Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Genetic mutations make people susceptible to schizophrenia

Gene mutations governing a key brain enzyme make people susceptible to schizophrenia and may be targeted in future treatments for the psychiatric illness, according to MIT and Japanese researchers.

20 Feb 2007

Direct connection between a nation's overall happiness and its citizens' blood pressure problems

Doctors have known for a long time that blood pressure is one measure of an individual's health. This research is the first to demonstrate that there a connection between nations' happiness and blood-pressure levels.

19 Feb 2007

FDA warns consumers about buying medications over the Internet

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has again warned consumers about buying medications over the Internet.

19 Feb 2007

Senate HELP committee passes mental health legislation

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday voted 18-3 to approve a bill (S 558) sponsored by Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) that would require health insurers to provide the same level of coverage for treatment of mental illnesses and substance abuse as they provide for physical illnesses, CQ Today reports.

19 Feb 2007

Group exercise helps breast cancer sufferers

Group exercise sessions can help to improve the physical and psychological wellbeing of people diagnosed with breast cancer, a new British Medical Journal study reveals.

18 Feb 2007

$204M effort to unite and conquer brain disorders

Australia's largest united effort to combat brain disorders - the Florey Neuroscience Institutes (FNI) and the Australian Centre for Neuroscience and Mental Health Research - will be officially launched by the Governor of Victoria, Prof David de Kretser AC at a Government House reception at 6:00pm on 22 February 2007.

18 Feb 2007

Millions to benefit from mental health insurance

New legislation in the United States will mean that health insurance companies will have to offer mental health coverage on a par with financial and treatment coverage offered for other physical illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes or asthma.

18 Feb 2007

Body Shop founder Roddick reveals she has Hepatitis C

Anita Roddick the founder of the Body Shop has revealed she is suffering from the disease Hepatitis C.

14 Feb 2007

Researchers discover why antipsychotic drugs cause weight gain

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have discovered why some drugs used to treat mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, cause patients to gain a lot of weight.

13 Feb 2007

Octopuses and depression

Researchers often use animals to help them resolve problems that can be applied to people. Dr. Jean Boal, a biology professor at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, is developing a new and unique way to research the causes and effects of depression with the help of octopuses.

12 Feb 2007

Mood changes in response to psychosocial stress in healthy young women: effects of pretreatment with Cortisol

German researchers have found additional evidence that the stress hormone cortisol can have positive effects in certain situations.

12 Feb 2007

Back regions of the brain, which control vision, grow significantly faster than prefrontal region in newborns

The regions of the brain that control vision and other sensory information grow dramatically in the first few months following birth, while the area that controls abstract thought experiences very little growth during the same period, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have found.

11 Feb 2007

Current arguments for reform of UK Abortion Act

The 40th anniversary in October this year of the passing of the UK Abortion Act is certain to be marked by attempts to reopen the debate about lowering the upper limit for legal terminations. In a special report in this week's British Medical Journal, journalist Jonathan Gornall examines current arguments for reform.

11 Feb 2007

Marital conflict and conduct problems in children

Children's conduct problems--skipping school, sneaking out of the house, lying to parents, shoplifting, or bullying other children--are a major source of concern for parents and teachers.

7 Feb 2007

Senate HELP Committee likely to pass mental health parity bill

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee likely will pass legislation that would require health insurance companies to cover mental illnesses at the same level as they cover physical illnesses, committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) said, CQ HealthBeat reports.

7 Feb 2007

Most of Medicare and Medicaid savings in Bush's budget proposal come from reducing growth in Medicare provider payments

The "lion's share" of the Medicare and Medicaid savings over five years proposed in President Bush's fiscal year 2008 budget proposal comes from limits on annual inflation adjustments for reimbursements to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers for Medicare, amounting to $39.5 billion, CQ HealthBeat reports.

7 Feb 2007

Severely mentally ill have increased risk of death from coronary heart disease and stroke

A large British study indicates that individuals with severe mental illnesses are significantly more likely to die from coronary heart disease and stroke, but not cancer, than those without mental illnesses, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

6 Feb 2007