Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

SSRIs increase risk of falling in nursing home residents with dementia

Nursing home residents with dementia who use average doses of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are three times more likely to have an injurious fall than similar people who don't use these drugs. The association can be seen in people who use low doses of SSRIs and the risk increases as people take higher doses. The results are published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

19 Jan 2012

Mephedrone users would switch to a new legal high if it caused less harm

Since mephedrone was made illegal in the UK in 2010, the street price of the drug has risen while the quality has degraded, which in turn may have reduced use of the drug. New research published online today reveals that young people who continued to use mephedrone after it became illegal would switch to a new legal high if it were pure and rated highly by their friends or on the Internet.

19 Jan 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb agrees purchase of Inhibitex for $2.5Bn

American pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb has agreed the purchase of US biotech company Inhibitex, in a $2.5Bn (£1.6bn) deal which includes the promising new anti-hepatitis C drug INX-189, first designed and prepared in Cardiff University.

19 Jan 2012

Medicaid news: N.Y. Gov. proposes state 'takeover' of local costs; Kansas docs, hospitals endorse managed care plan

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's overall budget proposal would increase state spending by 2 percent, much of it involving 4-percent school aid and Medicaid spending hikes agreed to last year with legislative leaders. But the overall plan, including federal funding, is a fraction of 1 percent lower than the current budget, and eliminates a $2 billion deficit.

19 Jan 2012

State roundup: Single-payer plans in Calif., Vt.; Calif. may regain state prison health care control; Abortion issues in Texas, Minn.

The California universal health care bill didn't make it past the Senate Appropriations Committee last year -- but Tuesday, more than 100 advocates plan to present it to the committee again, hoping for a better outcome. Under the single-payer bill, Californians would pay the state -- instead of private insurance companies -- to negotiate health care. The bill would cover any resident, including the estimated 7 million Californians who don't have health insurance now. ... A legislative health committee estimated the cost of plan would be around $200 billion.

18 Jan 2012

Viewpoints: Health care is a civil right; A Medicare strategy based on Lenin

Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy is one of progress toward a better life for every American, including equal opportunity in voting, housing, education, and employment. Reflecting on his legacy also means recognizing the steps we must take to address the inequalities that persist. Many of these involve health care. Poor and minority Americans suffer from more preventable diseases on average, lower-quality care, fewer treatment options, and less health insurance coverage.

18 Jan 2012

Insights into rates and impact of mTBI among military personnel in Iraq/Afghanistan

As the last U.S. troops return home from Iraq, new research lends timely insights into the rates and impact of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among military personnel serving in Iraq/Afghanistan, according to a topical issue of The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (JHTR), the official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America.

18 Jan 2012

Inmates with severe mental illnesses alone have lower rates of recidivism

People with mental illness have gotten a bad rap in past research studies, being labeled the group of people with the highest return rates to prison. But a researcher from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University counters those findings in a new study-demonstrating that inmates with severe mental illnesses alone actually have lower rates of recidivism than those with substance abuse issues or no mental or substance abuse issues.

18 Jan 2012

Teenagers more susceptible to addiction and depression

Teenagers are more susceptible to developing disorders like addiction and depression, according to a paper published by Pitt researchers Jan. 16 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

18 Jan 2012

State roundup: State lawmakers, governors planning health legislation; Some Pa. kids losing Medicaid

Iowa House and Senate Republicans could support legislation requiring lawmakers to contribute to the cost of their state-provided health-care benefits, party leaders told the Des Moines Register's editorial board this morning. The health-care packages now offered by the state - in which most employees, including legislators, are not required to make contributions from their salaries - are "out of touch" with the plans available to average Iowans, ... House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said.

18 Jan 2012

Risk factors associated with increased likelihood of long-term disability in older people

Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that the likelihood of becoming disabled with age increases with the following factors: having a chronic condition or cognitive impairment; low physical activity; slower gross motor coordination; having poor lower-extremity function; and being hospitalized. Women are also more likely than men to become disabled in their later years.

17 Jan 2012

Alcohol-dependent Americans more likely to seek treatment than South Koreans

Hazardous alcohol use and depression are among the 10 leading causes of disability and premature death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Many low- to middle-income countries have begun to see a steady increase in alcohol use and have entered the early stages of a tobacco epidemic. A study of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), nicotine dependence (ND), and mood and anxiety disorders in the United States and South Korea has found that while AUDs are substantially more common among Americans than South Koreans, alcohol-dependent Americans are significantly more likely to seek treatment.

