Psychiatry News and Research

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

Circadian clock gene also plays pivotal role in drug addiction

The gene that regulates the body's main biological clocks also may play a pivotal role in drug addiction, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

13 Jun 2005

Variations in genetic code affect social behavior

Why are some people shy while others are outgoing? A study in the current issue of Science demonstrates for the first time that social behavior may be shaped by differences in the length of seemingly non-functional DNA, sometimes referred to as junk DNA.

9 Jun 2005

Study is the first to identify involvement of chromosome 21 in developmental regression autism

A new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study links regions of two chromosomes to susceptibility for a type of autism characterized by regression in development. Developmental regression can include the loss of previously acquired language, social skills or both.

8 Jun 2005

Mental health problems in teens go untreated for decades

Researchers in the U.S. say many mental disorders afflicting millions of Americans are often evident in adolescence but usually go untreated for years.

7 Jun 2005

New dopamine transporter gene findings may be relevant for substance abuse, tobacco smoking, and ADHD

Confirming findings in a previous study, Yale researchers observed an altered availability of the dopamine transporter in healthy persons with a genetic variation linked to substance abuse and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

6 Jun 2005

Electroconvulsive therapy not damaging to memory -- early results

Severely depressed elderly Victorians are benefiting from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) -- and, contrary to popular belief, the treatment is not damaging their memories, a Monash University study has found.

6 Jun 2005

Current high school start times deprive adolescents of sleep

Current high school start times deprive adolescents of sleep and force students to perform academically in the early morning, a time of day when they are at their worst, according to a study in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics.

6 Jun 2005

Loneliness and hopelessness increase risk of self-harm among older people

The aims of this study, published in the June issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, were to determine clinical factors that might help to identify those older adults with depression who are most at risk of self-harm and suicide.

2 Jun 2005

Psychiatric casualties from Iraq war - majority due to adjustment difficulties rather than combat stress

In the Iraq war, psychiatric illness among troops took the form mainly of adjustment reactions, rather than combat stress reactions, a new study has found. These adjustment reactions may have been exacerbated by heightened fear associated with non-conventional warfare.

2 Jun 2005

Life events lead to more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder than traumatic events

Life events (e.g. divorce, unemployment) can generate more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than traumatic events (e.g. a road accident, war), according to a new study.

2 Jun 2005

War is not necessarily bad for psychological health

The study, published in the June issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, was a brief longitudinal mental health screen of members of the UK's Air Assault Brigade before and after deployment in Iraq during 2004.

2 Jun 2005

Depression is more common than post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among UK ex-service personnel

The war in Iraq has heightened recognition that active military service can have an adverse effect on the mental health of some military service personnel. Despite this, little is known about the psychological health or treatment experiences of those who have left the British armed forces.

2 Jun 2005

New research shows that threatened drug treatments slow damage to the brain caused by dementia

New research suggests that currently available anti dementia drugs not only alleviate the symptoms, but also reduce the destructive processes that kill brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease.

2 Jun 2005

Homicide-suicide among the elderly an emerging public health concern

A study by University of South Florida researcher Donna Cohen and Julie Malphurs of the Miami Veteran’s Administration Health Care System recently published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry shows homicide-suicide among the elderly to be "an emerging public health concern."

1 Jun 2005

Child's social environment may have only a modest effect on whether very young children become depressed

"Our study found that even dysfunctional family relationships and poor communication styles have a limited impact on the observed mental health of a child," Professor Jake Najman said.

1 Jun 2005

Tobacco companies designed cigarettes "to addict women"

A new analysis of tobacco industry documents provides evidence that cigarette companies intentionally modified their products to promote female smoking by emphasizing attributes they knew would appeal to women - stylishness and taste, as well as perceived health benefits.

1 Jun 2005

'Complicated Grief' far worse than depression and doctors want it recognised

Doctors in the U.S. are hoping that a condition they refer to as 'Complicated Grief' which goes far beyond depression, will soon be recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.

1 Jun 2005

Schizophrenia is more common in developed countries than poorer nations

The report debunks a popular textbook definition that schizophrenia will affect 10 in every 1000 people no matter where patients live. It says this rate is too high and more likely, between seven and eight in 1000 people, although this varied between sites.

31 May 2005

New finding in studying dopamine transporter

30 May 2005

Significant association between depression severity and poor glycemic control (PGC) among Hispanics

In a study of more than 200 Hispanics with diabetes, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and College of Physicians and Surgeons found a significant association between depression severity and poor glycemic control (PGC).

26 May 2005

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Circadian clock gene also plays pivotal role in drug addiction

Variations in genetic code affect social behavior

Study is the first to identify involvement of chromosome 21 in developmental regression autism

Mental health problems in teens go untreated for decades

New dopamine transporter gene findings may be relevant for substance abuse, tobacco smoking, and ADHD

Electroconvulsive therapy not damaging to memory -- early results

Current high school start times deprive adolescents of sleep

Loneliness and hopelessness increase risk of self-harm among older people

Psychiatric casualties from Iraq war - majority due to adjustment difficulties rather than combat stress

Life events lead to more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder than traumatic events

War is not necessarily bad for psychological health

Depression is more common than post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among UK ex-service personnel

New research shows that threatened drug treatments slow damage to the brain caused by dementia

Homicide-suicide among the elderly an emerging public health concern

Child's social environment may have only a modest effect on whether very young children become depressed

Tobacco companies designed cigarettes "to addict women"

'Complicated Grief' far worse than depression and doctors want it recognised

Schizophrenia is more common in developed countries than poorer nations

New finding in studying dopamine transporter

Significant association between depression severity and poor glycemic control (PGC) among Hispanics

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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