Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Researchers identify gene linked to common cause of lower back pain

Researchers at King's College London have for the first time identified a gene linked to age-related degeneration of the intervertebral discs in the spine, a common cause of lower back pain.

24 Sep 2012

BioLineRx receives U.S. patent allowance for BL-1020 to treat schizophrenia

BioLineRx, a biopharmaceutical development company, announced today that a Notice of Allowance has been received from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) claiming the crystalline form of BL-1020, a first-in-class orally available treatment for schizophrenia.

24 Sep 2012

Researchers solve mystery of radial glial cells

Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have solved an important piece of one of neuroscience's outstanding puzzles: how progenitor cells in the developing mammalian brain reproduce themselves while also giving birth to neurons that will populate the emerging cerebral cortex, the seat of cognition and executive function in the mature brain.

24 Sep 2012

Many public safety-net hospitals are likely to face financial and competitive pressures

Many public safety-net hospitals are likely to face increasing financial and competitive pressures stemming in part from the recent Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act, according to researchers at Penn State and the Harvard School of Public Health.

24 Sep 2012

Maternal choline intake could essentially change fetal genetic expression into adulthood

Just as women are advised to get plenty of folic acid around the time of conception and throughout early pregnancy, new research suggests another very similar nutrient may one day deserve a spot on the obstetrician's list of recommendations.

24 Sep 2012

SAMHSA to unveil results of 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will unveil the results of the latest (2011) National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) at a press conference on Monday, September 24, 2012.

24 Sep 2012

Adding missing protein to infertile human sperm can 'kick-start' its ability to fertilise eggs

Adding a missing protein to infertile human sperm can 'kick-start' its ability to fertilise an egg and dramatically increase the chances of a successful pregnancy, a team of Cardiff University scientists have uncovered.

21 Sep 2012

Physical and mental health improves on moving to lower-poverty neighborhood

Moving from a high-poverty to lower-poverty neighborhood spurs long-term gains in the physical and mental health of low-income adults, as well as a substantial increase in their happiness, despite not improving economic self-sufficiency, according to a new study published in the Sept. 20 issue of Science by researchers at the University of Chicago and partners at other institutions.

21 Sep 2012

State roundup: Big changes ahead for Mich. Blue Cross; End-of-life planning programs spreading; Texas mental health treatment shortage

The Michigan Legislature took its first steps Wednesday toward tackling a proposed overhaul of the state's largest health insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Senate Insurance Committee Chairman Joe Hune introduced bills that would end the nonprofit health insurer's tax-exempt status and align it with competitors.

21 Sep 2012

Free bus passes for over-60’s could encourage physical activity

Free bus passes for over-60s may be encouraging older people to be more physically active, say the authors of a study published today in the American Journal of Public Health.

21 Sep 2012

Bipolar patients show poor HRQoL regardless of treatment setting

Patients with bipolar disorder who present for treatment in primary care settings and those who present at community mental health clinics have equally poor health-related quality of life, US research shows.

21 Sep 2012

Prevalence of sexual violence against mental health patients ‘alarming’

Around a fifth of patients with mental illnesses report being the victims of sexual violence, results from a Brazilian study show.

21 Sep 2012

Cedars-Sinai neurologist to study MS-related depression

Living every day with a life-changing illness is discouraging enough, but Maryam Hosseinzadeh is one of 400,000 people in the United States battling multiple sclerosis, a disorder that by changing the brain's makeup appears capable of generating the secondary ill of depression.

21 Sep 2012

Concordia study shows childhood friends can forecast adulthood success

Even on the playground, our friends know us better than we know ourselves. New research has revealed that your childhood peers from grade school may be able to best predict your success as an adult.

21 Sep 2012

Positive results from Galleon GAL-021 second Phase I study on respiratory depression

Galleon Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of novel medicines to treat breathing control disorders, today announced that results from a second Phase I clinical study of its investigational drug GAL-021 confirmed previous findings that the drug has dose-dependent effects on respiration.

21 Sep 2012

Early warning signs detected by half of BD patients

Almost half of patients with bipolar disorder are able to recognize early warning signs of a mood episode, Australian researchers report.

20 Sep 2012

Social anxiety common in remitted schizophrenia patients

Social anxiety is common in schizophrenia patients who are in remission and is associated with reduced quality of life, Japanese study results show.

20 Sep 2012

NIH announces multiple awards to UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment

The National Institutes of Health, recognizing UCLA's preeminence in both research and clinical care for children with autism, has announced multiple awards to the university as part of the agency's Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) research program.

20 Sep 2012

Department of Psychiatry announces opening of NYU Langone's Military Family Clinic

The Department of Psychiatry is pleased to announce the opening of the Military Family Clinic at NYU Langone Medical Center, the first clinic of its kind in New York City to provide important mental health and clinical services for both returning veterans and their supportive families.

20 Sep 2012

Molecular disruptions in granule cells cause epileptic seizures in mice

Scientists have discovered the first direct evidence that a biological mechanism long suspected in epilepsy is capable of triggering brain seizures – opening the door for studies to seek improved treatments or even preventative therapies.

20 Sep 2012