Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Same sex marriage legalization improves health, reduces stress among gay men: Study

According to US researchers legalizing same-sex marriage may create a healthier environment for gay men. The number of visits by gay men to health clinics dropped significantly after same-sex unions were allowed in the state Massachusetts. This was regardless of whether the men were in a stable relationship, reported the American Journal of Public Health.

19 Dec 2011

Alkermes commences ALKS 9070 phase 3 clinical trial for schizophrenia

Alkermes plc today announced the initiation of a phase 3 clinical trial of ALKS 9070 for the treatment of schizophrenia. ALKS 9070, a proprietary Alkermes molecule, is designed to provide patients with once-monthly dosing of a medication that, once in the body, converts into aripiprazole, a molecule that is commercially available under the name ABILIFY for the treatment of a number of central nervous system disorders.

19 Dec 2011

Problem behaviors may increase risk of suicide in children

Children who show early signs of problem behavior are more likely to have thought of killing or harming themselves, suggests new research in the latest issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

17 Dec 2011

First reliable method to predict whether SSRIs work on depressed patients

Loyola University Medical Center researchers are reporting what could become the first reliable method to predict whether an antidepressant will work on a depressed patient.

16 Dec 2011

Ten resolutions for healthy aging

Successful aging means more than good health. It means taking charge of your personal wellbeing so that you can continue to live a vibrant, independent life, regardless of your age, according to Dr. Terri Ginsberg of the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine.

16 Dec 2011

State roundup: Florida awaits Medicaid waiver news

Now, nurses regularly do everything from give insulin shots to empty urinary catheter bags. At the same time, state budget cuts mean the number of school nurses in California is shrinking. As a result, nurses say, they are responsible for more students every year and are largely consumed with keeping "medically fragile" children in class.

16 Dec 2011

Major metropolitan areas show variation in rates of drug-related ED visits

Major metropolitan areas show significant variation in the rates of emergency department (ED) visits involving illicit drugs.

16 Dec 2011

Almost two-thirds of pregnant women in B.C. consume prescription drugs

Almost two-thirds of women in British Columbia filled at least one prescription at some point in their pregnancy, including drugs with potential risks, according to a new study by University of British Columbia researchers.

16 Dec 2011

Widowers should find new partner to avoid risk of poor mental health

Men who have lost their partner to cancer and who are still single four to five years after their loss run a far greater risk of developing mental illness than those who have managed to find a new partner, reveals a unique study of 691 Swedish widowers carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy.

15 Dec 2011

MTF survey shows large decline in teen smoking

Cigarette and alcohol use by eighth, 10th and 12th-graders are at their lowest point since the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey began polling teenagers in 1975, according to this year's survey results. However, this positive news is tempered by a slowing rate of decline in teen smoking as well as continued high rates of abuse of other tobacco products, marijuana and prescription drugs.

15 Dec 2011

Five tips to identify unstable individuals during holidays

While it is true that the suicide rate at the holidays is actually lower than at other times of the year, the holidays can be a very lonely time for those with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. As a result, the hospital emergency department sees an increase in visits from people who have engaged in potentially self-destructive or depressive behavior.

15 Dec 2011

Peacekeepers, relief workers do not show same mental health effects as combat veterans

Despite similar traumatic exposures, peacekeepers and relief workers don't show the same mental health effects as combat veterans, reports a study in the December Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

15 Dec 2011

Small genetic changes may increase risk of schizophrenia

Carrying single DNA letter changes from two different genes together may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia, Johns Hopkins researchers reported in the November 16 issue of Neuron.

15 Dec 2011

Alcohol intake linked to unsafe sex

It is known that unprotected sexual intercourse is the most common cause of HIV infection and finding ways to prevent unsafe sex is a major goal of public health efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS. It has not been clear whether unsafe sex associated with alcohol use actually led to HIV infection, or whether certain personality traits, such as sensation-seeking or risky behavior, led to both alcohol use and unsafe sex.

14 Dec 2011

Mothers of very low birth-weight infants suffer worse health

Babies born at very low birth weights struggle in their early years and a new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers suggests that their mothers do, too.

14 Dec 2011

TJU receives SAMHSA grant for suicide prevention project

Through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that was given to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University was awarded a subcontract, averaging about $70,000 per year for three years, to serve as the training center for a suicide prevention project. Pennsylvania is one of 42 states to receive a portion of grant awards funded under the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act.

14 Dec 2011

Calif. revamping mental health services

California has begun transitioning its mental health services program to concentrate care on the most serious patients residing in state mental hospitals and prisons, but the cost-cutting move is raising concerns about patient care from state workers. The state announced last week it will hand off more responsibility for public mental health programs to counties as part of Gov. Jerry Brown's ongoing push to move services to California's local governments.

14 Dec 2011

GW scientist to identify molecular mechanisms that define embryonic OE stem cells

Anthony-Samuel LaMantia, PhD, professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Director of the GW Institute for Neuroscience in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences has been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health to identify molecular mechanisms that define embryonic olfactory epithelium (OE) stem cells.

14 Dec 2011

Study reveals key role of melatonin receptor in sleep regulation

A team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University has made a major breakthrough by unraveling the inner workings of melatonin, also known as the "sleep hormone."

14 Dec 2011

Study to evaluate effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for BDD

Rhode Island Hospital has received a grant for more than $1.5 million from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for a 5-year study on treatment for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). Led by Katharine A. Phillips, M.D., director of the BDD Program at Rhode Island Hospital and an internationally known expert in BDD, the study will examine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy versus supportive psychotherapy for the treatment of people with BDD.

14 Dec 2011