Psychiatry News and Research

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

Teens separated from fathers more likely to experience depressive symptoms

Family breakdown and the insecure financial situation that may result is more likely to cause worry, anxiety and depressive symptoms in adolescents who are separated from their father, says Professor Jennifer O'Loughlin of the University of Montreal. However, these symptoms can disappear in the nine-month period following the separation. O'Loughlin came to these conclusions after conducting a study that was recently published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

16 Dec 2015

Major clinical trial launched to test ways to slow or halt mental decline in seniors

Some decline in memory and cognitive function is a normal part of aging, but what if it could be prevented? Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis have launched a major clinical trial to investigate whether mental decline in seniors can be slowed or halted through exercise and other health-related interventions.

16 Dec 2015

Researchers successfully test parent-led autism therapy in India and Pakistan

In a world first, clinical researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool have collaborated with colleagues in south Asia to adapt a parent-led autism therapy and successfully tested it in India and Pakistan, with the aim of improving treatment for an estimated 5 million children in the region with the disorder.

16 Dec 2015

Brain regions cause PTSD patients to generalize non-threatening events

Regions of the brain function differently among people with post-traumatic stress disorder, causing them to generalize non-threatening events as if they were the original trauma, according to new research from Duke Medicine and the Durham VA Medical Center.

16 Dec 2015

UCLA-developed resilience program helps military families cope with combat-related injuries

Across the U.S., families of troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Uganda and other hot spots are emailing photos of their holiday feasts to their loved ones overseas -- and asking them to respond with pictures of their own holiday celebrations.

15 Dec 2015

Gene variant linked to psychotic symptoms, cognitive impairment in people with bipolar disorder identified

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, and the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University in Sweden have identified a gene variant linked to psychotic symptoms and cognitive impairment in people with bipolar disorder. The study, which is published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, describes a possible mechanism for how the gene variant produces clinical symptoms by affecting levels of specific proteins in the brain.

15 Dec 2015

Unhealthy microbiome shifts can lead to weight gain, obesity

The link between the gut microbiome and obesity seems clear, but just how changes to gut bacteria can cause weight gain is not.

14 Dec 2015

Understanding the effects of psychotherapy in patients with borderline personality disorder

According to newly published research, a specialized psychotherapy has been linked to changes in activation patterns in certain areas of the brain in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), suggesting its impact may go deeper than symptom change.

12 Dec 2015

Access to harm reduction programs vey low in rural and suburban areas affected by HIV infections

Access to harm reduction programs such as syringe exchange is lowest in rural and suburban areas, where rates of addiction to heroin and other opioids are on the rise, according to a study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published online today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

12 Dec 2015

Findings may lead to new treatment strategy for phobia

A new study published in the latest issue of Biological Psychiatry reports the successful and instant reduction of fear in spider-fearful participants following a 2-minute exposure combined with a single dose of a regular pharmacological treatment.

11 Dec 2015

UB physicians testing new exercise treatment for concussion

The standard of care for acute concussion may undergo a dramatic change, depending on the results of a new exercise treatment that physicians at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo have developed and begun testing. It is the first randomized, controlled clinical trial of this exercise treatment for concussion.

11 Dec 2015

Single dose of psilocybin decreases anxiety, depression in cancer patients

A single dose of psilocybin, the major hallucinogenic component in magic mushrooms, induces long-lasting decreases in anxiety and depression in patients diagnosed with life-threatening cancer according to a new study presented today at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

11 Dec 2015

Report shows relationship between sensation seeking, reward sensitivity and cannabis use

Sensation seeking is a personality trait that describes a person's tendency to seek out novel and exciting experiences, and a high level of sensation seeking has been implicated as a risk factor for addiction.

11 Dec 2015

Biotypes can identify distinct subgroups of psychosis

Three biomarker-based categories, called biotypes, outperformed traditional diagnoses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with psychosis, in sorting psychosis cases into distinct subgroups on the basis of brain biology, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.

9 Dec 2015

Groundbreaking study establishes empirical biomarkers to aid in diagnosis, treatment of psychosis

In a groundbreaking study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center, a comprehensive set of empirical biomarkers has been established to aid in diagnosis and treatment of psychosis.

9 Dec 2015

UGA researchers identify biological markers for mental disorders

A team of researchers led by faculty at the University of Georgia has identified a number of biological markers that make it possible to classify mental disorders with greater precision. Their findings, published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry, may one day lead to improved diagnostics and treatments for those suffering from mental illness.

9 Dec 2015

Mayo Clinic investigators discover potential diagnostic markers for bipolar I disorder

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a series of proteins that could be diagnostic markers to identify bipolar I disorder. If this discovery sample can be validated through replication these markers may help as a diagnostic tool for psychiatrists treating mood disorders.

9 Dec 2015

New drug therapies that target glutamate pathway may be effective for subgroups of patient with schizophrenia

Mounting evidence indicates that disturbances in the brain's glutamate pathway contribute to symptoms of schizophrenia. Thus, the glutamate pathway has become the target of a number of new drug therapies. Findings published in the journal Biological Psychiatry suggest that at least one of these drugs may be an effective treatment for individuals in the early course of the illness.

9 Dec 2015

Novel antidepressant appears to be safe, effective against depression in clinical trial

A small clinical trial of a novel antidepressant that stimulates neurogenesis - the production of new brain cells - shows that the compound appears to be safe and may be effective against depression.

9 Dec 2015

Children born to mothers with PCOS at increased risk of developing autism

Children born to mothers with polycystic ovarian syndrome, PCOS, are at an increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorders, according to a new epidemiological study from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet. The findings, which are published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, support the notion that exposure to sex hormones early in life may be important for the development of autism in both sexes.

8 Dec 2015

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Teens separated from fathers more likely to experience depressive symptoms

Major clinical trial launched to test ways to slow or halt mental decline in seniors

Researchers successfully test parent-led autism therapy in India and Pakistan

Brain regions cause PTSD patients to generalize non-threatening events

UCLA-developed resilience program helps military families cope with combat-related injuries

Gene variant linked to psychotic symptoms, cognitive impairment in people with bipolar disorder identified

Unhealthy microbiome shifts can lead to weight gain, obesity

Understanding the effects of psychotherapy in patients with borderline personality disorder

Access to harm reduction programs vey low in rural and suburban areas affected by HIV infections

Findings may lead to new treatment strategy for phobia

UB physicians testing new exercise treatment for concussion

Single dose of psilocybin decreases anxiety, depression in cancer patients

Report shows relationship between sensation seeking, reward sensitivity and cannabis use

Biotypes can identify distinct subgroups of psychosis

Groundbreaking study establishes empirical biomarkers to aid in diagnosis, treatment of psychosis

UGA researchers identify biological markers for mental disorders

Mayo Clinic investigators discover potential diagnostic markers for bipolar I disorder

New drug therapies that target glutamate pathway may be effective for subgroups of patient with schizophrenia

Novel antidepressant appears to be safe, effective against depression in clinical trial

Children born to mothers with PCOS at increased risk of developing autism

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