Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Continuity of care can improve health outcomes for patients with severe mental illness

The chances of a patient with a serious mental illness ending up in hospital because of their condition are reduced by almost 40 per cent if they have a care plan, according to the research.

4 Nov 2019

Tweets could be used to predict loneliness in Twitter users

Loneliness is estimated to affect roughly one in five adults in the United States. It also stands as a public health crisis because loneliness has been tied to depression, cardiovascular disease and dementia, among other conditions.

4 Nov 2019

E-cigarette use does not appear to be associated with conventional cigarette smoking

A new study in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, published by Oxford University Press, suggests that adolescent e-cigarette users are more similar to conventional cigarette smokers than they are to non-tobacco users in terms of demographics and behavioral characteristics.

4 Nov 2019

Suicide reporting guidelines not followed by media when reporting a celebrity suicide death

Research shows media coverage of a celebrity suicide has the potential to increase the risk for contagion, especially among vulnerable individuals.

2 Nov 2019

New innovations in technology aim to improve treatment of PTSD among veterans

New technology aims to improve the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder by allowing veterans to virtually take their doctor with them during prolonged exposure therapy. The system gives the doctor physical and psychological information about the veterans in real time.

2 Nov 2019

UH receives $15 million gift from Cutler family to transform men's health care

Health care statistics for men are bleak: less than 50 percent have a primary care provider, their life expectancy is seven years less than women, fewer than half the men suffering from depression seek treatment and men have higher death rates than women in 14 of the top 15 leading causes of death.

1 Nov 2019

Study uncovers cause for spatial-memory deficits in people with Down syndrome

Professor Juan Lerma's group, from the UMH-CSIC Institute of Neurosciences, in Alicante, has identified the gene called GRIK1, fundamental in the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain, as one of the causes for people with Down syndrome having spatial orientation problems.

1 Nov 2019

Opioid misuse greatly increases chance of major depressive episode among teen girls

New research by Keith Chan of UAlbany's School of Social Welfare shows that among girls ages 12-17, the misuse of opioids greatly increases the chance of having a major depressive episode. Prescription opioids may include oxycodone, hydrocodone and fentanyl.

1 Nov 2019

Physical activity can reduce risk of death among older adults

For older adults, being physically active is an important part of overall good health. In fact, experts say that nine percent of all premature deaths are caused by not getting enough physical activity. Physical activity is known to reduce deaths from heart disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease, and mental illness.

1 Nov 2019

Popular health campaigns aren’t always the most productive, says new study

Researchers have found that just because a public health campaign is popular among the digital community, it doesn’t mean it will produce gains in healthy behavior. This study, published in Lancet Oncology, concludes that in addition to attractive slogans or easy-to-understand captions and images, the relevance of the focused health issue to the target audience and to current guidelines may guide audience behavior.

31 Oct 2019

Pilot project in Mozambique dramatically shrinks epilepsy treatment gap

A four-year pilot project in Mozambique has reduced the epilepsy treatment gap by more than 30% and is now being rolled out to the entire country.

31 Oct 2019

Screening tool in pediatric ER accurately estimates suicide risk among youth

A suicide risk screening tool that Johns Hopkins Medicine implemented in its pediatric emergency department six years ago appears to provide an accurate gauge of which youth are most vulnerable and has identified more than 2,000 patients who might benefit from mental health treatment and resources, according to a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

31 Oct 2019