Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Women working long hours may be working themselves sick

Research published this week shows that women working long hours for many years are at increased risk of developing life-threatening illnesses. Diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis were three times more common among women who worked an average of 60 hours or more per week for 30 years compared with women working fewer hours.

17 Jun 2016

Shire introduces third annual Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards

Shire plc today launches the third annual Excellence in ADHD Patient Group Awards celebrating outstanding work by patient advocacy organisations around the world that aim to improve the lives of people with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

17 Jun 2016

Zeiger’s cognitive behavioral therapy program helps school-aged children deal with anxiety issues

Change can be hard for many people. For kids - who often thrive on routine and predictability - the transition from school year to summer and into a new academic year can bring uncertainty that can trigger anxiety and behavioral problems.

16 Jun 2016

Long work hours may triple risk of life-threatening illnesses in women

Women who put in long hours for the bulk of their careers may pay a steep price: life-threatening illnesses, including heart disease and cancer.

16 Jun 2016

Study evaluates rate of depression in mothers based on different onset times

Postpartum depression--a household term since actress Brooke Shields went public in 2005 about her struggle with it--is indeed serious. But depression that begins before or during pregnancy is often more severe because it lasts longer and usually goes undetected until the doctor screens for it after the birth of the baby, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

16 Jun 2016

Nightly fluctuations in sleep predict worse daytime mood in healthy adolescents

A new study of adolescents suggests that obtaining an insufficient amount of sleep increases variability in sadness, anger, energy and feelings of sleepiness.

16 Jun 2016

Study finds high prevalence of suicide attempts among arthritis patients

One in every 26 men with arthritis have attempted suicide compared to one in 50 men without arthritis. Women with arthritis also had a higher prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts than women without arthritis (5.3% vs 3.2%), according to a recent study from the University of Toronto.

16 Jun 2016

Maternal SRI treatment may cause microscopic changes in fetal brain structure

A new Finnish study shows that fetal exposure to commonly used SRI drugs may affect brain activity in newborns. The researchers suggest that the effects of drugs on fetal brain function should be assessed more carefully.

15 Jun 2016

Child adversities linked to high rates of adult insomnia

According to a new study, child adversities, which are known to play an important role in mental and physical health, are also associated with poor sleep.

15 Jun 2016

Researcher traces origins of double-trauma amnesia cure belief

Spiers, PhD, associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Psychology, traced the origins of the double-trauma amnesia cure belief in a paper for Neurology titled, "The Head Trauma Amnesia Cure: The Making of a Medical Myth."

15 Jun 2016

IVR system with brief intervention message encourages patients to talk to doctors about drinking habits

Primary care doctors are reluctant to talk to patients about their drinking habits, for fear of being perceived as judgmental. But a simple, intervention that encourages discussion could resolve this issue, according to a recent study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

15 Jun 2016

New survey reveals more than half of patients prescribed opioids have leftover pills

In the midst of an epidemic of prescription painkiller addiction and overdose deaths, a new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health survey suggests that more than half of patients prescribed opioids have leftover pills -- and many save them to use later.

14 Jun 2016

Marijuana and alcohol use during adolescence linked to poor academic performance, mental health

Adolescents who use both marijuana and alcohol during middle school and high school are more likely to have poor academic performance and mental health during high school, according to a new study by the nonprofit RAND Corporation that followed a group of students over a seven-year period.

14 Jun 2016

AASM releases recommendations to reduce sleep-related health problems in children, teenagers

For the first time, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has released official consensus recommendations for the amount of sleep needed to promote optimal health in children and teenagers to avoid the health risks of insufficient sleep.

14 Jun 2016

AASM release pediatric sleep recommendations

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), an organisation that supports and promotes better sleep health, has released guidelines on the number of hours of sleep that children and teenagers need to minimise sleep related health problems.

14 Jun 2016

Nearly half of newly-infected HIV patients experience neurologic issues

A team led by researchers from UCSF and Yale has found that half of people newly infected with HIV experience neurologic issues. These neurologic findings are generally not severe and usually resolve after participants started anti-retroviral therapy.

14 Jun 2016

Natural tendency to self-restrict time in bed can protect against chronic insomnia

Twenty to 50 percent of Americans suffer from acute insomnia each year, defined as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, three or more nights per week, for between two weeks and three months.

13 Jun 2016

Facebook advertising could be more effective way of identifying IBP patients

The results of a UK study presented today at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress showed that busing Facebook to raise awareness about the symptoms of Inflammatory Back Pain (IBP) and the need to seek medical help early may reduce the delay in diagnosis and treatment.

13 Jun 2016

High-quality palliative care can help offset severe anxiety symptoms in terminal cancer patients

A new study out of Chang Gung University School of Nursing in Taiwan suggests that people with cancer experience severe anxiety toward end of life, not solely due to proximity to death, but rather to factors related to psychosocial issues and disease burden.

13 Jun 2016

Study sheds light on why many RA patients do not adhere to treatment

Two new studies presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress have shed light on why so many patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) do not adhere to their therapy, even in the early stages of their treatment.

13 Jun 2016