Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Viewpoints: Protecting home health workers; Minn. plans cuts in health safety net

President Obama is proposing an adjustment to laws governing working conditions for approximately 2 million workers whose job is helping elderly and disabled people with such basic tasks as eating, caring for their wounds and doing physical therapy. Under the Obama proposal, these workers would have to be paid at least a minimum wage and overtime, bringing them under the aegis of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Some Republicans are opposed to the measure, complaining that it will be expensive and may hurt the people it is intended to help.

6 Jan 2012

Oxytocin can make rhesus macaques pay more attention to each other

Oxytocin, the "love hormone" that builds mother-baby bonds and may help us feel more connected toward one another, can also make surly monkeys treat each other a little more kindly.

6 Jan 2012

FSU, First Signs and Autism Speaks introduce new treatment section of Video Glossary

Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, together with First Signs, a leader in educating parents and professionals about the early signs of autism and related disorders, and Florida State University's Autism Institute today announced the launch of a new treatment section of its acclaimed online Autism Video Glossary, giving parents an important new tool as they work to determine the best treatment options for their child.

6 Jan 2012

Low levels of vitamin D may increase risk of depression

Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to depression, according to UT Southwestern Medical Center psychiatrists working with the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study. It is believed to be the largest such investigation ever undertaken.

5 Jan 2012

Postpartum Support International unveils new Spanish language educational DVD

Postpartum Support International Unveils New Spanish Language Educational DVD "MADRE SALUDABLE, FAMILIA FELIZ" Offered to Hospitals & Healthcare Agencies Nationwide As Part of Clinical Training & Education Program Helping Alleviate the #1 Complication of Child Birth: Untreated Depression

5 Jan 2012

Repeated episodes of depression contribute to inflammation

An important ongoing debate in the field of psychiatry is whether inflammation in the body is a consequence of or contributor to major depression. A new study in Biological Psychiatry has attempted to resolve the issue.

5 Jan 2012

Survey to help assess pediatric emergency readiness of hospital EDs

Marianne Gausche-Hill, M.D., and Kate Remick, M.D. - lead investigators at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) - are spearheading a statewide, web-based survey scheduled to roll out Jan. 6, 2012 that will help assess the pediatric emergency readiness of hospital emergency departments.

5 Jan 2012

Industry report finds nursing homes losing money as states cut Medicaid

Also, California officials prepare to appeal federal court decision striking down cuts to some providers, and Wisconsin announces that its shortfall is less than expected.

5 Jan 2012

Daily doses of S-equol reduce hot flashes in postmenopausal women

Daily doses of a soy germ-based nutritional supplement containing S-equol significantly improved menopausal symptoms, including significantly reducing hot flash frequency after 12 weeks according to a placebo-controlled study in postmenopausal Japanese women published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Women's Health.

5 Jan 2012

RGS9-2 gene plays a role in regulating body weight

Abraham Kovoor was studying a brain protein, called RGS9 2, that he had previously related to the involuntary, random and repetitive body movements that are side effects of drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

5 Jan 2012

Positive results from Alkermes ALKS 5461 phase 1/2 study on MDD

Alkermes plc today announced positive topline results from a phase 1/2 study of ALKS 5461, a novel drug compound for major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients who have an inadequate response to standard therapies for clinical depression.

5 Jan 2012

RNF123 gene may play a role in major depression

Psychiatric disorders can be described on many levels, the most traditional of which are subjective descriptions of the experience of being depressed and the use of rating scales that quantify depressive symptoms. Over the past two decades, research has developed other strategies for describing the biological underpinnings of depression, including volumetric brain measurements using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the patterns of gene expression in white blood cells.

4 Jan 2012

First Edition: January 4, 2012

In today's headlines, Romney wins a historically close contest in Iowa caucuses and Wall Street Journal readers favor televising the Supreme Court arguments regarding the health law.

4 Jan 2012

Emerging forms of torture cause serious mental health problems

Use of torture around the world has not diminished but the techniques used have grown more complex and sophisticated, according to new research from Queen Mary, University of London.

4 Jan 2012

Chronic missed naps could put toddlers at risk for mood-related problems

A new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder could be a wake-up call for parents of toddlers: Daytime naps for your kids may be more important than you think.

4 Jan 2012

Amyloid precursor protein fragment may be a biomarker for autism

Immune system abnormalities that mimic those seen with autism spectrum disorders have been linked to the amyloid precursor protein (APP), reports a research team from the University of South Florida's Department of Psychiatry and the Silver Child Development Center.

4 Jan 2012

Adolescent children of lesbian mothers report good quality of life

Adolescent children of lesbian mothers report as good quality of life as those with heterosexual parents, reports a study in the January Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

4 Jan 2012

MRC-funded study to explore pancreatic cancer

A promising line of attack against pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer is to be explored further at Cardiff University, thanks to substantial new funding from the Medical Research Council.

4 Jan 2012

Low T Center for testosterone replacement therapy opens new clinic in Denver

Low T Center is opening a new clinic at 12213 North Pecos, Westminster, Co., a suburb of Denver on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. This men's oriented clinic will provide testosterone replacement therapy in the form of testosterone injections for men around the ages of 40-60 years old.

4 Jan 2012

Vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in blood could stave off dementia: Study

A new study has shown that higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E are associated with better mental functioning in the elderly.

3 Jan 2012