Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

State highlights: Mass. facing cost decisions; Ore. boosting coordinated care; Lawyers tackling Calif. disparities

After passing universal coverage, Massachusetts is now in the throes of a debate about how to bring down its skyrocketing health care costs. And the state's new proposal to regulate how much providers charge for health care could mark a very important and controversial chapter in that fight.

11 Nov 2011

Ga., Texas expand mental health services but advocates say more is needed

Georgia has opened new facilities for the mentally ill under an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department. Meanwhile, Texas increased mental health spending by 4.3 percent in the past 3 years, but critics say that spending is not keeping pace with the growing uninsured population.

11 Nov 2011

Delirium may increase risk of death in elderly hospital patients

Hospital patients over 65 who are referred for a psychiatric consultation and found to have delirium are more likely than those without delirium to die within one year following diagnosis, according to a new study published in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.

11 Nov 2011

NAMI report: States cut mental health budgets just as demand goes up

Modest increases in some states' mental health budgets have done little to erase massive cuts nationwide over the past three years and a reduction in Medicaid funds, according to a report to be released Thursday by the nation's largest mental health advocacy group. All told, the Washington-based National Alliance on Mental Illness found, 28 states and the District of Columbia have cut nearly $1.7 billion from their mental health budgets since the 2009 fiscal year.

11 Nov 2011

Conference highlights advances in evidence-based integrative therapies for cancer

Today the Society for Integrative Oncology highlighted top research findings presented at the Eighth International Conference this week in Cleveland, Ohio. More than 80 abstracts will be presented at the annual meeting, which will be keynoted by National Institutes of Health Director, Francis Collins, MD, PhD.

11 Nov 2011

TF-CBTWeb training program for mental health professionals

Over the past six years, more than 100,000 mental health professionals - an average of nearly 1,400 per month - have registered for a free online training program that teaches an innovative therapy to help children recover from post-traumatic stress caused by abuse, violence or natural disaster.

11 Nov 2011

SAMHSA: Drug-related intentional poisonings result in 14,720 ED visits during 2009

Intentional poisoning refers to attempts to physically harm someone or render that person defenseless against crimes by deliberately getting them to ingest, inhale or in some other way take in a potentially harmful substance without their knowledge.

11 Nov 2011

Researchers identify how to design drugs to target specific brain areas

The future of drug design lies in developing therapies that can target specific cellular processes without causing adverse reactions in other areas of the nervous system. Scientists at the Universities of Bristol and Li-ge in Belgium have discovered how to design drugs to target specific areas of the brain.

11 Nov 2011

Psychotherapy technique can help reduce dementia caregivers' stress

Family caregivers of people with dementia experience more burden and are at greater risk of developing depression than caregivers of people with a chronic illness. A new evidence review from the Netherlands finds that a psychotherapy technique called cognitive reframing can help reduce caregivers' stress when they are caring for loved ones with dementia.

11 Nov 2011

State roundup: Storms' huge impact on health care; Brooklyn's hospital quest; Calif. election results

Only a few private hospitals have survived in neighborhoods like Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville and Bushwick to serve poor patients like them. Now all are in such dire financial shape that a small group of veteran health care planners appointed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is debating last-ditch measures to save them.

10 Nov 2011

A woman’s brain can get damaged faster with alcohol abuse: Study

A latest study has shown that female alcoholics suffer damage to the part of their brain that controls moods, impulses and sleep three times faster than their male counterparts.

10 Nov 2011

Jonas Center establishes nursing scholars program for veterans health

In recognition of the dedication and sacrifice of the nation's veterans, the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence has established the Jonas Nursing Scholars Program for Veterans Health.

10 Nov 2011

MA State Legislature, Governor's Administration authorize Train Vets to Treat Vets program into law

The Massachusetts State Legislature and Governor's Administration recently authorized into law a "Train Vets to Treat Vets" program for the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP)—in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services—to establish a behavioral health career development program for returning veterans.

10 Nov 2011

'Social Norms and Alcohol Prevention' to address problem drinking in college students

Perceptions of peer drinking of alcohol may be the strongest predictor of excessive alcohol use among college students according to new research by Clayton Neighbors, a professor and director of the social psychology program in the department of psychology at the University of Houston.

10 Nov 2011

Positive results from Alkermes VIVITROL addiction study

Alkermes plc today presented positive results from a long-term study of VIVITROL (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) at the 24th Annual U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in Las Vegas, NV.

10 Nov 2011

Clinical diagnoses of autism may vary widely across centers

To diagnose autism spectrum disorders, clinicians typically administer a variety of tests or scales and use information from observations and parent interviews to classify individuals into subcategories listed in standard psychiatric diagnostic manuals.

10 Nov 2011