17 Jan 2012

Cancer researcher identifies high levels of doctor-patient trust and confidence within NHS

A leading cancer researcher has identified very high levels of doctor-patient trust and confidence within the NHS.

16 Jan 2012

Memory boosters for seniors – vitamin B12 and folic acid: Study

Australian researchers have stumbled upon findings that show that taking folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements can prevent memory loss in people over 60.

15 Jan 2012

Annual stress survey reveals 1 in 5 Americans under pressure

Each year the American Psychological Association releases its “Stress in America” survey. The last was released yesterday and it showed that too many Americans are stressed.

15 Jan 2012

State Roundup: Iowa mental health budget tussle; Calif. orders Anthem to pay docs, hospitals

Anthem Blue Cross has been ordered to pay doctors and hospitals for outstanding services dating back to 2007 after the insurer failed to remediate violations revealed by a state audit, California regulators said Thursday. It's unclear how much money the medical providers would get if Anthem complies with the order from the Department of Managed Health Care.

13 Jan 2012

GC-Rise presents at J.P. Morgan's 30th annual Healthcare Conference

GC-Rise Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, in which European healthcare venture capital firm INVENTAGES holds a majority stake, has debuted at J.P. Morgan's 30th annual Healthcare Conference in the United States.

13 Jan 2012

Lack of iron early in life can affect brain's physical structure

Iron is a popular topic in health news. Doctors prescribe it for medical reasons, and it's available over the counter as a dietary supplement. And while it's known that too little iron can result in cognitive problems, it's also known that too much promotes neurodegenerative diseases. Now, researchers at UCLA have found that in addition to causing cognitive problems, a lack of iron early in life can affect the brain's physical structure as well.

12 Jan 2012

State roundup: Ga. moves to keep docs; Ore. health plan could save $3.2B

The federal government sharply criticized New York's oversight of the developmentally disabled in a new report, saying the state agency charged with oversight lacks independence from the governor's office, failed to account for how it is spending public money and has broken several requirements of federal law.

12 Jan 2012

Weight gain and other metabolic side effects of bipolar and schizophrenia drugs may be countered

A new study suggests that young people who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may be spared the side-effects of taking medication with the right diet and exercise program.

11 Jan 2012

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

SSRIs increase risk of falling in nursing home residents with dementia

Mephedrone users would switch to a new legal high if it caused less harm

Bristol-Myers Squibb agrees purchase of Inhibitex for $2.5Bn

Medicaid news: N.Y. Gov. proposes state 'takeover' of local costs; Kansas docs, hospitals endorse managed care plan

State roundup: Single-payer plans in Calif., Vt.; Calif. may regain state prison health care control; Abortion issues in Texas, Minn.

Viewpoints: Health care is a civil right; A Medicare strategy based on Lenin

Insights into rates and impact of mTBI among military personnel in Iraq/Afghanistan

Inmates with severe mental illnesses alone have lower rates of recidivism

Teenagers more susceptible to addiction and depression

State roundup: State lawmakers, governors planning health legislation; Some Pa. kids losing Medicaid

Risk factors associated with increased likelihood of long-term disability in older people

Alcohol-dependent Americans more likely to seek treatment than South Koreans

Cancer researcher identifies high levels of doctor-patient trust and confidence within NHS

Memory boosters for seniors – vitamin B12 and folic acid: Study

Annual stress survey reveals 1 in 5 Americans under pressure

State Roundup: Iowa mental health budget tussle; Calif. orders Anthem to pay docs, hospitals

GC-Rise presents at J.P. Morgan's 30th annual Healthcare Conference

Lack of iron early in life can affect brain's physical structure

State roundup: Ga. moves to keep docs; Ore. health plan could save $3.2B

Weight gain and other metabolic side effects of bipolar and schizophrenia drugs may be countered

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

Scaling 3D biology: Automation, imaging, and the future of high-throughput research

How does norepinephrine influence anxiety-related behaviours?

Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

Scaling 3D biology: Automation, imaging, and the future of high-throughput research

How does norepinephrine influence anxiety-related behaviours?

Newsletters you may be interested in