Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Research examines the role of perineuronal networks in psychiatric disorders

Juan Nácher, professor at the Department of Cell Biology at the University of Valencia, has conducted research on the role of perineuronal networks in the adult brain and their incidence in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

11 Jul 2020

Colorado, like other states, trims health programs amid health crisis

As a teenager, Paulina Castle struggled for years with suicidal thoughts. When her mental health was at its most fragile, she would isolate herself, spending days in her room alone.

10 Jul 2020

Study outlines principles for delivering trauma-informed virtual care

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a rapid expansion of telehealth use in the U.S. While articles have been published on telehealth and best practices for patient-centered communication during the crisis, none have focused on applying principles of trauma-informed care until now.

9 Jul 2020

OU researcher receives $1.3 million grant to study stress-induced irritable bowel syndrome

Anyone who suffers from irritable bowel syndrome can testify to its signature trait: It gets worse during times of stress.

9 Jul 2020

CU researchers discover key role of specific brain cells during development

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have identified how specific brain cells interacting during development could be related to neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, including some that occur later in life.

9 Jul 2020

History of childhood abuse and intimate partner violence worsen women's posttraumatic symptoms

A study assessed the interaction of new and old relationship traumas among women three to 18 months after the birth of their child - one of the most challenging periods of their lives.

9 Jul 2020

DNA hypermethylation correlated with reduced amygdala volume in male patients with schizophrenia

Researchers at Kumamoto University, Japan have revealed that DNA methylation occurs in the gene that codes serotonin transporter (SERT), a protein that regulates neurotransmitter transmission, in schizophrenia and bipolar patients.

9 Jul 2020

Could Trump’s push to undo the ACA cause problems for COVID survivors? Biden thinks so.

The same day the Trump administration reaffirmed its support of a lawsuit that would invalidate all of the Affordable Care Act, Joe Biden sharply warned that the suit endangers millions of Americans.

9 Jul 2020

Study examines the long-term impacts of child abuse

In a new study published in the leading international journal, Child Abuse and Neglect, University of South Australia researchers have found that by their mid-teens, children who were the subject of child protective services contact, are up to 52 percent more likely to be hospitalized, for a range of problems, the most frequent being mental illness, toxic effects of drugs and physical injuries.

9 Jul 2020

Health care providers should increase access to nature, indicates study

While access to nature is an established social determinant of health with clear benefits to physical, mental, and social health, it does not receive as must attention by health care providers or health systems as other social concerns, according to a new piece by a Penn Medicine physician published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

9 Jul 2020

People with arthritis report worsening symptoms during Covid-19 lockdown

People with arthritis experienced a ‘roller coaster’ of emotions and saw their symptoms worsen during the Covid-19 lockdown – according to research from the University of East Anglia.

9 Jul 2020

Law enforcement and community partnership screen children for PTSD

The Child Trauma Response Team, innovative policy, and community-based organization partnership demonstrated success at screening and treating children for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) immediately following incidents of intimate partner violence, according to a Rutgers-led study published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

9 Jul 2020

New research shows promise for treating neuropsychiatric diseases

When trying to complete a task we are constantly bombarded by distracting stimuli. How does the brain filter out these distractions and enable us to focus on the task at hand?

9 Jul 2020

Electronic interventions more effective than face to face psychotherapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy delivered electronically to treat people with depression is more effective than face to face, suggests an evidence review led by McMaster University.

8 Jul 2020

Novel method helps assess health risks of hormone-disrupting chemicals in drinking water

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a new method that can make it easier for public authorities to assess the health risks of hormone-disrupting chemicals in the environment.

8 Jul 2020

Study: Cellular therapy can improve critical cases of COVID-19

A cellular therapy tested on 13 intubated patients with mechanical ventilation has shown to be efficient for the clinical improvement of critical cases of COVID-19.

8 Jul 2020

Research shows probiotics can help combat anxiety and depression

Previous research has tied mental health issues and developmental disorders to gut health. Now, a team of British scientists has shown that foods that broaden the profile of helpful bacteria in the gut, which are collectively known as probiotics, can help ease anxiety and depression.

7 Jul 2020

NIH study: Long-acting form of HIV prevention drug more effective than daily oral pill

A pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) regimen containing an investigational long-acting form of the HIV drug cabotegravir injected once every 8 weeks was more effective than daily oral Truvada at preventing HIV acquisition among cisgender men who have sex with men and transgender women who have sex with men in a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

7 Jul 2020

Fathers' social media posts can predict risk of postpartum depression

Fathers' prepartum social media posts can predict their risk of postpartum depression. A predictive model based on machine learning is described in the peer-reviewed journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

7 Jul 2020

Inadequate nighttime sleep alters children's emotional health

In a new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Candice Alfano, University of Houston professor of psychology and director of the Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, reports the results from an innovative, experimental study showing inadequate nighttime sleep alters several aspects of children's emotional health.

7 Jul 2020