Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Generic drugs to rule the market in the near future: Experts

According to the latest estimates for global drug sales, generic drug makers are going to be in for bumper profits. The growth in generics is expected to depress overall ‘pharma’ sales growth, as lower-priced copies replace top-dollar brand names. In fact, global sales growth could be reduced by half over the next five years, say experts.

19 May 2011

Yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue for women with breast cancer

For women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy, yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

19 May 2011

State roundup: Med schools in Texas face budget crunch

Patients would have access to detailed histories of Illinois doctors — including whether the physician has been fired, convicted of a crime or made a medical malpractice payment in the past five years — under legislation headed to the governor's desk.

19 May 2011

New interactive website for patients with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia24x7.com is a new, interactive website featuring helpful resources, information and interactive tools for people affected by schizophrenia.

18 May 2011

Study: MMN might predict risk of developing schizophrenia

There is a significant need for objective tests that could improve clinical prediction of future psychosis. One strategy has been to determine whether physiologic measures that are abnormal in people diagnosed with schizophrenia might also be useful in estimating the risk for developing this illness. This is the strategy taken by German and Swiss researchers in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry.

18 May 2011

Gut bacteria influences brain chemistry and behaviour: Research

For the first time, researchers at McMaster University have conclusive evidence that bacteria residing in the gut influence brain chemistry and behaviour.

18 May 2011

Treatment of chronic low back pain can reverse abnormal brain activity and function

It likely comes as no surprise that low back pain is the most common form of chronic pain among adults. Lesser known is the fact that those withchronic pain also experience cognitive impairments and reduced gray matter in parts of the brain associated with pain processing and the emotional components of pain, like depression and anxiety.

18 May 2011

Tips to get better sleep

Your life is already tense — teens rebelling, house under renovation, work life in overload, bills piling up, elderly parents declining — yet the demands requiring your attention and time continue to grow, overflowing into sleep-time territory. Oftentimes, mass marketing's solutions to women's challenging lifestyles focus on quick fixes and more consumer goods.

18 May 2011

State roundup: Gov. Brown offers revisions to health budget

A new state department would be formed to manage California's violence-plagued mental hospitals under a proposal in the governor's Monday budget revision. The push to create a Department of State Hospitals — and eventually do away with the Department of Mental Health, which now oversees the facilities — comes as lawmakers and employee unions press for changes to address increasing patient assaults on fellow patients and staff.

18 May 2011

Anxiety and depression linked to risky driving behaviour in young adolescents

Young drivers who experience anxiety and depression are more likely to take risks on the road, according to a new study by Queensland University of Technology.

18 May 2011

Anavex comments on new Alzheimer’s disease diagnostic guidelines

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. (“Anavex”) (OTCBB: AVXL) today commented on new diagnostic criteria and guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease published recently by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Alzheimer’s Association, which have been updated for the first time in more than 25 years. The new guidelines discuss the importance of new technologies, including brain imaging and biomarker analysis, in research and clinical diagnosis. They describe Alzheimer’s disease at a preclinical stage, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia due to Alzheimer’s pathology.

18 May 2011

First Edition: May 17, 2011

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with The Washington Post, Guy Gugliotta writes: "Minnesota state Rep. Steve Gottwalt, a three-term Republican with 10 years experience in the health care industry, is no fan of last year's health care law -- or its requirement that states set up insurance exchanges. But as chairman of the Health and Human Services Reform Committee, he decided he needed to weigh in on the exchange.

17 May 2011

Virtual reality offers returning soldiers 'psychotherapy by computer' to treat PTSD

For those soldiers worried about the stigma associated with seeing a therapist, virtual reality applications for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be the alternative to the traditional "talk therapy."

17 May 2011

Scientists identify 'de novo' genetic mutations in autism spectrum disorder children

Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) Department of Genome Sciences have identified several sporadic or "de novo" genetic mutations in children with autism spectrum disorder. The researchers applied leading edge molecular biology techniques and massively parallel sequencing to simultaneously examine all of the protein coding portions of the genome, collectively called the exome.

17 May 2011

HealthPartners prescribes walking or exercise for patients with depression

Giving pedometers to patients screened for depression, HealthPartners Medical Group (HPMG) is prescribing walking or exercise in addition to medication and/or therapy as an effective tool in helping patients with depression.

17 May 2011

Childhood physical abuse linked to elevated rates of chronic fatigue syndrome among women

Childhood physical abuse is associated with significantly elevated rates of functional somatic syndromes such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivities among women, according to new findings by University of Toronto researchers.

17 May 2011

State roundup: Calif. considers safety measures for mental hospitals

Nearly eight months after a Napa State Hospital patient strangled a psychiatric technician, lawmakers and employee groups are pushing proposals aimed at reversing a worsening safety trend at California's mental health facilities.

17 May 2011

Obese, asthmatic children more likely to experience excessive daytime sleepiness

Obese, asthmatic, anxious or depressed children are more likely to experience excessive daytime sleepiness, or EDS, according to Penn State College of Medicine sleep researchers.

17 May 2011

First Edition: May 16, 2011

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz reports: "Florida wants to be the first state in the nation to charge most of its Medicaid recipients a monthly premium as well as $100 for using the ER for routine care. But even supporters acknowledge that the new fees, passed recently by the state legislature as part of a sweeping Medicaid measure, face long odds getting federal approval".

16 May 2011

New study on role of psychotherapy in personality disorders

This study shows that cluster A psychopathology is not a contraindication to benefit from psychotherapy. This is especially true for more intensive forms like inpatient and day hospital treatment.

16 May 2011