Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Brain activity patterns may aid mental illness diagnosis

The identification of neural activity patterns in response to facial expressions of emotion may help in the diagnoses of mental illness, say researchers.

10 Jul 2012

Emotion awareness linked to social functioning in schizophrenia

Emotion awareness and regulation deficits are significantly associated with reduced social functioning in patients with schizophrenia, research shows.

10 Jul 2012

Nearly 3.8M California adults are food insecure: New policy brief

An estimated 3.8 million California adults - particularly those in households with children, as well as low-income Latinos - could not afford to put adequate food on the table during the recent recession, according to a new policy brief by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

10 Jul 2012

Researchers investigate whether PTSD is a brain disorder

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) are investigating whether post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a brain disorder that can affect multiple parts of the body and cause lifelong illnesses.

10 Jul 2012

New monitoring approach could improve quality of HIV care for prisoners

A new monitoring approach developed by researchers from The Miriam Hospital could close a major gap by providing the ability to track whether HIV-positive prisoners are getting the community-based HIV care they need once they are released.

10 Jul 2012

Federal government commits $11B to expand operating capacity of FQHC and look-alike clinics

The federal government has committed $11 billion to expand the operating capacity of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), which receive federal funding and enhanced Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement, and "look-alike" clinics that receive enhanced reimbursement but no federal grants.

10 Jul 2012

Iron supplementation decreases fatigue by almost 50% in nonanemic women

Iron supplementation reduced fatigue by almost 50% in women who are low in iron but not anemic, according to the results of a clinical trial published July 9 in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

10 Jul 2012

Adiponectin reduces depression-like symptoms in mice

A hormone with anti-diabetic properties also reduces depression-like symptoms in mice, researchers from the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio reported today.

10 Jul 2012

Questionnaire may aid rheumatoid arthritis flare diagnosis

French researchers have created a 13-item patient-administered questionnaire for identifying a recent or present rheumatoid arthritis flare.

9 Jul 2012

Childbearing may reduce mortality in later life

All-cause mortality rates fall progressively among women aged 60–76 years the more children they have borne, show Australian study results.

9 Jul 2012

Stroke Telemedicine: An interview with Séamus Watson

Stroke is the third largest cause of death in England. (1) It is a condition that requires rapid assessment and treatment to reduce deaths, disability and the risk of having another stroke. (2)

9 Jul 2012

Positive data from Tonix's sublingual TNX-102 PK study for fibromyalgia

Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing non-addictive treatments for chronic pain syndromes, including fibromyalgia, reported positive data from an animal pharmacokinetic study of its novel sublingual formulation of TNX-102, the Company's very low dose cyclobenzaprine.

9 Jul 2012

Treatment of Schizophrenia receives notice of intention to grant a European patent

BioLineRx (NASDAQ:BLRX)(TASE:BLRX), a biopharmaceutical development company, announced today that it has received from the European Patent Office a notice of intention to grant a European patent claiming the salt of BL-1020, a first-in-class orally available treatment for schizophrenia.

9 Jul 2012

Does alcohol kill brain cells?

Several origins have been suggested for the idea that alcohol kills brain cells. Some link it to the temperance movement, which called for prohibition of alcohol.

9 Jul 2012

Levindale Auxiliary dedicates unique sensory garden to enrich residents' lives

The Levindale Auxiliary has dedicated a unique sensory garden to enrich the lives of residents, employees and visitors at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital by awakening their powers of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch in a peaceful setting.

6 Jul 2012

Exercise has clear benefits for physical and mental health according to current evidence

In the first Series paper, Sport and exercise as contributors to the health of nations, an international team of researchers set out to examine whether sport and exercise contribute to the health of nations. They argue that although country-wide data on participation in sports are too scarce to draw any firm conclusions in this respect, the existing evidence suggests that regular participation in sports and / or exercise has clear benefits for physical and mental health, and that health professionals need to pay more attention to their patients’ fitness.

6 Jul 2012

Preventing post-operative delirium may improve recovery of cognitive ability in cardiac patients

Older patients undergoing cardiac surgery often experience changes in cognitive function, such as memory problems or an inability to focus, in the days immediately following their operations. While these changes are usually temporary, for unknown reasons, a significant number of cardiac patients will encounter long-term cognitive problems, lasting as long as a year after their surgeries.

5 Jul 2012

GlaxoSmithKline agrees to plead guilty, pay $3B settlement

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to plead guilty to fraud charges and pay $3 billion in total -- with some money going to nearly every state -- for promoting its bestselling antidepressants such as Paxil and Wellbutrin for unapproved uses, failing to report safety data about a top diabetes drug and improperly marketing other drugs.

4 Jul 2012

Antidepressant use among seniors: Falling through Medicare's doughnut hole?

A new study links the gap in Medicare Part D coverage and cutbacks by seniors in using this and other medications.

4 Jul 2012

Design and landscaping of hospital green areas can promote health

The design and landscaping of hospital green areas in accordance with the needs of patients, staff and doctors can have a health-promoting effect. These are the key findings of a study by the MedUni Vienna, led by Renata Cervinka from the Institute for Environmental Hygiene at the Centre for Public Health.

4 Jul 2012