Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Risks and benefits of antidepressant treatment for children with depression

According to a new study, conducted by the Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice (CIPP) at Columbus Children's Hospital and published in the April 18 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), there is more information for parents about the risks and benefits of antidepressant treatment for children with depression and anxiety disorders.

18 Apr 2007

Confidentiality and privacy of personal health information is critical to acceptance of NHIN

"ACP strongly believes in the goal of widespread adoption and use of health information technology to improve quality of care," Michael H. Zaroukian, MD, PhD, FACP, told the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality at their hearing on "Consumer Controls for Sensitive Health Records."

18 Apr 2007

Benefits of antidepressants for children and teens with depression or anxiety disorders may outweigh risks

A review of previous studies indicates that the benefits of antidepressants for children and teens with depression or anxiety disorders may outweigh their risks, and that the increased risk for suicidal thoughts and attempts from using these medications is not statistically significant, according to an article in the April 18 issue of JAMA.

18 Apr 2007

Antidepressants safe for children and adolescents - black box warnings questioned

Antidepressants are safe and effective for treating anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and major depressive disorder in children and adolescents, according to a meta-analysis of 27 major studies.

18 Apr 2007

Innovative treatment option for excessive sweating

An estimated 3 percent of the world population, or about 197 million people suffer from some form of hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), many of whom do not receive proper diagnosis or treatment.

17 Apr 2007

Deep brain stimulation helps improve memory in patients with psychiatric illness

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic will present results of a study today that shows deep brain stimulation (DBS) is associated with improvements on formal memory tests in patients with severe psychiatric illness.

17 Apr 2007

Mellowing with age helps you live longer!

While mellowing with age has often been thought to have positive effects, a Purdue University researcher has shown that doing so could also help you live longer.

17 Apr 2007

New findings on insomnia

Those persons who are labeled a 'night owl' report more pathological symptoms related to insomnia, despite many having the opportunity to compensate for their nocturnal sleeplessness by extending their time in bed and being able to gain more total sleep time, according to a study published in the April 15th issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM).

16 Apr 2007

New drug therapy zaps hepatitis C in 12 weeks

Trials of new hepatitis C drug suggest sufferers could be cleared of the virus within 12 weeks of treatment.

16 Apr 2007

British look at detaining dangerous mental patients

Government ministers in Britain are in the midst of discussing controversial plans to allow mentally ill people to be detained against their will, even if they have not committed a crime.

16 Apr 2007

Night owls do it tougher than other insomniacs

According to a new study night owls, those who stay up late with insomnia and then sleep longer in the mornings, have more psychological symptoms than morning insomniacs and need different treatment, even though they get more sleep.

16 Apr 2007

New device to test for proteins that play important role in human health and disease

A new technology developed at the University of Toronto is revealing biochemical processes responsible for diseases such as cystic fibrosis and could one day pave the way for pharmaceutical applications.

15 Apr 2007

Bullying widespread in elementary students

Nine out of 10 elementary students have been bullied by their peers, according to a simple questionnaire developed by researchers at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine.

15 Apr 2007

Lower educational level makes some men more vulnerable to the effects of prostate cancer

Among men who have received similar treatments for prostate cancer, those with less education , particularly those who did not graduate from high school , experience a significant drop in their quality of life after treatment compared with men who have more education, according to a study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC).

15 Apr 2007

New perspectives on risk taking in adolescence

While the government spends billions of dollars on educational and prevention programs to persuade teens not to do things like smoke, drink or do drugs, a Temple University psychologist suggests that competing systems within the brain make adolescents more susceptible to engaging in risky or dangerous behavior, and that educational interventions alone are unlikely to be effective.

15 Apr 2007

Aftermath of suicide attempts - helping families cope

When a child attempts suicide, these emotions hit families like a Mack truck. Some family members bury their feelings deep inside and refuse to accept the stark reality.

15 Apr 2007

Asthma can lead to psychosocial disadvantages for children in our society

Much of the research surrounding childhood asthma has sought new approaches to managing the disease.

15 Apr 2007

Prazosin drug helps posttraumatic stress disorder nightmares

A generic drug already used by millions of Americans for high blood pressure and prostate problems has been found to improve sleep and lessen trauma nightmares in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

12 Apr 2007

Aggressive behaviour on acute psychiatric wards: prevalence, severity and management

Psychiatric nurses have a one in ten chance of being physically injured by an aggressive patient over the course of a year and many more suffer emotional distress because of the verbal abuse they receive while working in these difficult and challenging environments.

12 Apr 2007

Internet can help people identify depression

This is the conclusion of a study published in BMC Psychiatry, which demonstrates that a Chinese online tool for assessing depression is both accurate and reproducible, and may offer a way to identify the growing number of people suffering from depression.

11 Apr 2007