Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Neuropsychologic decline precedes schizophrenia onset

Researchers have confirmed that neuropsychologic functioning declines in individuals with schizophrenia from before to after illness onset.

18 Sep 2013

Guidance for medication in bipolar depression published

Solid evidence to guide the use of antidepressants in patients with bipolar disorder is “remarkably limited,” says the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Task Force.

18 Sep 2013

Nonmotor symptoms contribute to early Parkinson’s subtypes

Researchers have characterized four distinct subgroups of patients with early Parkinson’s disease, distinguished by both motor and nonmotor symptoms.

18 Sep 2013

Smokers with a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) taking varenicline have significantly higher likelihood of quitting smoking than placebo

Results of a Pfizer-commissioned study published this month in Annals of Internal Medicine reveal that smokers with a past or present diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD)* taking varenicline had a significantly higher likelihood of quitting smoking (after 12 weeks and at 52 weeks) than those who were given a placebo.

18 Sep 2013

Children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome may often be misdiagnosed to have autism

Children with a genetic disorder called 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, who frequently are believed to also have autism, often may be misidentified because the social impairments associated with their developmental delay may mimic the features of autism, a study by researchers with the UC Davis MIND Institute suggests.

18 Sep 2013

Young women with critical mothers likelier to have disordered eating attitudes

Young women with critical, over-involved mothers likelier to have poor social skills and disordered eating attitudes.

18 Sep 2013

Emotional stress, cognitive impairment linked to early hospital readmission of heart patients

Heart patients' mental state and thinking abilities may help predict whether costly and potentially dangerous early hospital readmission will follow their release after treatment, according to the results of a significant new study by Henry Ford Hospital researchers.

18 Sep 2013

Cardiovascular mortality in schizophrenia may be underestimated

Cardiovascular causes account for about a quarter of deaths of patients with schizophrenia and may also contribute to the high rate of unexplained deaths, say researchers.

17 Sep 2013

International review shows links between racism and child and youth health outcomes

An international review led by the University of Melbourne has found children and young people experience poor mental health, depression and anxiety following experiences of racism.

17 Sep 2013

Non-physical abuse by dating partner can have serious effect on teenager's health and well-being

Non-physical abuse by a dating partner such as threats, controlling behavior and harassing text messages can have a serious effect on a teenager's health and well-being, finds new research led by a Michigan State University scholar.

17 Sep 2013

New study finds more burnout, depression among physicians who work long hours

Spare a thought for American doctors and their partners: because of long working hours and dedication to their work, they seem to have more squabbles over home and family responsibilities than people in most other professions.

17 Sep 2013

Varenicline drug helps people with depression quit smoking, say researchers

About half of smokers seeking treatment for smoking cessation have a history of depression. Compared with smokers who are not depressed, those who suffer from a major depressive disorder have greater difficulty quitting.

17 Sep 2013

State highlights: Analysis finds no imminent patient danger before Texas abortion law; N.M. fraud investigation disrupts mental health care

In their successful push this summer for strict new regulations on abortion facilities and the doctors performing them, proponents said the legislation was needed because conditions at existing facilities made it unsafe for women seeking to terminate pregnancies. But a Texas Tribune review of state inspection records for 36 abortion clinics from the year preceding the lawmakers' vote turned up little evidence to suggest that the facilities were putting patients in imminent danger.

17 Sep 2013

Extreme binge drinking common among high school seniors

Consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in a row is common among high school seniors, with some students engaging in extreme binge drinking of as many as 15 or more drinks, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.

17 Sep 2013

Understanding essential role of gut microbes in immune system

A new understanding of the essential role of gut microbes in the immune system may hold the key to dealing with some of the more significant health problems facing people in the world today, Oregon State University researchers say in a new analysis.

17 Sep 2013

Patients with pre-existing dementia may experience delirium when hospitalized

More than half of all patients with pre-existing dementia will experience delirium while hospitalized. Failing to detect and treat their delirium early leads to a faster decline of both their physical and mental health, according to health researchers.

17 Sep 2013

Oxytocin shows evidence of therapeutic value for autism, schizophrenia

The hormone oxytocin could play a role in treating psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia, according to a review article in the September Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

17 Sep 2013