Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Université Laval unveils Treatment Compliance Chair to improve population health

The Faculty of Pharmacy at Université Laval sees the creation of the Treatment Compliance Chair as a means to help improve population health and well-being. Medication is a part of everyday life for many Quebecers.

30 Sep 2009

Environmental factors play a major role in early pregnancy losses

Life is all about tradeoffs and recently published research by Virginia J. Vitzthum, a senior scientist at Indiana University's Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, and professor in the IU College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Anthropology, has shown that during periods of intense labor and low food intake, rates of early pregnancy loss can more than double.

30 Sep 2009

Prevalence and emotional impact of hair pulling

1.5% of males and 3.4% of females in a college sample reported significant hair pulling resulting in bald patches at some point in their lives.

30 Sep 2009

Illinois nursing homes mix seniors and mentally ill patients, some criminals

Some Illinois nursing homes create dangerous and unsafe environments by mixing seniors and younger mentally ill residents, the Chicago Tribune reports: "More than any other state, Illinois relies heavily on nursing homes to house mentally ill patients, including those who have committed crimes. But a Tribune investigation found that government, law enforcement and the industry have failed to adequately manage the resulting influx of younger residents who shuttle into nursing facilities from jail cells, shelters and psychiatric wards."

29 Sep 2009

2009 Mini-Psych School Program dispels myths surrounding mental illness

The Mental Illness Awareness Week is coming up, from October 4 to 10. On this occasion, Joseph Rochford, Ph.D., Director of the Academic Affairs at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, presents his top ten list of myths about mental illness.

29 Sep 2009

NHGRI and NIMH fund $45 million to establish Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), both part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced grants expected to total approximately $45 million to establish new Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science at the Medical College of Wisconsin and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill as well as to continue support of existing centers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Southern California.

29 Sep 2009

Researchers investigate the effects of age on suicidal behaviour

In older age groups, repeated suicide attempts constitute an increased risk for completed suicide in depressed women, while severe attempts constitute an increased risk for depressed men. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry studied suicide attempts in 100 patients who committed suicide and in an age- and sex-matched control group, investigating the effects of age on suicidal behaviour, as a risk factor for accomplished suicide.

29 Sep 2009

Research study on the U.S. life expectancy

The Great Depression had a silver lining: During that hard time, U.S. life expectancy actually increased by 6.2 years, according to a University of Michigan study published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

29 Sep 2009

Research study examines the link between neuregulin 1 gene and creativity

In order to examine the link between psychosis and creativity, psychiatrist Szabolcs K-ri of Semmelweis University in Hungary focused his research on neuregulin 1, a gene that normally plays a role in a variety of brain processes, including development and strengthening communication between neurons. However, a variant of this gene (or genotype) is associated with a greater risk of developing mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

29 Sep 2009

NIH awards Johns Hopkins Epigenetic Center $16.8M to advance genomics research

Johns Hopkins' Center for the Epigenetics of Common Human Disease has been chosen as one of four recipients of a $45 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant for Centers of Excellence to advance genomics research. The Hopkins Center will receive $16.8 million over five years.

29 Sep 2009

Social support can prevent depression in parents

The latest research from Family Relations shows that parents in low-income environments are more prone to depression when there is a lack of social support.

29 Sep 2009

Hospital-at-home care favorable to traditional hospital care

Hospital-at-home care may be a practical alternative to traditional hospital inpatient care for patients with acutely decompensated (suddenly worsening) chronic heart failure, according to a report in the September 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

29 Sep 2009

UNC awarded $8.6M for a new Center for Integrated Systems Genetics

Autism, depression, anxiety. Antipsychotic drug side effects. What are the genetic and environmental factors that underlie and contribute to these complex problems? And how do genes and environment interact to shape them?

28 Sep 2009

Programme trains 3,500 Bristish therapists in CBT

At the World Congress on Psychosomatic Medicine which opened today in Torino Lord Richard Layard, Professor at the London School of Economics, has provided data on the British experience concerned with Improved Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT).

28 Sep 2009

FiberMedia to house VNSNY's primary data production facility

FiberMedia, one of fastest growing providers of secure, geographically diverse datacenters and scalable managed services, finalized an agreement in April with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) to house their primary data production facility and provide related managed services within one of their four Metro New York City area datacenters. VNSNY first went into live production at the FiberMedia data center in August, and substantially all of VNSNY’s information systems are operating at the FiberMedia facility as of September.

28 Sep 2009

U.S. underfunds climate change health-related research

A recent commentary suggests that the U.S. should spend roughly $197 million more than it currently does to research the impact of climate change on public health.

28 Sep 2009

Psychoeducational program for wellbeing

At the World Congress on Psychosomatic Medicine in Torino, Italy, the state of the science of happiness has been discussed.

26 Sep 2009

Personal approach to psychological well-being

At the World Congress on Psychosomatic Medicine in Torino, Italy, Carol Ryff, Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, has described how, more than simply feeling happy, it is the personal approach to psychological well-being that matters.

26 Sep 2009

AABM Team wins two medals in a national contest

The Aquatic Animal Bio-Medicine R&D Team (AABM Team) of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan, led by Distinguished Prof. Huey-Lang Yang from Institute of Biotechnology, won two medals out of more than 100 teams in the national contest, “2009 Crazy Idea – King of Practical Applications on Creative Researches and Development of Biotechnology,” organized by the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan.

25 Sep 2009

UHP's electronic health record system recognized

Urban Health Plan in the South Bronx is revolutionizing the way patients are identified and tracked at their network of community health centers. From identifying patients through an iris recognition scan to managing their patients' health through a fully electronic system, UHP is able to provide state-of-the-art, quality and comprehensive care to thousands of New York's neediest residents. This week, their efforts were recognized by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society who awarded them the 2009 HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence. Urban Health Plan uses eClinicalWorks (ECW) as its electronic health record (EHR) system.

25 Sep 2009