Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Folic acid, B vitamins in Animi-3 may prevent vision loss

A new study by researchers at Harvard Medical School has found that combining essential B vitamins, including B6, B12, and folic acid, lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), one of the leading causes of vision loss among older Americans.

4 Mar 2009

History of major depression increases risk for heart disease more than genetics or environment

A history of major depression increases the risk of heart disease over and above any genetic risks common to depression and heart disease, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the VA.

4 Mar 2009

Faulty signalling in the brain may cause schizophrenia

In the biggest study of its kind, scientists looking in detail at brain samples donated by people with the condition have identified 49 genes that work differently in the brains of schizophrenia patients compared to controls.

3 Mar 2009

Parasitic worms may lead to treatment for multiple sclerosis

Scientists from The University of Nottingham will study the potential health benefits of parasitic worms as part of a study investigating treatments for people with the autoimmune condition multiple sclerosis (MS).

3 Mar 2009

Recent drug use masks cocaine abusers' cognitive impairment

Recent cocaine use may hide some of the cognitive deficits commonly experienced by individuals addicted to cocaine, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory report in a study published in the April 2009 issue of Neuropsychopharmacology - a special issue dedicated to cocaine research.

3 Mar 2009

Ex-servicemen under 24 at increased risk of suicide

Young men who have served in the British Armed Forces are up to three times more likely to take their own lives than their civilian counterparts, research published tomorrow (March 3) has found.

From The University of Manchester 2 Mar 2009

Young adults with PTSD may be more likely to attempt suicide

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - but not exposure to traumatic events without the development of PTSD - may be associated with subsequent attempted suicide in young adults, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

2 Mar 2009

Untreated psychiatric disorders common in single mothers on welfare

Urban single mothers nearing the end of their welfare eligibility appear more likely to have substance use and psychiatric disorders than women in the general population, and often do not receive treatment, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

2 Mar 2009

Experts still recommend no television under the age of 2

A longitudinal study of infants from birth to age 3 showed TV viewing before the age of 2 does not improve a child's language and visual motor skills, according to research conducted at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School.

2 Mar 2009

New treatment target for chronic abdominal pain

High levels of a protein linked to the way pain signals are sent to the brain led to a decrease in abdominal pain in a recent study in mice.

2 Mar 2009

Researchers discover gene variation linked to cocaine addiction and cocaine-induced paranoia

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Yale University School of Medicine and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, have discovered that variants in the á-endomannosidase (MANEA) gene are associated with cocaine addiction and cocaine-induced paranoia in European American and African American populations.

2 Mar 2009

Chantix side effects no worse for people with history of depression

People with a likely history of depression who take varenicline (Chantix) do not report more severe mood symptoms, medication side effects, or less success quitting smoking compared to people with no history of depression taking this drug.

2 Mar 2009

Alcohol abuse may lead to depression risk, rather than vice versa

A statistical modeling study suggests that problems with alcohol abuse may lead to an increased risk of depression, as opposed to the reverse model in which individuals with depression self-medicate with alcohol, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

2 Mar 2009