Psychiatry News and Research

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Psychiatry is the treatment, study and prevention of mental disorders.

Scientists reveal brain mechanisms and functional regions that underlie confirmation bias

An international research team comprising neuroscientists at Virginia Tech, University College London and the University of London revealed brain mechanisms and functional regions that underlie confirmation bias -- a phenomenon where people strongly favor information that reinforces their existing opinions over contradictory ones.

17 Dec 2019

Contribution of suicide to opioid-related deaths may be overstated, study suggests

The study is the first to use national data on opioid overdose deaths between 2000 and 2017 to find out what share of these deaths in individuals age 15 and older were unintentional, due to suicide, or of undetermined intent.

17 Dec 2019

Study reveals long-term cognitive changes and clinical outcomes in psychotic disorders

A new study has shown that relative to participants without a psychotic disorder, those diagnosed with a disorder were consistently impaired across all areas of cognitive (memory and thinking) ability measured. The comparison also suggested that declines in some cognitive areas might worsen with age.

16 Dec 2019

Integrated approach needs to be used to address opioid use among psychiatric patients

Opioid use among psychiatric hospital patients needs to be addressed through an integrated approach to managing mental illness, pain and substance use, a study by researchers at the University of Waterloo has found.

14 Dec 2019

Problem drinkers have higher likelihood of using benzodiazepines

Problem drinkers are more likely than teetotalers and moderate drinkers to take benzodiazepines, a class of sedatives that are among the most commonly prescribed drugs -- and the most abused.

14 Dec 2019

San Francisco hopes to improve care for people with mental illness living on streets

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has promised to tackle her city's homelessness crisis, a vexing situation involving drug abuse and mental illness that is compounded by the city's high housing costs.

13 Dec 2019

Precision epigenome editing can repair genetic syndrome of intellectual disability

Using a targeted gene epigenome editing approach in the developing mouse brain, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers reversed one gene mutation that leads to the genetic disorder WAGR syndrome, which causes intellectual disability and obesity in people.

13 Dec 2019

Computerized CBT for depression could improve access to treatment, reduce waiting lists

Using a computerised version of cognitive-behavioural therapy to treat depression in children and young adults has the potential to improve access to psychological therapies and reduce waiting lists, a new study suggests.

12 Dec 2019

Scientists discover specific neurons that promote reward-like behaviors, alcohol consumption

Scientists have known that a region of the brain called the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) plays a role in behaviors related to alcohol use and consumption in general. It's been less known which precise populations of brain cells and their projections to other brain regions mediate these behaviors.

12 Dec 2019

Tips for veteran or military family members to manage stress during the holiday season

There is a lot of activity during the holiday season: exchanging presents, lots of eating, and, of course, an overload of gatherings and family interactions.

11 Dec 2019

Diet high in refined carbohydrates may trigger insomnia

An estimated 30% of adults experience insomnia, and a new study by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons suggests that diet may be partly to blame.

11 Dec 2019

University Of Iowa wins $18 million grant to continue study on Huntington's disease

Peg Nopoulos, MD, chair of psychiatry and professor of psychiatry, neurology, and pediatrics in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, has received a five-year, $18 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to continue and expand a decade-long study on brain development in children at risk for developing Huntington's Disease.

11 Dec 2019

Meaning in life associated with better health and well-being

Over the last three decades, meaning in life has emerged as an important question in medical research, especially in the context of an aging population.

10 Dec 2019

Study may help explain why deep-brain stimulation does not work for everyone

People with severe Parkinson's disease or other neurological conditions that cause intractable symptoms such as uncontrollable shaking, muscle spasms, seizures, obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors are sometimes treated with electric stimulators placed inside the brain.

10 Dec 2019

UC study explores side effects in pediatric patients treated with antidepressants

Sometimes, the medications needed to function and live a quality life cause side effects that can make life quite uncomfortable.

10 Dec 2019

Study focuses on smoking cessation treatment for adolescents

Preventable deaths are those that can be stymied by public health intervention, and deaths related to tobacco use are at the top of that list in the United States as well as globally.

10 Dec 2019

Justified and unjustified violence in movies activate different parts of adolescent brain

The gun violence seen in popular PG-13 movies aimed at children and teenagers has more than doubled since the rating was introduced in 1984. The increasing on-screen gun violence has raised concerns that it will encourage imitation, especially when it is portrayed as "justified."

10 Dec 2019

Study finds irregular brain function in children with Type 1 diabetes

Children with Type 1 diabetes show subtle but important differences in brain function compared with those who don't have the disease, a study led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine has shown.

10 Dec 2019

Study can help illuminate the ways stress and external events affect mental health

They work in a bubble of 80-hour work weeks, and 24-hour shifts. They're caring for patients for the first time, while still learning the ropes of the medical profession. The constant stress wears on their mental health.

10 Dec 2019

Penn researchers receive nearly $5 million to reduce opioid cravings

Opioid overdoses take the lives of tens of thousands of Americans annually. Two researchers from Penn State College of Medicine have received nearly $5 million from the National Institutes of Health to study whether an already-approved drug can be used to reduce cravings and prevent relapse in those struggling with opioid addiction.

9 Dec 2019

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists reveal brain mechanisms and functional regions that underlie confirmation bias

Contribution of suicide to opioid-related deaths may be overstated, study suggests

Study reveals long-term cognitive changes and clinical outcomes in psychotic disorders

Integrated approach needs to be used to address opioid use among psychiatric patients

Problem drinkers have higher likelihood of using benzodiazepines

San Francisco hopes to improve care for people with mental illness living on streets

Precision epigenome editing can repair genetic syndrome of intellectual disability

Computerized CBT for depression could improve access to treatment, reduce waiting lists

Scientists discover specific neurons that promote reward-like behaviors, alcohol consumption

Tips for veteran or military family members to manage stress during the holiday season

Diet high in refined carbohydrates may trigger insomnia

University Of Iowa wins $18 million grant to continue study on Huntington's disease

Meaning in life associated with better health and well-being

Study may help explain why deep-brain stimulation does not work for everyone

UC study explores side effects in pediatric patients treated with antidepressants

Study focuses on smoking cessation treatment for adolescents

Justified and unjustified violence in movies activate different parts of adolescent brain

Study finds irregular brain function in children with Type 1 diabetes

Study can help illuminate the ways stress and external events affect mental health

Penn researchers receive nearly $5 million to reduce opioid cravings

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

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