 2004

We are at the very beginning of 'gene finding' for alcohol response

Alcoholism is a complex, genetically influenced disorder. Multiple phenotypes – measurable and/or observable traits or behavior – contribute to the risk of developing alcoholism, particularly disinhibition, alcohol metabolizing patterns, and a low level of response (LR) to alcohol.

16 Oct 2004

Researchers report the first physiologic evidence of the role of laughter during psychotherapy

Laughter may be the best medicine, but the role laughter plays in psychotherapy has been disputed since the days of Freud.

14 Oct 2004

Study shows how people with severe and persistent mental illnesses live their everyday lives

A study by two Indiana University Bloomington professors in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation is beginning to suggest how people with severe and persistent mental illnesses live their everyday lives.

13 Oct 2004

Anti-epilepsy drug sodium valproate is associated with developmental delay and lower IQ

Around five in every 1000 people will have epilepsy. One in three people with epilepsy is a woman of childbearing age, and one in every 200 women attending antenatal clinics is being treated with anti-epileptic drugs.

13 Oct 2004

Survey on treatment for schizophrenia sheds new light on what people with schizophrenia feel is important for long-term quality care

Details from a large-scale survey focusing on treatment goals for schizophrenia shed new light on what physicians and people with schizophrenia feel is important for long-term quality care, according to Ronald J. Diamond, M.D., co-author of the study.

13 Oct 2004

Adults with mental disorders have higher odds of being diagnosed with brain tumors and lung cancer

Adults with mental disorders have higher odds of being diagnosed with brain tumors and lung cancer and develop these cancers at younger ages than individuals without mental illness, according to a study published in the current issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

12 Oct 2004

Minor depression is effectively treated with medication

Minor depression, an underdiagnosed and undertreated subset of major depressive disorder that affects upwards of 15 million Americans, can be effectively treated with a drug called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)

5 Oct 2004

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Long-term medication and counseling helps smokers quit

Electroconvulsive therapy improves quality of life in patients with major depression

New evidence to explain why mental function becomes less efficient with ageing

Why some anesthesiologists end up abusing drugs

Calorie restriction prevents certain aging-related changes in the brain

Exercise protects brain cells affected by Parkinson's

Human primitive spinal cord cells may delay symptoms and paralysis associated with Lou Gehrig's disease

New Yorkers' use of mental health services rose only slightly after 9//11

Atypical antipsychotics commonly used to treat children with aggression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia may trigger insulin resistance

Highly sensitive receptors in the brain may function differently in a person with a family history of alcoholism

Adults who were abused or neglected as children tend to visit doctors more often

Awareness helps primary doctors prevent patients' suicide

Researchers have found two areas of the brain that appear to compete for control over behavior

We are at the very beginning of 'gene finding' for alcohol response

Researchers report the first physiologic evidence of the role of laughter during psychotherapy

Study shows how people with severe and persistent mental illnesses live their everyday lives

Anti-epilepsy drug sodium valproate is associated with developmental delay and lower IQ

Survey on treatment for schizophrenia sheds new light on what people with schizophrenia feel is important for long-term quality care

Adults with mental disorders have higher odds of being diagnosed with brain tumors and lung cancer

Minor depression is effectively treated with medication

Exploring the intersection of biology and proteomics

Unlocking the Secrets of Multiple Sclerosis Progression: Brain-Immune Cell Communication

Passing on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Health risks for male offspring of women with PCOS

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