Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

New study describes impact of chronic pain on black men

Black men with chronic pain related to an accident, injury, illness, surgery or other causes were more likely to experience depression, affective distress and disability than white men with chronic pain, according to a new study by the University of Michigan Health System.

16 Apr 2010

Working memory maintenance linked with synchronisation of neurons

A research project of the Neuroscience Center of the University of Helsinki sheds light on the neuronal mechanisms sustaining memory traces of visual stimuli in the human brain. The results show that the maintenance of working memory is associated with synchronisation of neurons, which facilitates communication between different parts of the brain. On the basis of interaction between the brain areas, it was even possible to predict the subject's individual working memory capacity.

15 Apr 2010

Medication and behaviour therapy help children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Medication and behavioural interventions help children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) better maintain attention and self control by normalising activity in the same brain systems, according to researchers at The University of Nottingham.

15 Apr 2010

Partners HealthCare offers $40 million to control health insurance costs in Massachusetts; Neb. Gov. signs new abortion law

Partners HealthCare, whose Boston teaching hospitals have been blamed for helping to drive up medical spending, is offering $40 million toward reducing double-digit health insurance rate increases for small businesses, part of a broader package that will be unveiled today by Senate President Therese Murray.

15 Apr 2010

Joint psychoanalytic treatment may benefit both mother and child

Even when a baby has been longed for, some mothers might have trouble bonding with their baby, who in turn may develop disturbed behaviour, such as crying, poor sleeping patterns and breast refusal.

15 Apr 2010

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals' Phase IIa clinical results of Serdaxin for MDD: Additional insights

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing potential best in class oncology and central nervous system (CNS) therapeutics, today offered additional commentary, clarifications and insights on yesterday's announcement of its Phase IIa clinical results of Serdaxin® in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).

15 Apr 2010

Study combines CT and VBM to provide accurate picture of autistic brain

A new study, the first of its kind, combines two complementary analytical brain imaging techniques, to provide a more comprehensive and accurate picture of the neuroanatomy of the autistic brain. The study, published in the April issue of neuroimaging journal Human Brain Mapping, was conducted by researchers at The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, McGill University and the Universit- de Montr-al.

15 Apr 2010

Study provides support for relationship between APOE4 gene and risk of Alzheimer's disease in Latinos

A brain-imaging study published today in the Archives of Neurology suggests that a major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease in the Anglo population is also a risk factor for the disease in Latinos.

15 Apr 2010

CWRU School of Medicine becomes OHIP's REC for Ohio

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine has received $7,942,500 million in federal stimulus funds from the Ohio Health Information Partnership (OHIP), the state designated entity for health information exchange development. The funding will position CWRU School of Medicine as a regional extension center (REC) which allows it to help 1,765 health care providers in Lorain, Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties advance the use of health information technology (HIT) in their practices.

15 Apr 2010

Fathers of sexually abused children suffer from anxiety, grief and depression, says study

The preliminary results of a Universit- de Montr-al study show that fathers of sexually abused children can suffer from anxiety, depression and grief. Such patriarchs are often overwhelmed by a desire for vengeance, yet little literature exists to help them deal with their pain.

15 Apr 2010

Loyola University internist advises patients to complete their living wills

On April 16, Americans are being urged to complete living wills and other types of "advance directives" in observance of National Health-care Decisions Day.

15 Apr 2010

ProCure Proton Therapy Center treats cancer patients with proton therapy technology

The world's first inclined beam treatment room is open and treating patients at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City. The third of four treatment rooms at the Oklahoma Center is treating a wide range of tumors with proton therapy, an important alternative to X-ray radiation in treating cancer.

15 Apr 2010

New iVAS inflatable vertebral augmentation system released for VCFs

Stryker's Interventional Spine business unit today announced the release of its iVAS inflatable vertebral augmentation system, a minimally invasive device cleared for use in treating vertebral compression fractures.

15 Apr 2010

Phase IIa clinical trial results of Serdaxin for treatment of MDD

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing potential best in class oncology and central nervous system therapeutics, today announced clinical results with its investigational new drug, Serdaxin®for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

15 Apr 2010

Parents' wartime deployment can have an impact on children’s behavioral problems

The current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in extended and repeated combat-related deployments of U.S. military service members. While much has been reported about the problems, both physical and psychological, many bring back with them, new research out of UCLA shows that the family back home can have issues as well.

15 Apr 2010

Epilepsy patients who take Ginkgo products face increased risk of seizures: Report

Restrictions should be placed on the use of Ginkgo biloba - a top-selling herbal remedy - because of growing scientific evidence that Ginkgo may increase the risk of seizures in people with epilepsy and could reduce the effectiveness of anti-seizure drugs, a new report concludes. The article appears in ACS' monthly Journal of Natural Products.

15 Apr 2010

Family support critical for managing patients with chronic health problems

Almost 40 percent of chronically ill older adults in the U.S. live alone, and a majority of those who are married have spouses with at least one chronic illness that can affect their ability to provide support, according to a U-M study published in the journal Chronic Illness.

15 Apr 2010

Happiness, well-being tied to the lives of others

Professor Jacqueline Scott led the study which compiled the views of more than 10,000 people over a time frame of five years at Cambridge University. The study which appears in a new book, Gender Inequalities in the 21st Century found that most people were linking their happiness with that of people close to them.

15 Apr 2010

Anticonvulsants increase suicide risk

Dr. Elisabetta Patorno, a research fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston has published a study this week in the Journal of American Medical Association which found that taking anticonvulsant drugs raise thoughts of suicide and risks of actually trying to commit suicide by two times the norm. The study was sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health and HealthCore, a research subsidiary of WellPoint. WellPoint is a health benefits company that serves the Blue Cross Blue Shield network.

14 Apr 2010

Spare the rod – kids spanked more likely to be aggressive

As the saying goes, “spare the rod and spoil the child”. Many organizations including American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association have found that this is a wrong statement and spanking a child may do more harm than good.

13 Apr 2010