Psychiatry News and Research

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

Growth chart of brain networks could spot early signs of attention difficulties in children

Want to know if your child's height and weight are on track? Check the growth chart that the doctor gives you after each yearly checkup.

15 Apr 2016

M10 peptide could help protect systemic sclerosis patients against fibrotic damage

The results of preclinical studies by investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) reported in the April 2016 issue of Translational Research suggest that the M10 peptide could help protect against fibrotic damage in patients with systemic sclerosis, particularly in those who develop interstitial lung diseases (ILD), its deadliest complication.

15 Apr 2016

PTSD patients carry long-term burden even with early clinical interventions

The majority of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recover after early treatment -- but a substantial number still suffer for years after a traumatic event even with early clinical interventions, according to a study publishing online April 12, 2016 in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

13 Apr 2016

Depression combined with behavioral, metabolic symptoms increases risk of type 2 diabetes

Depression may compound the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people with such early warning signs of metabolic disease as obesity, high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels, according to researchers from McGill University, l'Université de Montréal, the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal and the University of Calgary.

13 Apr 2016

Combination of genetic, environmental risk factors can trigger fatal eating disorder in humans

In a new study, researchers from Columbia University Medical Center described a new mouse model featuring a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors that can trigger the compulsive restriction of food intake seen in patients with anorexia nervosa. The findings may help to identify new prevention and treatment strategies for the eating disorder in humans.

12 Apr 2016

Researchers link alcohol, cocaine misuse with future suicide attempt

In a general sense, medical studies support the popular intuition -- a staple of movies and literature -- that suicidal behavior and substance misuse are linked. But the relationship between the two is not so simple. A new study of hundreds of suicidal emergency department (ED) patients from around the U.S. found that the significance of the link varied with age, gender and race. Across the board, however, the use of cocaine and alcohol together was a red flag.

11 Apr 2016

Long-term medication use reduces risk of relapse and improves symptoms in BDD patients

People with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) fare better and are less likely to relapse when treated with medication on a long-term basis, according to researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.

11 Apr 2016

Monetary incentives aid smoking cessation among pregnant, post-partum women

Smoking during pregnancy is the leading preventable cause of poor pregnancy outcomes. Studies further indicate that in-utero smoke exposure contributes to respiratory and cardiac illnesses later in life.

6 Apr 2016

Researchers identify blood-based biomarkers to accurately predict suicidal ideation in women

Researchers have identified blood-based biomarkers and developed questionnaire-based apps that may help clinicians identify which of their female patients being treated for psychiatric disorders are at greatest risk of suicidal ideation or behavior.

5 Apr 2016

Chronic lack of sleep, irregular sleep-wake cycles may increase risk of Parkinson's disease

Chronic lack of sleep and irregular sleep-wake cycles may be risk factors of Parkinson's disease, new work by researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University suggests. In an animal model, the researchers show that disturbances in circadian rhythm that exist before Parkinson's onset dramatically worsen motor and learning deficits brought on by the disease.

5 Apr 2016

QuietKit unveils new platform to educate users on basics of meditation, mindfulness

QuietKit today announced the launch of its new platform, a website that educates users on the basics of meditation and mindfulness. The website features step-by-step guided meditations to help users develop a habitual practice.

5 Apr 2016

Mindfulness training can help manage painful cycles of thoughts in veterans with PTSD

Like an endlessly repeating video loop, horrible memories and thoughts can keep playing over and over in the minds of people with post-traumatic stress disorder. They intrude at the quietest moments, and don't seem to have an off switch.

2 Apr 2016

Remotely tracking patients' eye gaze could help identify children with ASD

A study to be published in the April 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry reports that eye tracking can differentiate children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from children without ASD but with other developmental problems (non-ASD).

31 Mar 2016

Naltrexone injections could reduce risk of relapse among opioid dependent individuals

In a multicenter, randomized clinical trial, ex-prisoners who received six monthly injections of naltrexone--a long-acting medication that blocks opioid receptors in the brain--were significantly less likely to resume opioid use than those who received counseling and referrals to community treatment centers without naltrexone.

31 Mar 2016

Uncertainty can lead to significantly more stress, study finds

Knowing that there is a small chance of getting a painful electric shock can lead to significantly more stress than knowing that you will definitely be shocked, finds a new UCL study funded by the Medical Research Council .

30 Mar 2016

Northwestern Medicine study reveals psychotherapy can alleviate genetically depressed rats

Genes are not destiny in determining whether an individual will suffer from depression, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. Environment is a major factor, and nurture can override nature.

30 Mar 2016

Lack of ARHGAP33 molecule causes neuropsychiatric disorders-related abnormal higher brain functions

A research group led by Osaka University and the University of Tokyo found that the intracellular protein trafficking is important for higher brain functions such as learning and memory. The research group showed that a molecule, ARHGAP33 regulates synaptic functions and behaviors via intracellular protein trafficking and that the lack of ARHGAP33 causes neuropsychiatric disorder-related impaired higher brain functions.

29 Mar 2016

MGH study finds that the brains of young marijuana users react differently to social exclusion

A study from Massachusetts General Hospital researchers finds that the brains of young adult marijuana users react differently to social exclusion than do those of non-users. In a report published in the March issue of Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, the team reports that activation of the insula, a region of the brain that is usually active during social rejection, was reduced in young marijuana users when they were being excluded from participation in virtual game of catch.

26 Mar 2016

Scientists unravel genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder

The types of gene mutations that contribute to autism are more diverse than previously thought, report researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the March 24 online issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics. The findings, they say, represent a significant advance in efforts to unravel the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

25 Mar 2016

Researchers explore role of social media in promoting mental health, wellbeing in children

University of Leicester researchers to identify the benefits and challenges of promoting mental health through social media

24 Mar 2016

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Growth chart of brain networks could spot early signs of attention difficulties in children

M10 peptide could help protect systemic sclerosis patients against fibrotic damage

PTSD patients carry long-term burden even with early clinical interventions

Depression combined with behavioral, metabolic symptoms increases risk of type 2 diabetes

Combination of genetic, environmental risk factors can trigger fatal eating disorder in humans

Researchers link alcohol, cocaine misuse with future suicide attempt

Long-term medication use reduces risk of relapse and improves symptoms in BDD patients

Monetary incentives aid smoking cessation among pregnant, post-partum women

Researchers identify blood-based biomarkers to accurately predict suicidal ideation in women

Chronic lack of sleep, irregular sleep-wake cycles may increase risk of Parkinson's disease

QuietKit unveils new platform to educate users on basics of meditation, mindfulness

Mindfulness training can help manage painful cycles of thoughts in veterans with PTSD

Remotely tracking patients' eye gaze could help identify children with ASD

Naltrexone injections could reduce risk of relapse among opioid dependent individuals

Uncertainty can lead to significantly more stress, study finds

Northwestern Medicine study reveals psychotherapy can alleviate genetically depressed rats

Lack of ARHGAP33 molecule causes neuropsychiatric disorders-related abnormal higher brain functions

MGH study finds that the brains of young marijuana users react differently to social exclusion

Scientists unravel genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder

Researchers explore role of social media in promoting mental health, wellbeing in children

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