Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Health law allows more young adults to get health care - but with cost implications

A study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute offers insights regarding the impact of the health law's provision allowing young adults to stay on their parents' health plans.

15 Apr 2013

New research shows effects of long-term use of opioid therapy

Half of patients on high-dose, long-term opioid therapy had hormonal disturbances or signs of inflammation, while 100 percent reported improved pain control and mental outlook, new research shows.

15 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 12, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about a new study measuring how the health law has expanded young adults access to care.

12 Apr 2013

Manchester study gives full picture of falls in people with rheumatoid arthritis

One in three people with rheumatoid arthritis, regardless of their age, will fall once or more times a year, according to a new University of Manchester study.

12 Apr 2013

Nalmefene can provide important clinical benefit for alcohol-dependent patients

A potential new treatment for alcoholism called nalmefene is effective and safe for reducing alcohol consumption in alcohol dependent individuals, says a new study published this week in Biological Psychiatry.

12 Apr 2013

Report shows interventions that can effectively treat PTSD are not being used

Post-traumatic stress disorder affects nearly 8 million adults in any given year, federal statistics show. Fortunately, clinical research has identified certain psychological interventions that effectively ameliorate the symptoms of PTSD. But most people struggling with PTSD don't receive those treatments, according to a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest.

12 Apr 2013

Stigma of mental illness, a public health concern

An international study found that despite widespread acceptance that mental illness is a disease that can be effectively treated, a common "backbone" of prejudice exists that unfairly paints people with conditions such as depression and schizophrenia as undesirable for close personal relationships and positions of authority.

12 Apr 2013

Antipsychotics seemed to normalize gene expression pattern in people with bipolar disorder: Study

Every day, millions of people with bipolar disorder take medicines that help keep them from swinging into manic or depressed moods.

12 Apr 2013

Viewpoints: GOP leaders reject Obama's budget compromise; President's entitlements proposal is 'modest;' Mental illness in prison

Curbing the rise of Social Security benefits and raising Medicare premiums for higher-income people were two of the highest priorities for Republican leaders just a few months ago. Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, said last fall that if Mr. Obama proposed them, he would consider allowing tax revenue to go up.

12 Apr 2013

State highlights: Blue Shield could lose exclusive contract for Calif. workers, retirees; Texas health commission asks for increase in Medicaid premiums

Blue Shield of California may be losing its longtime grip on one of the health care industry's most coveted insurance contracts. Officials at the California Public Employees' Retirement System are recommending breaking up Blue Shield's current statewide HMO contract and replacing it with as many as four health plans for more than 400,000 public workers and their families (Terhune, 4/11).

12 Apr 2013

Illuminating deep mysteries of brain

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Washington University in St. Louis developed ultrathin, flexible optoelectronic devices - including LEDs the size of individual neurons - that are lighting the way for neuroscientists in the field of optogenetics and beyond.

12 Apr 2013

Obama budget would replace SGR formula, boost Medicaid, mental health

Among the changes included in the president's 2014 budget blueprint are the elimination of the SGR formula to set Medicare physician payment rates, and funding boosts for mental health and food and drug safety. The proposal also delays funding cuts to hospitals that treat the uninsured.

12 Apr 2013

Improving early childhood development of children of AIDS patients

A simple in-home training program for caregivers can give children of AIDS patients a better shot at prosperity by improving their early-childhood development, according to a study led by a Michigan State University researcher.

12 Apr 2013

New initiative launched to create more effective ED therapies based on brain imaging studies

Current treatments for anorexia and bulimia nervosa, which afflict an estimated 10 to 24 million Americans, are often limited and ineffective.

12 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 11, 2013

Today's headlines include details regarding how Medicare and Medicaid, as well as funding for the health law's implementation, fared in President Barack Obama's budget plan.

11 Apr 2013

Roundup: Minn. Democrats push pay hike for nursing home workers; Colo. official warns of possible exchange delays due to IT

A selection of health policy stories from Minnesota, Colorado, New York, Delaware, Georgia, Oregon, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Massachusetts and California.

11 Apr 2013