Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Tips to protect physical health

Fifteen years ago, the non-profit Educational Television Network created Healthy Aging Month to focus attention on the positive aspects of getting older and to encourage people to learn how to increase longevity and avoid preventable declines in physical, mental and emotional health. Healthy aging is of particular interest as life expectancy in the United States continues to rise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2007 the life expectancy was 75.4 for men and 80.4 for women .

21 Sep 2010

VIVUS announces QNEXA study results for obesity treatment

VIVUS, Inc. today announced positive top-line results from a two-year study of QNEXA(phentermine/topiramate) Controlled Release Capsules, an investigational therapy for treatment of obesity, a condition that affects approximately one-third of adult Americans.

21 Sep 2010

Study says PTSD veterans suffer from more medical conditions

Is the US health system comprehensively meeting the needs of returning veterans? With the recent attention to mental illness in returning soldiers, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in particular, little research has focused on the medical care needs of those returning from Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Dr. Susan Frayne, from the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University, and colleagues.

21 Sep 2010

Young victims of cyber bullying more likely to suffer from depression

Young victims of electronic or cyber bullying — which occurs online or by cell phone — are more likely to suffer from depression than their tormentors are, a new study finds.

21 Sep 2010

Voice disorders are not benign nuisances that go away

Two-thirds of Americans with voice problems don't seek medical care either because they don't know treatment is available or because they think the problem will just go away, according to a new study conducted at the Duke Voice Care Center.

21 Sep 2010

Haven Behavioral Hospital offers treatment programs for adults with psychiatric illnesses

Haven Behavioral Hospital of Eastern Pennsylvania announced today it is offering acute intensive, inpatient and partial day treatment programs for adults with major psychiatric illnesses. The hospital will operate within the downtown campus of St. Joseph Medical Center and will offer services for adults suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety disorders.

21 Sep 2010

Global action needed to address 'most significant health crisis of the 21st century'

A landmark report on the Global Economic Impact of Dementia finds that Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are exacting a massive toll on the global economy, with the problem set to accelerate in coming years. The World Alzheimer Report 2010 - issued on World Alzheimer's Day by Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) - provides the most current and comprehensive global picture of the economic and social costs of the illness.

21 Sep 2010

Arrayit installs microarray platform at NIH

Arrayit Corporation has completed installation and technical training of its proprietary microarray platform at the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, in Rockville, Maryland. In 2010, the NIH will invest more than $31.2 billion in medical research for the American people through 50,000 competitive grants to 325,000 researchers at 3,000 universities, hospitals, companies, medical schools and scientific institutions in the United States and around the world.

21 Sep 2010

Danya International unveils new website for autism spectrum disorders

Danya International, Inc. (Danya), a communications, research, and technology company, unveils the new AutismOnline.com Web site encompassing research-based products and resources for individuals of all ages with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The AutismOnline.com Web site was introduced during a launch event today at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

21 Sep 2010

NQF endorses 8 outcome measures for pulmonary, cardiovascular conditions and care provided in ICU

To improve healthcare quality and give patients and providers more information about the results of care, the National Quality Forum (NQF) has endorsed eight outcome measures for pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions and care provided in the intensive care unit (ICU). This is the first in a set of patient outcome measures NQF is reviewing.

20 Sep 2010

Medicare receives increased scrutiny regarding fraud, payment issues

USA Today: "Proposed regulations being unveiled today seek to crack down on Medicare and Medicaid fraud by subjecting operators of certain medical firms to fingerprinting and stopping payments when credible fraud allegations are made, documents show. The rules would give federal health officials key powers to identify fraud early and reduce the estimated $55 billion in improper payments made each year in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, said Peter Budetti, director of the new anti-fraud office at the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services" (Young, 9/20).

20 Sep 2010

Gene deletion may make you smarter: Study

A new study has shown that switching off a single gene in mice unlocks a part of their brain that is otherwise inactive, boosting learning and memory. Considering the fact that humans have a similar gene, this sparks hope for many especially those who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s.

20 Sep 2010

New findings in brain plasticity and development

Brain plasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganise neural pathways – will be discussed at a major symposium this week at the University of New South Wales (Friday 24 September).

19 Sep 2010

AMDAI launches 'Don't Surrender to AMD' public awareness campaign

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), which affects more than 10 million older Americans, continues to be the leading cause of vision loss in the United States. The global cost of the disease according to a recent report by AMD Alliance International (AMDAI) is estimated at $343 billion, underscoring the need for swift actions to raise awareness of prevention and treatment options.

18 Sep 2010

Diverse coalition urges California Governor to sign bill to provide health coverage for smoking cessation treatments

A large and unusually diverse of group of interests have come together to urge Governor Schwarzenegger to sign a key health related measure, Senate Bill 220 (Yee, D-San Francisco), which would provide health coverage of smoking cessation treatments and services.

18 Sep 2010

Study examines effects of AEDs on nicotine metabolite levels in smokers

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School researchers have determined that carbamazepine and oxycarbamazepine, medications commonly used to treat neurologic and psychiatric conditions, increase nicotine metabolism in smokers. As nicotine metabolism increases, cravings for nicotine return more quickly which could lead to more frequent cigarette consumption among individuals who also take these medications.

18 Sep 2010

Proposal by WHO to eliminate AIDS in South Africa is flawed, model shows

In 2008, Reuben Granich and his colleagues at the World Health Organization published a paper in the medical journal The Lancet that proposed a new strategy for combating HIV in South Africa, a country staggered by the virus, with as much as 18 percent of the population estimated to be infected.

18 Sep 2010

HHS Secretary Sebelius announces $130.8 million in grants to expand health professions workforce

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $130.8 million in grants to strengthen and expand the health professions workforce. Six areas are targeted: primary care workforce training, oral health workforce training, equipment to enhance training across the health professions, loan repayments for health professionals, health careers opportunity programs for disadvantaged students, and patient navigator outreach and chronic disease prevention in health disparity populations.

18 Sep 2010

Disabling RGS14 gene helps mice remember better

Deleting a certain gene in mice can make them smarter by unlocking a mysterious region of the brain considered to be relatively inflexible, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found.

18 Sep 2010

Investigators uncover new insights on adolescent fighting

UT Southwestern Medical Center investigators have uncovered new insights on adolescent fighting: what triggers it, and how to stem it. Varied real-life factors pile on daily to put teens on edge: destructive behaviors like drug abuse, drinking or high-risk sexual encounters; poverty; academic troubles; and even depression. Data analyzed by researchers at UT Southwestern suggests that when teens perceive support from their families and/or schools, it can help mitigate violence.

17 Sep 2010