Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Trauma earlier in life may result in long-term changes

Researchers have known for years that psychological trauma that results in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression can change how a person responds to stress.

21 Nov 2007

Project aims to deepen the medical and research community's understanding of women's health

Women's bodies and medical needs are vastly different than men's way beyond their reproductive systems.

20 Nov 2007

Housing status and HIV risk

New studies show that there is a demonstrable correlation between a person's housing status and his or her likelihood of transmitting or getting HIV.

20 Nov 2007

Study shows how men and women differ in their neural responses to psychological stress

According to a study that appears in the current issue of SCAN (Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience), researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discuss how men and women differ in their neural responses to psychological stress.

20 Nov 2007

Pilot program helps boost seniors' activity levels, quality of life

Older adults often carry a deeply ingrained belief that inactive, sedentary lives are an inevitable part of aging.

19 Nov 2007

Low standards of child well-being linked to greater income inequality

Improvements in child wellbeing in rich countries might depend more on reductions in income inequality rather than further economic growth, according to a study published on bmj.com.

19 Nov 2007

Patients taking anti-obesity drugs will only see "modest" weight loss

The study, which looked at the long-term effectiveness of anti-obesity medications, found that three drugs recommended for long-term use - orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant, reduced weight by less than 5kg (11 pounds). This equated to a loss of less than 5% of total body weight.

19 Nov 2007

Persistent genital arousal disorder in women

New research shows that women suffering from Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD), a condition marked by unprovoked, intrusive and persistent sensations of genital arousal that are unrelieved by one or several orgasms, are likely to experience a variety of associated psychological conditions.

19 Nov 2007

University of Illinois at Chicago receives $2.2 million grant to develop drugs to suppress cocaine cravings

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy has received a $2.2 million federal grant to develop therapeutics to suppress the cravings of cocaine addicts.

19 Nov 2007

Weight-loss drug doubles the risk of depression and anxiety

A weight loss pill which was initially hailed as some kind of wonder drug is now thought to more than double the risk of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

19 Nov 2007

A comprehensive survey on the health of college students

A report released by the University of Minnesota Boynton Health Service is the first of its kind in the nation to conduct a comprehensive survey on the health of college students.

16 Nov 2007

Survey shows perceptions of stress among pathology residents

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) conducted a nationwide survey to identify stressors perceived by pathology residents. The survey appears online in the December issue of the American Journal of Clinical Pathology.

16 Nov 2007

Study links asthma with post-traumatic stress disorder

For the first time, a study has linked asthma with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adults in the community. The study of male twins who were veterans of the Vietnam era suggests that the association between asthma and PTSD is not primarily explained by common genetic influences.

16 Nov 2007

People with schizophrenia are more likely to suffer from ruptured appendix

People with mental illness suffer more than just psychological problems. People with schizophrenia are more likely to suffer from ruptured appendix than others, according to research published in the online open access journal, BMC Public Health.

16 Nov 2007

From successful aging to severe dementia

A recently published special issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease contains the contributions from experts in the field of aging, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, who attended the "Fourth Annual Meeting on Brain aging and Dementia - From successful aging to severe dementia”, Held in Perugia in October 2006 under the auspices of the Italian Psychogeriatric Association, a member of the International Psychogeriatric Association, the meeting celebrates the centenary of Alzheimer's first description of the disease.

16 Nov 2007