Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

New insights into dendritic spine deficits in schizophrenia

Dendritic spines act as hubs for communication between nerve cells. Reductions in spines may contribute to a lack of coordination in activity between brain regions. This structural abnormality is particularly relevant in schizophrenia, where pyramidal neurons located in layer 3, the principal cell type receiving communication from other brain regions, have fewer dendritic spines.

7 Jul 2010

Study finds decline in homicide, suicide rates among mentally ill people

People with mental health problems are committing fewer homicides while the number of suicides by mental health patients has also fallen, latest figures reveal; a previous rise in homicides by mentally ill people may have been the result of drug misuse, says the report.

7 Jul 2010

Therapist competence strongly related to symptom improvement in some patients: Study

While studies have shown that cognitive therapy is an effective treatment for depression, it has still not been clear the role therapists' training and expertise plays in making treatment successful. A new study finds that depressed patients show more symptom improvement when their therapists more competently follow the guidelines for delivering cognitive therapy.

7 Jul 2010

Study finds depression as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

Depression is commonly reported in people with Alzheimer's disease and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment, with several studies suggesting having a history of major depression may nearly double your risk of developing dementia later in life. However, it has been unclear if depression is a symptom of the disease or a potential cause of the disease.

6 Jul 2010

Depression increases risk of developing dementia later in life

A new study shows that having depression may nearly double your risk of developing dementia later in life. The research will be published in the July 6, 2010, issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Jul 2010

Study finds maltreatment during childhood associated with mental health disorders in young adulthood

Abuse and neglect during childhood appear to be associated with increased rates of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders among young adults, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Jul 2010

Mild prenatal stressors increase risk of developing neuropsychiatric illness during adulthood

Learning and memory impairments are important contributors to the disability associated with schizophrenia. These functional impairments emerge long before the onset of other symptoms associated with schizophrenia, suggesting that they are a consequence of a disturbance in brain development.

6 Jul 2010

Anxiety disorders associated with higher risk of cardiovascular events, deaths in heart disease patients

Among patients with heart disease, anxiety disorders appear to be associated with a higher risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure and death, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Jul 2010

Depression and dementia may go hand in hand: Study

A new study has found that depressive disorders raise the risk of dementia. The findings of this study were published in the journal Neurology. The study involved nearly 1,000 people who were studied for up to 17 years. Those who were depressed when first examined almost doubled their risk for dementia and also increased their risk for Alzheimer's disease the study authors wrote.

5 Jul 2010

The heart and the psyche – Link between heart disease and anxiety-depressive disorders

According to a new report published in the acclaimed journal Archives of General Psychiatry, concomitant anxiety and other psychiatric illnesses in heart patients raise their risk of getting heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and early death.

5 Jul 2010

African study finds link between difficult childhood and teenage drinking

An African study has found a link between a difficult childhood and alcohol consumption as a teenager. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health studied the association between adverse childhood experiences and drunkenness among 9,189 adolescents aged 12-19 years living in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda.

5 Jul 2010

Study finds structural similarities in neocortices of humans and chickens

For more than a century, neuroscientists believed that the brains of humans and other mammals differed from the brains of other animals, such as birds (and so were presumably better). This belief was based, in part, upon the readily evident physical structure of the neocortex, the region of the brain responsible for complex cognitive behaviors.

3 Jul 2010

Psychiatrist shortage may soon reach crisis levels

Demand for psychiatrists is growing faster than for any other medical specialty, according to a new survey by national physician search firm Merritt Hawkins, an AMN Healthcare Company.

3 Jul 2010

Karolinska Institutet researchers contribute at ESOF 2010

Researchers and staff from Karolinska Institutet are contributing to Europe's largest cross-disciplinary gathering place with news of everything from neuroscience to bioentrepreneurship. Carl Johan Sundberg, university lecturer and associate professor at Karolinska Institutet, is the founder and initiator of ESOF.

3 Jul 2010

Women have longer life expectancy, but with prevalence of disability in old age

Although women have a longer life expectancy, they experience a much greater prevalence of disability in old age than men do. This is the main conclusion of the study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Women's Health.

3 Jul 2010

Dogs help soldiers recover from PTSD

The Army is using dogs "much more" to help soldiers recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to the Army Surgeon General's special assistant for mental health, Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., who spoke today at the annual convention of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

3 Jul 2010

Gov. Patrick signs new law to stiffen penalties for assault on nurses and other health care workers

Surrounded by registered nurses and legislators, Governor Deval Patrick today signed a law that will stiffen the penalties for those who assault nurses and other health care workers, one of a series of measures the state's nurses are proposing to address the growing problem of workplace violence in health care settings. The vote follows unanimous votes to approve the measure in both houses of the legislature.

3 Jul 2010

State Roundup: Florida to investigate WellCare; Calif. budget cuts; Computer system helps states find Medicaid savings

Nextgov: "A 17-year-old computer data matching system designed to prevent welfare recipients from drawing benefits in more than one state at a time is now helping cash-strapped states save millions of dollars -- but not as originally intended.

3 Jul 2010

Lawmakers urge health insurers to enforce new Mental Parity Act

The Hill: "Health plans that say mental illnesses can't be treated like physical ailments are relying on an 'outdated argument' without merit that does not reflect 'three decades of scientific research,' 52 House members wrote in a recent letter to regulators. The comments come as a landmark law requiring parity in how health plans cover physical and mental illness went into effect Thursday.

3 Jul 2010

Chelsea reports positive outcome from DMC review of droxidopa Phase II trial in fibromyalgia

Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. announced the completion and favorable outcome of an independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) review of the safety and efficacy data from approximately half the target enrollment in Chelsea's Phase II trial of droxidopa in fibromyalgia.

2 Jul 2010

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

New insights into dendritic spine deficits in schizophrenia

Study finds decline in homicide, suicide rates among mentally ill people

Therapist competence strongly related to symptom improvement in some patients: Study

Study finds depression as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

Depression increases risk of developing dementia later in life

Study finds maltreatment during childhood associated with mental health disorders in young adulthood

Mild prenatal stressors increase risk of developing neuropsychiatric illness during adulthood

Anxiety disorders associated with higher risk of cardiovascular events, deaths in heart disease patients

Depression and dementia may go hand in hand: Study

The heart and the psyche – Link between heart disease and anxiety-depressive disorders

African study finds link between difficult childhood and teenage drinking

Study finds structural similarities in neocortices of humans and chickens

Psychiatrist shortage may soon reach crisis levels

Karolinska Institutet researchers contribute at ESOF 2010

Women have longer life expectancy, but with prevalence of disability in old age

Dogs help soldiers recover from PTSD

Gov. Patrick signs new law to stiffen penalties for assault on nurses and other health care workers

State Roundup: Florida to investigate WellCare; Calif. budget cuts; Computer system helps states find Medicaid savings

Lawmakers urge health insurers to enforce new Mental Parity Act

Chelsea reports positive outcome from DMC review of droxidopa Phase II trial in fibromyalgia

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Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

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