Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Risperdal approved for psychiatric conditions in children and adolescents

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Risperdal (risperidone) for the treatment of schizophrenia in adolescents, ages 13 to 17, and for the short-term treatment of manic or mixed episodes of bipolar I disorder in children and adolescents ages 10 to 17.

24 Aug 2007

New hope for people with bipolar disorder

Melbourne mental health researchers have succeeded in halving the number of relapses experienced by people with bipolar disorder which strikes two in 100 Australians, accounts for 12 per cent of suicides each year and costs the country at least $1.5 billion annually.

24 Aug 2007

Restless legs syndrome common and troublesome in children and adolescents

Restless legs syndrome is a common problem in children 8 years of age and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, according to a new report from an international team of researchers.

24 Aug 2007

Potential new strategies for treating obsessive compulsive disorder

Using genetic engineering, researchers have created an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - like set of behaviors in mice and reversed them with antidepressants and genetic targeting of a key brain circuit.

24 Aug 2007

People ages 57 to 85 think of sexuality as an important part of life

The first comprehensive national survey of sexual attitudes, behaviors and problems among older adults in the United States has found that most people ages 57 to 85 think of sexuality as an important part of life and that the frequency of sexual activity, for those who are active, declines only slightly from the 50s to the early 70s.

24 Aug 2007

Antipsychotic drug Risperdal approved for use in children

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has given approval for the antipsychotic drug Risperdal to be used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in children and teenagers.

23 Aug 2007

Geographical variation in the prevalence of problematic substance use in Canada

If you think the big cities of Toronto and Montreal have the highest rate of alcohol and drug use problems, think again.

22 Aug 2007

Non-medicinal interventions for young children with ADHD

Non-medicinal interventions are highly effective in preventing the behavioral and academic problems associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to a five-year study led by researchers at Lehigh University's College of Education.

22 Aug 2007

Gastric banding clinical trial for adolescents

Millions of adults have turned to surgery when diet and exercise don't work. Now, with childhood obesity sharply on the rise, researchers are exploring whether surgery may be a viable option for teens.

22 Aug 2007

Shutting up in domestic row not good for women's health

In a new study which examines behaviour, heart disease and mortality in the context of marriage, U.S. researchers have found that suffering in silence can be detrimental to a woman's health.

21 Aug 2007

Depression over-diagnosed and many people just blue

An Australian psychiatrist has accused the medical profession of over-diagnosing depression, and says thousands of people are wrongly being prescribed drugs to treat it.

20 Aug 2007

Relapse from antidepressant medication may be lack of response to medication in the first place

A new study by Rhode Island Hospital researchers indicates that a relapse during antidepressant continuation treatment may be due to a relapse in patients who were not true drug responders.

17 Aug 2007

Study looks at how children's anxiety and depression may be associated with substance abuse throughout adulthood

Research underway at Rutgers University Camden seeks to examine links between children's mental health problems and alcohol, nicotine, and illegal drug use over time.

17 Aug 2007

Brain imaging reveals breakdown of normal emotional processing

Brain imaging has revealed a breakdown in normal patterns of emotional processing that impairs the ability of people with clinical depression to suppress negative emotional states.

17 Aug 2007

Caution urged on use of drugs to raise "good" cholesterol

With 40 percent of all heart attacks and related cardiovascular problems occurring in people who have low levels of so-called "good" cholesterol, researchers have long sought medications to increase the amount of this type of cholesterol in the body's circulation.

16 Aug 2007

Emotional brain circuits and depression

In what may be the first study to use brain imaging to look at the neural circuits involved in emotional control in patients with depression, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that brains of people with clinical depression react very differently than those of healthy people when trying to cope with negative situations.

16 Aug 2007

Study looks at father's role in a household with a depressed mother

Children whose mothers are depressed are less likely to develop problem behaviors if their fathers are actively engaged in family life, a Saint Louis University researcher finds.

16 Aug 2007

Old drug may help reduce sebum production in acne sufferers

A previously unknown side effect of an unnamed drug currently on the marketplace could be useful for treating acne, reports Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI.

13 Aug 2007

$25 million made available for health care partnership emergency care competitive grants

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that $25 million is available to hospitals and other health care facilities via a competitive emergency care grant program focused on hospital surge capacity, emergency care system capability, and community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies.

13 Aug 2007