Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Research: Ageing and depression are associated with epigenetic changes

Psychological stress and stress-related psychiatric disorders are associated with increased risk for aging-related diseases, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this relation are unknown.

20 Oct 2014

New drug naming system to be presented at ECNP conference in Berlin

What's in a name? Doctors have found that the name of the drug you are prescribed significantly influences how the patient sees the treatment.

20 Oct 2014

Depression, anxiety after MI more common in women than men

Women are more likely to develop anxiety and depression after a heart attack (myocardial infarction; MI) than men, according to research presented at Acute Cardiovascular Care 2014 by Professor Pranas Serpytis from Lithuania.

20 Oct 2014

People with severe mental illness use YouTube to provide, receive peer support

People with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder use a popular social media website like YouTube to provide and receive naturally occurring peer support, Dartmouth researchers report in the journal PLOS ONE.

20 Oct 2014

Cannabis use during adolescence: an interview with Dr Edmund Silins

We know quite a lot about the effects of cannabis on the body and brain but there is still a need to better understand its impact on the health, well-being and development of long term users.

20 Oct 2014

Genome Canada awards $6M grant to CAMH and Assurex Health

Assurex Health and Canada's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) today announced they have received a $6 million grant from Genome Canada, an agency of the Canadian government, to study the benefits of genetic testing to guide medication decisions for patients with depression or schizophrenia.

17 Oct 2014

Researchers find poor access to outpatient psychiatric care in Boston, Chicago, Houston metro areas

Obtaining access to private outpatient psychiatric care in the Boston, Chicago and Houston metropolitan areas is difficult, even for those with private insurance or those willing to pay out of pocket, a new study by Harvard researchers shows.

17 Oct 2014

Early detection, increased public awareness can prevent suicide among youth

Although progress has been made in recent years, the matter of youth suicide in Quebec still needs to be more effectively addressed.

17 Oct 2014

Nurses play key role in assessing impact of head injury on patients, families

Families of patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) may expect them to return to normal quickly—after all, it's "just a concussion." But mild TBI can have a lasting impact on families as well as patients, according to a review in the November issue of American Journal of Nursing.

17 Oct 2014

Parental understanding regarding daily experiences may affect adolescent health, well-being

Adolescents whose parents better understand their daily experiences have better psychological adjustment, suggests a study in the October issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.

16 Oct 2014

California agency issues 'report cards' on insurers, medical groups

The California Office of the Patient Advocate Wednesday released the report cards, which are based on 2013 claims data and patient surveys, a month ahead of Covered California's 2015 open enrollment period.

16 Oct 2014

Half-day educational program can help educate women on side effects of cancer prevention surgery

More women are having ovary-removing surgery as a cancer prevention measure, but many are often unaware of sexual or psychological side effects of the procedure. A new study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute shows a half-day educational program can help successfully deal with these issues by educating women on how to address them.

16 Oct 2014

Union Hospital expands use of capnography to strengthen patient safety

Union Hospital recently strengthened patient safety measures by expanding its use of capnography to monitor patients capnography during patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) to regulate their pain after surgery.

16 Oct 2014

Study: More interventions needed for people with severe mental illnesses in criminal justice system

Responding to the large number of people with serious mental illnesses in the criminal justice system will require more than mental health services, according to a new report.

16 Oct 2014

Viewpoints: Health law undercuts labor markets; the surprising foes on Calif. Prop 45

A report out today from the Republican staff of the Senate Budget Committee highlights a critical point about Obamacare: The law's negative effect on labor markets helps explain why it will increase deficits by $131 billion over the next 10 years. This finding stands in stark contrast to Democrats' repeated assertions that the law will reduce the deficit. The public dialogue on Obamacare has thus far largely focused on how the law affects premiums and limits access to certain health insurance plans or doctors.

16 Oct 2014

State highlights: Ariz. agrees to settlement on health care for prisoners

Prop. 46 would make it mandatory for doctors to consult the database. California would become one of nine states requiring doctors to check before prescribing painkillers to first-time patients. After passing similar laws, Tennessee and New York saw a significant reduction in the number of narcotics prescriptions written. Studies have verified the correlation, but acknowledge that drug abusers may be turning to street drugs, like heroin. Many doctors in California like the database. Some have called it 'indispensable.' But they don't like being told how to practice medicine (Dembosky, 10/14).

16 Oct 2014

ADHD increases major depression to bipolar disorder conversion

Young people with major depression have an increased risk of conversion to bipolar disorder if they have comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, suggest findings from a longitudinal follow-up study.

15 Oct 2014

Cardiometabolic health intervention urged for schizophrenia patients

Research shows high cardiometabolic risk, particularly increased dyslipidaemia and smoking, but little related medical treatment in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

15 Oct 2014

Pregnant women with low vitamin D levels experience more pain during labor

Pregnant women with low vitamin D levels experience an increased amount of pain during labor, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2014 annual meeting. Vitamin D deficiency has long been associated with depression and pain, but this is the first study to demonstrate its association with increased consumption of pain medication during childbirth.

15 Oct 2014

Systematic review finds higher levels of multimorbidity in women

In the context of an aging population, the number of cases of people with multimorbidity, or multiple health conditions, is increasing, creating significant healthcare challenges. Now, the first comprehensive systematic review in this field has found higher levels of multimorbidity in women. Equally as importantly, it has revealed the poor quality of evidence on this increasingly critical area of healthcare.

15 Oct 2014