Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Conmed signs new contract with Howard County

Conmed Healthcare Management, Inc., a leading full service provider of correctional facility healthcare services to county detention centers, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Howard County, Maryland for an initial one-year term with options for nine one-year extensions, which are at the County's option effective July 1, 2012.

15 May 2012

HIV prevention treatment must include medical, behavorial approaches: APA

A drug that has been shown to prevent HIV infection in a significant number of cases must be combined with behavioral approaches if the U.S. health care establishment is to succeed in reducing the spread of the virus, according to the American Psychological Association.

14 May 2012

New clinical trial to evaluate effectiveness of ABMT for PTSD

At Ease USA, a Nebraska organization dedicated to providing confidential post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) care for military families, has launched a clinical trial of a promising new therapeutic intervention at Creighton University.

14 May 2012

Researchers uncover new way to stimulate activity of immune cell opiate receptors

Researchers at Rutgers University have uncovered a new way to stimulate activity of immune cell opiate receptors, leading to efficient tumor cell clearance.

14 May 2012

Even mild head injuries can cause abnormalities in brain function

Even mild head injuries can cause significant abnormalities in brain function that last for several days, which may explain the neurological symptoms experienced by some individuals who have experienced a head injury associated with sports, accidents or combat, according to a study by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers.

14 May 2012

Women more likely to suffer PTSD after being discharged from ICU

Women are more likely to suffer post-traumatic stress than men after leaving an intensive care unit (ICU), finds a new study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care. However, psychological and physical 'follow-up' can reduce both this and post-ICU depression.

14 May 2012

Mild head injuries can cause structural disruption of axons in the brain

11 May 2012

Research roundup: Health providers' growing clout; The surprising bargain in Part D costs

The Growing Power Of Some Providers To Win Steep Payment Increases From Insurers Suggests Policy Remedies May Be Needed -- Concerns have grown that the consolidation of hospitals and physician groups has increased their ability to raise prices, which increases costs for insurers and patients.

11 May 2012

Pregnant White women more likely to smoke cigarettes

A new report shows that 21.8 percent of pregnant White women aged 15 to 44 currently (within the past 30 days) smoked cigarettes.

11 May 2012

Iowa legislature approves revamping state mental health system; Texas officials spotlight gaps

The Iowa plan had been held up by funding concerns. In other news on mental health issues, North Carolina is also weighing major changes in its system.

11 May 2012

Maternal gluten sensitivity may increase risk of schizophrenia in children

Babies born to women with sensitivity to gluten appear to be at increased risk for certain psychiatric disorders later in life, according to research by scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

11 May 2012

MAGI genes play a role in psychiatric disease

These findings are not about the classic story of gift-giving, although the MAGI genes (officially named membrane associated guanylate kinase, WW and PDZ domain containing proteins) do influence brain function in important ways.

11 May 2012

Checking for specific genetic variants can help identify women at high risk of PND

Researchers at Warwick Medical School have discovered a way of identifying which women are most at risk of postnatal depression (PND) by checking for specific genetic variants.

10 May 2012

States grapple with inadequacies in mental health services

Advocates hope the fatal beating of a California homeless man by police, captured by a security camera, may spur changes. In the meantime, a D.C. report says thousands of children who need mental health services aren't getting them, and New York state fines insurers over mental health notices.

10 May 2012

Newly diagnosed schizophrenia patients continue to use oral Abilify as first-line therapy

BioTrends Research Group, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for specialized biopharmaceutical issues, finds that analysis of U.S. longitudinal patient-level claims data reveals the use of Bristol-Myers Squibb's oral Abilify as a first-line therapy for newly diagnosed schizophrenia patients continues to grow.

10 May 2012

Genes determine brain size: Global brain study

In the world's largest study of the human brain, involving more than 200 scientists worldwide, researchers have found that genes that affect brain size may play a part in intelligence and memory function. The study was put together by combining brain scans and genetic data from 21,000 people worldwide.

10 May 2012

Sunovion announces results from LATUDA open-label study for schizophrenia

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced results from an open-label study that switched clinically stable, but symptomatic adult outpatients with schizophrenia from other antipsychotic agents to LATUDA.

10 May 2012

UAB’s First Episode Schizophrenia Clinic rapidly treats patients with new diagnosis

Like the "golden hour" of trauma care that increases the odds of a person's survival, some clinicians are now applying that philosophy to the treatment of schizophrenia, one of the most puzzling mental health disorders.

10 May 2012

Chronic exposure to cocaine drives structural changes in the brain

Chronic exposure to cocaine reduces the expression of a protein known to regulate brain plasticity, according to new, in vivo research on the molecular basis of cocaine addiction. That reduction drives structural changes in the brain, which produce greater sensitivity to the rewarding effects of cocaine.

10 May 2012

Federal appeals court reverses ruling on VA mental health care

The court dismissed a lawsuit brought by veterans' groups on the basis that courts do not have authority to order such changes in how the Department of Veterans Affairs system delivers care.

9 May 2012