Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

New study sheds light on anorexia nervosa

A study led by Howard Steiger, PhD, head of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute Eating Disorders Program, in Montreal, in collaboration with Linda Booij, a researcher with Sainte-Justine Hospital and an assistant professor at Queen's University, is the first to observe effects suggesting that the longer one suffers from active anorexia nervosa (AN), the more likely they are to show disorder-relevant alterations in DNA methylation.

9 Feb 2015

Children with history of institutional care have increased risk for autism, shows study

A recent study published in the February 2015 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry demonstrates that children who were abandoned to institutional care have an increased risk for behaviors similar to those seen in children with autism, including impaired social communication.

9 Feb 2015

Study explores effects of medical marijuana in children and teens with ASD, ADHD

As medical marijuana becomes increasingly accepted, there is growing interest in its use for children and adolescents with developmental and behavioral problems such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a review in the February Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

9 Feb 2015

Added benefit of lurasidone drug not proven for schizophrenia

The drug lurasidone (trade name Latuda) has been available since November 2014 for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care examined in a dossier assessment whether this new drug offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy.

8 Feb 2015

Study gives better look at how parents experience stress

In stressful family circumstances, parenthood sometimes take a bigger toll on fathers' mental health.

6 Feb 2015

Psychiatric Times introduces new information on anxiety disorders

UBM Medica US announces that Psychiatric Times, a leading online community for mental health professionals, introduces the latest information on anxiety disorders.

6 Feb 2015

Newly found peptide may reduce desire for food

Researchers have identified a peptide and hormone that when administered to a specific area of the brain may reduce the desire for food. The study, which appears in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, may one day lead to medications that treat obesity and binge eating disorders.

5 Feb 2015

New research shows that time-based intervention can improve self-control

A study conducted by researchers at Kansas State University is the first to demonstrate increases in both self-control and timing precision as a result of a time-based intervention. This new research may be an important clue for developing behavioral approaches to treat disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance abuse and obesity.

5 Feb 2015

Researchers report that neurons in the brain are connected like a social network

Neurons in the brain are wired like a social network, report researchers from Biozentrum, University of Basel. Each nerve cell has links with many others, but the strongest bonds form between the few cells most similar to each other.

5 Feb 2015

Endogenous cannabinoids linked to weight gain in people with schizophrenia

Cannabinoids may be involved in the weight gain that occurs in people with schizophrenia who are treated with the antipsychotic olanzapine, according to a pilot study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology by researchers at the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal and Université de Montréal.

5 Feb 2015

Study examines four risk factors that can lead families to varying degrees of hunger

Food insecurity creates a host of unhealthy consequences. The roads leading there can be very different. Understanding those differences may provide a clearer picture of hunger in families and a better way of responding to families' needs. A University of Houston study examined four risk factors for families that can lead to varying degrees of hunger.

5 Feb 2015

Johns Hopkins student wins NCRC's 2015 Grand Prize

The National Collegiate Research Conference sponsored by the Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association awarded its 2015 Grand Prize to Mahima Sukumar, an undergraduate student at The Johns Hopkins University, working in the lab of Keri Martinowich, Ph.D., at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development.

5 Feb 2015

Brain scans can predict therapeutic responses to talk therapy

UNC School of Medicine researchers have shown that brain scans can predict which patients with clinical depression are most likely to benefit from a specific kind of talk therapy.

4 Feb 2015

Researchers identify a common pattern across different psychiatric disorders

In a study analyzing whole-brain images from nearly 16,000 people, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine identified a common pattern across a spectrum of psychiatric disorders that are widely perceived to be quite distinct.

4 Feb 2015

Loyola psychiatrist achieves Distinguished Life Fellow status in the American Psychiatric Association

Loyola University Medical Center psychiatrist Murali Rao, MD, has achieved Distinguished Life Fellow status in the American Psychiatric Association, the highest honor the profession can bestow.

4 Feb 2015

Women’s risk factors for heart disease

Heart disease is often thought of as a health problem for men, but more and more women die of heart disease each year than men, and from any other disease including breast cancer.

4 Feb 2015

Two women's wellness practices at MedStar Washington Hospital Center awarded SCOPE certification

Two women's wellness practices at MedStar Washington Hospital Center have been awarded the Safety Certification in Outpatient Practice Excellence for Women's Health by the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists.

4 Feb 2015

Loyola's Murali Rao achieves Distinguished Life Fellow status

Loyola University Medical Center psychiatrist Murali Rao, MD, has achieved Distinguished Life Fellow status in the American Psychiatric Association, the highest honor the profession can bestow.

4 Feb 2015

EyeBrain raises €1.3 million ($1.47 million) through crowdfunding

EyeBrain, a company that develops markers of cerebral function for neurological and psychiatric disorders and diseases, today announces the conclusion of a new round of funding. A total of €1.3 million ($1.47 million) has been raised with the support of EyeBrain’s shareholders, the Fonds Régional de Co-Investissement d’Ile-de-France (FRCI, regional joint investment fund for the Ile-de-France or Greater Paris area) and the Anaxago crowdfunding platform.

4 Feb 2015

Canadian Veterans of FSSF honoured with U.S. Congressional Gold Medal

The Honourable Erin O'Toole, Minister of Veterans Affairs, today represented the Government of Canada at an event honouring Canadian Veterans of the 1st Special Service Force (FSSF), more famously known as the Devil's Brigade.

4 Feb 2015