Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Depressive episodes hard to treat in continuous cycling bipolar disorder

Patients with bipolar disorder who switch directly between mania and depression without a period of euthymia have a poor response to short-term antidepressant treatment, study findings indicate.

3 Dec 2014

Prodromal symptoms precede PD by up to a decade

Many prodromal symptoms of Parkinson’s disease appear long before a clinical diagnosis is made, shows a large study of patients in primary care.

3 Dec 2014

New MHA report calls on the country to address mental health issues

Our country is failing those in need of mental health services, according to a new report released by Mental Health America, the nation's leading community-based mental health advocacy organization. MHA for the first time has provided overall rankings for all 50 states and the District of Columbia on mental health status and access, and calls on the country to address mental health before Stage 4.

3 Dec 2014

Ten facts about Alzheimer's disease

Dr. Daniel Thomas will be conducting a ground-breaking study to determine if cognitive decline due to memory-destroying Alzheimer's disease can begin to be reversed in 90 days by combating the root causes using an innovative combination of diet, exercise, vitamin supplements, hormone therapy, and intravenous nutrition.

3 Dec 2014

SAFit-ligands provide foundation for novel treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders

The FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51) is an established risk factor for stress-related psychiatric disorders such as major depression. Drug discovery for FKBP51 has been hampered by the inability to pharmacologically differentiate against the very similar functional counterplayer FKBP52.

3 Dec 2014

Elevated anxious temperament associated with neuropeptide Y receptors

Persistent anxiety is one of the most common and distressing symptoms compromising mental health. Most of the research on the neurobiology of anxiety has focused on the generation of increased anxiety, i.e., the processes that "turn on" anxiety.

3 Dec 2014

Researchers find link between vitamin D deficiency and seasonal affective disorder

Vitamin D deficiency is not just harmful to physical health--it also might impact mental health, according to a team of researchers that has found a link between seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, and a lack of sunlight.

3 Dec 2014

Young adults who skip college are at higher risk for nonmedical prescription opioid use

A study just released by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health compared the use of prescription opioids and stimulants among high school graduates, non-graduates, and their college-attending peers, and found that young adults who do not attend college are at particularly high risk for nonmedical prescription opioid use and disorder.

2 Dec 2014

Otsuka Pharmaceutical to acquire Avanir Pharmaceuticals for $3.5B

Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. pursuant to which Otsuka will acquire Avanir for $17.00 per share in cash.

2 Dec 2014

New approach can prevent chronic marijuana use, relieve mood, anxiety disorders

Replenishing the supply of a molecule that normally activates cannabinoid receptors in the brain could relieve mood and anxiety disorders and enable some people to quit using marijuana, a Vanderbilt University study suggests.

2 Dec 2014

DFG to establish eight new Collaborative Research Centres

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) will establish eight new Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs).

2 Dec 2014

Griffith University student explores impact of computer games on older adults

Griffith University PhD student, Milton Nyawata, is looking for people over the age of 60 to take part in a study into the effects of computer games on older Australians.

1 Dec 2014

PET/CT may improve differentiation of PTSD from MTBI

Hybrid imaging with positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) in the pituitary region of the brain is a promising tool for differentiating military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from those with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

1 Dec 2014

Grand Challenges Canada announces $1.2 million in grant for 11 new global health innovations

Grand Challenges Canada, funded by the Government of Canada, today announced $1.2 million in funding for 11 new global health innovations implemented in member states of La Francophonie.

29 Nov 2014

DFG to establish new Collaborative Research Centres

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) will establish eight new Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs).

29 Nov 2014

EMAHSN extends IPS scheme to support people with mental health illness

The 8 December will see the first step in an East Midlands wide approach to supporting people with mental health illness back in to work or education. The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network is championing and extending a widely proven scheme called Individual Placement and Support (IPS) across the region.

28 Nov 2014

Better Care for People with Bipolar Disorder: A new booklet to be launched in December 2014

Bipolar Disorder is in the top 20 causes of years lost due to illness in the world among all health conditions. It affects 1.4% of the population and lasts for the rest of the person’s life. People diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder are 20 times more likely than the general public to commit suicide. In 2007 service provision costs for Bipolar Disorder and related conditions were estimated to be £1.6 billion. This is projected to increase to £2.6 billion by 2026.

28 Nov 2014

Researchers discover molecular switch that triggers stress processes in the brain

At the Center for Brain Research at the MedUni Vienna an important factor for stress has been identified in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm (Sweden). This is the protein secretagogin that plays an important role in the release of the stress hormone CRH and which only then enables stress processes in the brain to be transmitted to the pituitary gland and then onwards to the organs.

28 Nov 2014

Assessing patient's decision-making capacity

Physicians often find it hard to tell if a patient suffering from dementia or depression is capable of making sound judgements. This is shown by a study conducted within the scope of the National Research Programme "End of Life" (NRP 67). The Central Ethics Committee of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences now aims to elaborate new assessment principles.

28 Nov 2014

Psychopathology persists in ultra-high-risk psychosis patients

Patients at ultra-high-risk for psychosis frequently have nonpsychotic disorders and often continue to experience attenuated psychotic symptoms, even if they do not transition to clinical psychosis, a study shows.

27 Nov 2014