Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

UJI participates in project OPTIMI for early detection of depression

Treatments for mental illnesses are based on medicines and on therapies. Nevertheless it is not being done much to develop effective systems to prevent the appearance of such illnesses. In January starts the European initiative OPTIMI to contribute to the early detection of depression. The research group Labpsitec of the Department of Basic and Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology at the Universitat Jaume I of Castellón, takes part in the project with the design of evaluation strategies for people in situation of risk.

14 Jun 2010

Ontario Shores creates new public website to better serve needs of users

Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (Ontario Shores) is creating a new public website intended to better serve the needs of users and provide opportunities to engage in online dialogue with a variety of stakeholders.

14 Jun 2010

Homeless Brisbane population at risk of dying early: survey

A recent survey has shown that more than 50 percent of Brisbane’s homeless community is at a higher risk of early deaths. The survey was conducted by interviewing at least 231 people who live on Brisbane's streets, using an index to determine their risk of dying or mortality risk.

14 Jun 2010

Olfactory function tests could help in treating patient in early stages of PD

A fast, simple and non invasive test of the ability to smell may be an important tool to screen people who are likely to develop Parkinson's disease, in which motor symptoms only become evident at a later stage of the disease, a German scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday).

14 Jun 2010

Cancer survivors forego medical care because of financial concerns

A new analysis has found that two million cancer survivors did not get needed medical services in the previous year because of concerns about cost. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study raises the concern that the long-term health and well-being of cancer survivors could suffer because patients have financial worries about their care.

14 Jun 2010

Researchers identify 2,630 proteins that reside in human spinal fluid

A research team has sharply expanded scientific knowledge of the composition of human spinal fluid. The researchers have identified 2,630 proteins that reside in fluid that is considered "normal," a number nearly three times as great as the total number of proteins previously identified. Another striking finding was that more than half (56%) of the proteins were relatively unique to the spinal fluid and not found in blood.

14 Jun 2010

Gulf cleanup volunteers are putting themselves at risk of long-term health effects

With more oil from the BP spill in the Gulf washing ashore, regional communities will have a huge job of cleaning up after this vast environmental disaster. As kind-hearted volunteers participate in the effort to save both wildlife and the local environment, they will be putting themselves at risk of long-term health effects.

11 Jun 2010

Researchers demonstrate efficacy of routine psychotherapeutic treatment for depression

Depression is one of the most common forms of psychiatric disorder. It can occur at any time of life and it may affect children and adolescents as well as the elderly. However, depression can usually be suitably managed with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy. Researchers based at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have been able to demonstrate both the efficacy and the extent of the beneficial effect of routine psychotherapeutic treatment for depression.

11 Jun 2010

Emerging science of epigenetics offers new insights at crossroads of genes and the environment: Article

An emerging arm of molecular biology is introducing a new interpretation of traditional concepts of human disease, explains an article published today in Nature. According to author Dr. Arturas Petronis at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the emerging science of epigenetics is offering new insights at the crossroads of genes and the environment, or nature and nurture. Dr. Petronis is head of the Krembil Family Epigenetics Laboratory at CAMH and an international expert in the field.

11 Jun 2010

2010 GAPS sheds light on the painful reality of what life is like for gout patients

The 2010 Gout Attitudes Patient Survey, a new study of Americans with gout, released by Men's Health Network, sheds light on the painful reality of what life is like for the approximately five million Americans who live with this condition. Of those surveyed, 69 percent described the pain of a gout attack as "miserable," yet a quarter of gout patients feel that those without gout perceive them as overreacting to attacks, and 67 percent feel as though others do not take the condition seriously.

11 Jun 2010

Research may lead to better treatments for depression and substance abuse

In what has been hailed as a breakthrough, scientists from Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical College have outlined the molecular mechanism of membrane transport. The research shows how a protein transforms its shape to transport substances across the cell membrane in order to regulate transmission of the brain's messages across the synaptic gap from one neuron to another.

11 Jun 2010

DZNE, MRC and CIHR sign cooperation agreement for research on neurodegenerative diseases

Representatives of the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the UK Medical Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research today signed a cooperation agreement that aims to establish and apply harmonised guidelines and technologies for research on neurodegenerative diseases.

11 Jun 2010

Hypertension linked to severity of bipolar disorders

Nearly half of patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder may suffer from hypertension, and the younger a person is diagnosed with the psychiatric condition the more likely they are to develop high blood pressure, according to a recent Michigan State University study.

11 Jun 2010

Young adult men more vulnerable to heart breaks: Study

A new study published in the international Journal of Health and Social Behaviour has shown that a bad or broken relationship affects men more than women contrary to popular belief.

10 Jun 2010

Brain stimulation with ultrasound may enhance cognitive function

The ability to diagnose and treat brain dysfunction without surgery, may rely on a new method of noninvasive brain stimulation using pulsed ultrasound developed by a team of scientists led by William "Jamie" Tyler, a neuroscientist at Arizona State University. The approach, published in the journal Neuron on June 9, shows that pulsed ultrasound not only stimulates action potentials in intact motor cortex in mice but it also "elicits motor responses comparable to those only previously achieved with implanted electrodes and related techniques," says Yusuf Tufail, the lead author from ASU's School of Life Sciences.

10 Jun 2010

World's largest DNA scan reveals new genetic changes in autistic children

The world's largest DNA scan for familial autism has uncovered new genetic changes in autistic children that are often not present in their parents. Identified in less than 1 percent of the population, these rare variants occur nearly 20 percent more in autistic children.

10 Jun 2010

New study affirms relationship between depression and abdominal obesity

A new study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham confirms the relationship between depression and abdominal obesity, which has been linked to an increased risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease.

10 Jun 2010

NIH awards Aestus $2M SBIR grant for clinical trials of treatment for chronic neuropathic pain

Aestus Therapeutics, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a $2 million Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant, from the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), will fund clinical trials of Aestus's novel, first-in-class treatment for chronic neuropathic pain.

9 Jun 2010

Repligen's fiscal 2010 total revenue decreases to $20,971,000

Repligen Corporation today reported results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2010, ended March 31, 2010. Total revenue for the year was $20,971,000 compared to total revenue of $29,362,000 for fiscal year 2009 ended March 31, 2009.

9 Jun 2010

Faith-based HIV-prevention program for African-American women and girls

Developing and evaluating a faith-based, HIV-prevention program for African-American mothers and their daughters is the focus of Dr. Chisina Kapungu's $795,000 career development grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

9 Jun 2010