Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

RNA sequencing unlocks bipolar secrets

An RNA sequencing study of patients with bipolar disorder has shown altered expression of genes and transcripts, including those involved in neuroplasticity and circadian rhythms.

16 Jan 2014

Economic crisis worsens mental health problems in men

Experts and social organizations have warned of the negative effects that the economic crisis could mean for the health of the population. But it was not easy to demonstrate with data what is happening. A new comparative analysis of the last two National Health Surveys revealed a rise in mental health problems in men (from 15% in 2006 to 17% in 2012), which contrasts on the other hand with a decrease in women (25% in 2006 to 23% in 2012).

16 Jan 2014

New initiatives launched to improve workplace mental health across Canada

The Mental Health Commission of Canada, along with its partners, CSA Group and Bureau de normalisation du Québec, joined Labour Minister Dr. K. Kellie Leitch alongside business and labour leaders today to announce new initiatives to improve workplace mental health across Canada.

16 Jan 2014

Parental leave policies tend to reduce physical and mental stress levels in women

Government policies that allow both parents to take time off after a child is born provide positive benefits for the physical and mental health of women, according to a literature review that looked at the influence of public policies on women's overall health.

16 Jan 2014

Health law's prevention funds diverted to other programs in $1T spending bill

New details emerge about the cut to the health law's Prevention and Public Health Fund in the $1 trillion spending bill, but a jobless benefits extension in Congress stalls. In the meantime, a mental health plan pushed by President Obama will get spending bill funds.

16 Jan 2014

People who suffer from brain injuries, strokes often have problems paying attention, concentrating

The brain appears to synchronize the activity of different brain regions to make it possible for a person to pay attention or concentrate on a task, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have learned.

16 Jan 2014

Study links later school start times to improved sleep and mood in teens

Julie Boergers, Ph.D., a psychologist and sleep expert from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center, recently led a study linking later school start times to improved sleep and mood in teens.

16 Jan 2014

Study examines patient reactions to physician-inspired guilt and shame

Have you ever left a doctor's office feeling ashamed or guilty? Chances are one in two that you answered "yes," according to research from the University of California, San Diego. And what happened next? Perhaps you were motivated to make changes in an unhealthy behavior. Or, did you just lie to that doctor on subsequent visits? Avoid him or her? Maybe even terminate treatment entirely?

16 Jan 2014

New drug combination proves effective in treatment of hepatitis C

Efforts to cure hepatitis C, the liver-damaging infectious disease that has for years killed more Americans than HIV/AIDS, are about to get simpler and more effective, according to new research at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere.

16 Jan 2014

Psychiatry professor wins Presidential Early Career Award for research on post-traumatic stress disorder

Katherine Iverson, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Boston University School of Medicine, has been named as a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

16 Jan 2014

More evidence for glutamate dysregulation in schizophrenia

Levels of glutamine, but not glutamate, are elevated in the dorsal anterior cingulate of patients with established schizophrenia, say researchers.

15 Jan 2014

First Edition: January 15, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about the announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services that people who get their health insurance through high-risk insurance pools will have an extra two months before this program ends.

15 Jan 2014

Cognigram can detect early signs of MCI and Alzheimer’s disease

For patients over the age of 50, a routine physical exam at the doctor’s office typically covers a wide spectrum of medical biomarkers with one glaring exception, cognitive health. Unless there have been unusual mental changes or challenges in their daily life, tests of a patient’s attention, memory or brain processing speed is usually not part of a check-up.

15 Jan 2014

Research explores potential benefits of computer access to senior citizens' health

Louis Medvene, Wichita State University professor of psychology and director of the Social Relationships Research Workgroup, is exploring the potential benefits of computer access to senior citizens' health.

15 Jan 2014

More independent work environments may lead to reductions in autism symptoms

More independent work environments may lead to reductions in autism symptoms and improve daily living in adults with the disorder, according to a new study released in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

15 Jan 2014

New programme to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes in people with schizophrenia

A group of researchers, led by Professor Richard Holt at the University of Southampton, are to investigate whether people with schizophrenia or first episode psychosis are able to reduce their weight through a structured education programme.

14 Jan 2014

Researchers examine link between sexual hookup behavior and depression

Sexual experimentation outside of committed romantic relationships, or "hooking up," is typically portrayed by the media as unhealthy, especially for young women.

14 Jan 2014

Cortical thickness changes may contribute to early schizophrenia

Altered cortical thickness is related to the severity of positive symptoms in patients with first-episode schizophrenia, but not to the duration of untreated illness, report researchers.

14 Jan 2014

Distinct developmental trajectories for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Early diagnoses given to patients with a final diagnosis of bipolar disorder are markedly different from those given to patients with schizophrenia, a study shows.

14 Jan 2014

Smoking and cancer: an interview with Dr. Lewis Foxhall, VP of Health Policy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

The report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General, identified tobacco as the predominant cause of lung cancer in men. This was the first widely disseminated report based on scientific studies showing the clear link between smoking tobacco and serious health conditions including cancer, chronic lung diseases and heart disease.

13 Jan 2014