Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Women with recurrent miscarriages can have successful pregnancy with supportive care

For women who have multiple miscarriages, the pain of repeated loss is often compounded by another reality. The causes behind miscarriage are complex and often difficult to identify, and even those conditions and associations proposed as causes are poorly understood.

28 May 2010

Patterns consolidate features of older theories, may help diagnosis of psychiatric disorders

In a study appearing in the journal PLoS ONE, Massachusetts General Hospital scientists describe finding mathematical patterns underlying the way individuals unconsciously distribute their preferences regarding approaching or avoiding objects in their environment.

27 May 2010

State round up: Texas approves higher co-pays for retirees, California's next elected insurance commissioner to play critical health care role

The Illinois "House voted 71-44 to borrow up to $4 billion to cover next year's payments to the five state-funded pension systems." Lawmakers also rejected a proposal to have "retired state employees paying premiums for their health-care coverage. Rep. Karen May, D-Highland Park, said the state could save $100 million a year by having retirees pay premiums, noting that 92 percent of them pay nothing now."

27 May 2010

BMI in overweight range not a higher risk for health problems

A study examining the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and illness suggests that a BMI of 30 or above, a signal of obesity according to federal health standards, does not translate into current illness among adults under age 40.

26 May 2010

Study finds disagreement between RA patients and doctors on assessment of disease severity

A novel study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that nearly one-third of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients differed from their physicians in assessment of their disease severity. The disagreement between patient and doctor evaluation of RA activity was most prevalent in patients with depressive symptoms, and those who had poor overall function.

26 May 2010

Study demonstrates efficacy of CONCERTA in treating ADHD in presence of comorbid learning disability

Turning in assignments, following instructions and focusing on learning something new are among the daily classroom challenges for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). New data presented today show efficacy of CONCERTA® (OROS® methylphenidate HCl Extended-Release Tablets CII) on ADHD symptoms in children with the condition who also may face other specific challenges.

26 May 2010

UCSF scientists discover new stem cell in developing human brain

UCSF scientists have discovered a new stem cell in the developing human brain. The cell produces nerve cells that help form the neocortex - the site of higher cognitive function -- and likely accounts for the dramatic expansion of the region in the lineages that lead to man, the researchers say.

26 May 2010

SAMHSA awards Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants to four organizations

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced the award of four Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants totaling $100,000 to the organizations below. The grant awards will support conferences that highlight the latest evidence-based prevention strategies, practices, and polices. The conferences are designed to help integrate what is known about prevention into real-world community-based practice.

26 May 2010

Consequences of secrecy in medicine

No one knows how many mothers' and babies' lives have been saved by the obstetrical forceps. This device has been part of the standard equipment of every maternity room for about 250 years. However, a shadow lies over the success story: after the Chamberlen brothers developed the device at the beginning of the 17th century, the brothers and their descendants used it for 3 generations, but kept it a secret from other obstetricians.

26 May 2010

Medication for mood disorders common among youth: Study

Living with a mental illness can be a tough experience for adults, but with the increasing numbers of youth diagnosed and taking medications for mood disorders, it can become a time of isolation, according to a study from Case Western Reserve University Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

26 May 2010

Researchers use CASL MRI technique to map cerebral blood flow patterns in schizophrenic patients

Researchers in Germany have used a magnetic resonance imaging technique called continuous arterial spin labeling to map cerebral blood flow patterns in schizophrenic patients quickly and without using radiation or contrast agents. Their findings appear in the online edition and July printed issue of the journal Radiology.

26 May 2010

State Roundup: Oklahoma, S.C. and Ill. facing tough choices on health costs

States around the country are debating how to deal with health costs and tight budgets.

26 May 2010

Federal law to expand coverage to kids is off to slow start

USA Today: "A federal law that President Obama signed early last year to expand health insurance to 4 million more low-income children has gotten off to a slow start because of budget problems in the states. The law makes more than $10 billion in federal aid available each year through 2013 but requires state funds as well."

25 May 2010

Round-up: Mississippi struggles with mental health services funding cuts; A drug discount bill advances in Mass.

"Lawmakers earlier this year vigorously fought Gov. Haley Barbour's proposal to close four state mental health hospitals and six crisis centers as a budget-saving measure. Now, nonprofit-run centers that offer front-line services for the mentally ill in some of the poorest communities across Mississippi could face closure."

25 May 2010

Combination therapy improves patients with depression symptoms: Study

New data presented today at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting suggests a benefit to combining L-methylfolate, a prescription medical food called Deplin, with an antidepressant at the start of treatment. This retrospective analysis showed a significantly greater improvement in depression symptoms in a shorter period of time, when patients with Major Depressive Disorder were started on combination therapy.

25 May 2010

Traumatic brain injuries may disrupt sleep patterns, says study

People with brain injuries may produce low amounts of melatonin, which affects their sleep, according to a study published in the May 25, 2010, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 May 2010

Obesity is a risk factor for depressive symptoms

Researchers, led by Kerri Boutelle, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that obesity is a risk factor for depressive symptoms, but not for clinical depression, suggesting that weight status could play a part in the development of depression in some adolescent girls.

25 May 2010

A unique multi-modal atlas of human brain

The Allen Institute for Brain Science announced today that it has launched the Allen Human Brain Atlas, a publicly available online atlas charting genes at work throughout the human brain.

25 May 2010

Advances in health IT

The New York Times: A "broad transformation in health care underway" is "fueled in good part by technology" that "promises to shift a lot of the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease from hospitals and specialized clinics, where treatment is expensive, to primary care physicians and patients themselves — at far less cost."

25 May 2010

Today's OpEds: Taxing health plans, a health care 'loophole,' NY Times on medical loss ratio

Few Americans know what a "medical loss ratio" is, but a fierce struggle over how to calculate it under the new health care reform law will determine how much insurers must spend on patient care and how much they can retain for administration and profits. This is but one of many battles that will emerge as federal and state regulators develop regulations to implement reform (5/23).

24 May 2010

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Women with recurrent miscarriages can have successful pregnancy with supportive care

Patterns consolidate features of older theories, may help diagnosis of psychiatric disorders

State round up: Texas approves higher co-pays for retirees, California's next elected insurance commissioner to play critical health care role

BMI in overweight range not a higher risk for health problems

Study finds disagreement between RA patients and doctors on assessment of disease severity

Study demonstrates efficacy of CONCERTA in treating ADHD in presence of comorbid learning disability

UCSF scientists discover new stem cell in developing human brain

SAMHSA awards Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants to four organizations

Consequences of secrecy in medicine

Medication for mood disorders common among youth: Study

Researchers use CASL MRI technique to map cerebral blood flow patterns in schizophrenic patients

State Roundup: Oklahoma, S.C. and Ill. facing tough choices on health costs

Federal law to expand coverage to kids is off to slow start

Round-up: Mississippi struggles with mental health services funding cuts; A drug discount bill advances in Mass.

Combination therapy improves patients with depression symptoms: Study

Traumatic brain injuries may disrupt sleep patterns, says study

Obesity is a risk factor for depressive symptoms

A unique multi-modal atlas of human brain

Advances in health IT

Today's OpEds: Taxing health plans, a health care 'loophole,' NY Times on medical loss ratio

Unlocking live single-cell functional insights

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Unlocking live single-cell functional insights

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Newsletters you may be interested in