Psychiatry News and Research

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

Does treatment setting influence suicide rates for substance abusers

Reported rates of suicide attempts by individuals with substance-use disorders (SUDs) range from three percent in the previous 30 days to lifetime rates of 45 percent.

26 Sep 2005

Smaller prefrontal cortex is associated with early-onset drinking

Previous research has shown that alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) are associated with abnormalities of the prefrontal cortex, thalamus and the cerebellar hemispheres in adults.

26 Sep 2005

Effects of 10 commonly prescribed second-generation antidepressants studied

Because clinical depression is so disabling and affects more than 16 percent of adults in the United States at some time in their lives, researchers have worked hard to develop more effective treatments. But how much better are the newer pharmaceuticals?

21 Sep 2005

New study details side effects of five medications that are currently used to treat people with schizophrenia

A large study funded by NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) provides, for the first time, detailed information comparing the effectiveness and side effects of five medications - both new and older medications - that are currently used to treat people with schizophrenia.

21 Sep 2005

Students might actually overestimate rather than underestimate their levels of drinking

Numerous studies have shown that misuse of alcohol by college students in the U.S. is a pervasive problem. Most of what is known about consumption levels is based on self-report survey data, which assumes that students are aware of and can accurately calculate how much alcohol they consume.

20 Sep 2005

Green tea may protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) have found that green tea may offer another potential health benefit - protecting the brain against the ravages of Alzheimer's disease.

20 Sep 2005

Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy is helpful to many people with bipolar disorder

A treatment program that stresses maintaining a regular schedule of daily activities and stability in personal relationships is an effective therapy for bipolar disorder, report University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers in September's Archives of General Psychiatry.

12 Sep 2005

Two common weight loss supplements promoted as ephedra-free and safe for dieters caused increased heart rate among healthy people

...and could have harmful health effects in some people, according to a study by University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) scientists. Their placebo-controlled clinical study is the first to examine the pharmacological effects of these re-formulated dietary supplements.

10 Sep 2005

Anorexia may be caused by change in brain chemical

A new study has found that women who have had a certain type of anorexia nervosa show a change in the activity of a chemical in their brain that is widely associated with anxiety and other affective disorders, for as long as one year after recovery.

7 Sep 2005

Enrollment at U.S. medical schools has changed very little over the last 10 years

The authors found that the number of medical students in 1994-1995 and in 2004-2005 remained constant, at about 67,000. The number of full-time faculty members increased from 90,016 in 1994-1995 to 119,025 in 2004-2005 (a 32 percent increase).

7 Sep 2005

Long hours equal to alcohol in impairing young doctors

Fatigued medical residents' performance on attention tests and on a driving simulator is comparable - or worse - than their performance after drinking three to four cocktails, according to research from Brown Medical School and University of Michigan.

6 Sep 2005

Anorexia nervosa linked with alteration of the activity of serotonin in their brain

Women who have had a certain type of anorexia nervosa show an alteration of the activity of a chemical in their brain that is widely associated with anxiety and other affective disorders more than one year after recovery, according to a study in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

6 Sep 2005

Depression improved during telephone therapy in multiple sclerosis patients

Patients with multiple sclerosis showed significant improvement in their depression during 16 weeks of telephone-administered psychotherapy treatment, according to an article in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Sep 2005

Contraceptive pill controls severe premenstrual disorder

According to a new study, a low dose oral contraceptive works as a treatment for the most severe form of premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

1 Sep 2005

Therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs are resurfacing

It was the drug of choice on university campuses, the drug that spawned psychedelic culture as well as countless jail sentences and fines, but LSD actually has respectable roots--roots that a McMaster University researcher is uncovering.

31 Aug 2005

Study results counters the popular belief that nicotine exposure curbs appetite

A new study by Yale researchers shows that prior nicotine exposure in mice can increase their motivation to respond work for food, weeks after their last exposure to nicotine, a finding that runs counter to the popular belief that nicotine exposure curbs appetite.

31 Aug 2005

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy for treatment-resistant depression proves effective for some patients

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy, a treatment recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment-resistant depression, produced a positive response in more than 25 percent of patients in a national, yearlong study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center psychiatrists

31 Aug 2005

Low dose oral contraceptive effective in controlling premenstrual disorder

A new study led by researchers at Yale School of Medicine shows for the first time that a low dose oral contraceptive with a unique progestin and dosing regimen is effective in treating symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), the most severe form of premenstrual syndrome.

31 Aug 2005

Unique Internet test to test genetic disposition to depression

The team, based at the Neuroscience and Psychiatry Unit (NPU), in the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, has set up a website (www.newmood.co.uk) where would-be volunteers can see how prone they may be to depression by identifying the emotions on people's faces and taking a gambling test.

From The University of Manchester 30 Aug 2005

Daydreaming linked to Alzheimer's disease

According to new research, Alzheimer's disease may be due to abnormalities in the regions of the brain that operate the "default state", a term used to describe the cognitive state people defer to when musing, daydreaming, or thinking to themselves.

30 Aug 2005