Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Research uncovers crucial receptor involved in response to fast-acting antidepressants

Effective treatment of clinical depression remains a major mental health issue, with roughly 30 percent of patients who do not respond to any of the available treatments.

29 Mar 2019

Allergic reactions trigger changes in brain behavior development in unborn males and females

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and colleagues at Ohio State University have discovered that allergic reactions trigger changes in brain behavior development in unborn males and females.

29 Mar 2019

Researchers identify 30 genes associated with schizophrenia

The research group led by Prof. Alex Schier, Director of the University of Basel's Biozentrum, has identified 30 genes associated with schizophrenia.

29 Mar 2019

Prescriptions for antidepressants have doubled over the last decade says NHS report

NHS figures reveal that over the last ten years, the number of prescriptions for antidepressants has doubled. There has also been a rise in the drugs prescribed for conditions resulting from unhealthy lifestyle behaviours.

29 Mar 2019

Woman who does not feel pain

A woman has been identified by doctors to be able to withstand pain. Surgeons were surprised to encounter her when they noticed that she made a completely painless recovery after a surgery.

28 Mar 2019

Virtual reality could be used to treat people with neurological disorders

Playing games in virtual reality (VR) could be a key tool in treating people with neurological disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.

28 Mar 2019

Episodes of psychosis linked to air pollution

A new study on teenagers living in England and Wales has found that psychotic experiences are becoming increasingly common due to exposure to pollution.

28 Mar 2019

Clinical trial examines medicinal cannabis as potential treatment for severe Tourette syndrome

A pioneering clinical trial investigating medicinal cannabis as a potential treatment for people living with severe Tourette syndrome will be conducted by Wesley Medical Research, in Brisbane in Australia, with cannabis supply facilitated by Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics at University of Sydney.

28 Mar 2019

Study explores how a hallucinogenic drug impacts the brains of mice

While there is increasing interest in using hallucinogenic drugs to treat conditions like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, scientists are just beginning to understand what these drugs actually do in the brain—and how they cause hallucinations.

27 Mar 2019

Male contraceptive pill crosses the human clinical trial hurdle

Birth control pills have been around for the past six decades but have been for use of women only. A team of researchers this week have announced the success of the first male birth control pill that could safely prevent pregnancy.

27 Mar 2019

Sitting for long durations linked to premature deaths

A new study has found that thousands of premature deaths are occurring in the UK due to the long hours people spend sitting down. The study results were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

26 Mar 2019

Advanced paternal age linked to increased schizophrenia risk in offspring

Advanced paternal age increases the risk in offspring of early-onset schizophrenia, a severe form of the disorder, according to a study in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier.

26 Mar 2019

Study: Sedentary behavior associated with 70,000 deaths per year in the UK

Researchers at Queen's have found that spending large amounts of time sitting or lounging around during the day is linked to around 70,000 deaths per year in the UK.

26 Mar 2019

Damage to anxiety-associated brain region heightens monkeys’ defensive response

Damage to parts of the orbitofrontal cortex heightens monkeys’ defensive response to non-threatening stimuli, according to new research published in JNeurosci. The study proposes a critical role for subregions of this brain area in different anxiety disorders.

From Society for Neuroscience 26 Mar 2019

Discrimination, PTSD linked to high preterm-birth rates among African-American women

African-American women are nearly twice as likely to give birth prematurely as white women. Such births often coincide with low birth weight, and together are linked to other developmental delays and health effects believed responsible for almost one-fifth of infant deaths nationwide.

26 Mar 2019

Mothers of fussy infants have greater odds of experiencing depressive symptoms

It's no secret that fussy newborns can be especially challenging for parents already facing physical and mental exhaustion from caring for a new baby.

26 Mar 2019

Women exposed to deepwater horizon oil spill continue to experience PTSD symptoms

A study led by LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health reports that women exposed to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill continue to experience symptoms of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. The results are published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, now available online.

26 Mar 2019