Psychiatry News and Research

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

Understanding how schizophrenia affects workings of the brain

Stem cells from adult schizophrenia patients form new proteins more slowly than those from healthy people, according to new research.

10 Nov 2015

Medication not psychotherapy intensity sways treatment outcome in adult ADHD

Psychological interventions for adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are best combined with methylphenidate, show findings from the COMPAS trial.

9 Nov 2015

Study raises concerns about patient access to specialists within insurance plans under ACA

While 12 million Americans are enrolled in health care networks through the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) insurance marketplace, a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association raises concerns about patient access to specialists within these insurance plans.

6 Nov 2015

Tai Chi, better sleep quality reduce inflammation, depression and age-related morbidities

Inflammatory processes occur throughout the body, with a primary function of promoting healing after injury. However, when too active, these inflammatory processes can also damage the body in many ways, and may contribute to heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, and other significant medical problems.

6 Nov 2015

Vanderbilt wins NIA grant to study effectiveness of nicotine patch in improving memory loss in older adults with MCI

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has received a $9.4 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to test the effectiveness of a transdermal nicotine patch in improving memory loss in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.

6 Nov 2015

New study compares effectiveness of clozapine with standard antipsychotics in adults with schizophrenia

In real-world settings, patients with schizophrenia whose symptoms do not respond to standard antipsychotic medications have better outcomes if they are switched to clozapine instead of another standard antipsychotic. They have fewer hospitalizations, stay on the new medication longer, and are less likely to need to use additional antipsychotics.

6 Nov 2015

Computer algorithm may be useful in early diagnosis of schizophrenia

The opinion of a qualified professional is unlikely to be replaced by a computer algorithm for the diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, additional medical evidence based on such an algorithm might be useful in early diagnosis, according to work published in the International Journal of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications.

5 Nov 2015

Expressive writing may improve functioning among combat veterans with reintegration problems

In a study of nearly 1,300 returning veterans reporting reintegration problems, those who completed online expressive-writing sessions showed more improvements than peers who had not written at all or who had engaged only in factual writing.

5 Nov 2015

UCSF research on mood disorders aims to advance understanding and treatment of depression

A gift of $20 million from the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund to the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Francisco will support research on mood disorders, aiming to rapidly advance the understanding and treatment of depression, bipolar disorder and related illnesses.

5 Nov 2015

Researchers explain why ADHD continues to affect many adults

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is growing up. Stephen Hinshaw and Katherine Ellison authors of the newly published book, ADHD: What Everyone Needs to Know, confirm that adults -- and particularly women -- are reporting to clinics in record numbers, becoming the fastest-growing part of the population receiving diagnoses and prescriptions for stimulant medications.

5 Nov 2015

New research shows how food word cues can be linked with increased food desire and intake

New research shows that brain responses to written food words differ between lean individuals and those with obesity, and suggests that both stress and genetics could influence excess eating.

4 Nov 2015

Estradiol fluctuation may enhance emotional sensitivity to psychosocial stress during menopausal transition

If you're feeling a little blue during the transition to menopause, there's good reason, according to a new study being reported online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). The study from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that the estradiol (a form of estrogen) fluctuation that is common during the menopausal transition may enhance emotional sensitivity to psychosocial stress.

4 Nov 2015

APOE ε4 predicts risk of future depression

One of the most powerful predictors in neuropsychiatry is the epsilon 4 (ε4) allele of the apolipoprotein gene (APOE).

3 Nov 2015

Hypersexual disorder can be linked to hyperactive stress systems

New research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that hypersexual disorder - known popularly as sex addiction - can be linked to hyperactive stress systems. In a stress regulation test using the cortisone drug dexamethasone, men with hypersexual disorder showed higher levels of stress hormones than controls, a finding that the researchers hope will contribute to improved therapy for this patient group.

3 Nov 2015

Patients with Down syndrome face additional challenge of early-onset dementia

Individuals with Down syndrome who survive into adulthood face the additional challenge of early-onset dementia, in which toxic amyloid plaques build up in the brain. The condition is strikingly similar to Alzheimer's disease, and as new work led by researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University shows, dementia in Down syndrome involves defects in a regulatory enzyme known as γ-secretase activating protein (GSAP), which also happens to malfunction in Alzheimer's disease.

3 Nov 2015

Public health policies targeting smokers may actually have opposite effect, study finds

Public health policies targeted at smokers may actually have the opposite effect for some people trying to quit, according to new evidence released today (Nov. 2).

3 Nov 2015

Stanford bioethicist wins 2015 MacLean Center Prize in Clinical Ethics and Health Outcomes

The 2015 MacLean Center Prize in Clinical Ethics and Health Outcomes, a $50,000 award, will be presented to Laura Roberts, MD, MA, a graduate of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, who is chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine and an internationally recognized scholar in bioethics, psychiatry, medicine and medical education.

3 Nov 2015

Charles Bonnet syndrome: an interview with Dr. Dominic ffytche

Charles Bonnet syndrome is the name we give to the visual hallucinations associated with eye disease. There are lots of different causes of visual hallucinations. Many different medical problems and medications can cause them, but, when the cause is eye disease, it's referred to as Charles Bonnet Syndrome after Charles Bonnet, who was a natural philosopher in the 18th century.

2 Nov 2015

Interrupted sleep affects people's positive moods

A study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers suggests that awakening several times throughout the night is more detrimental to people's positive moods than getting the same shortened amount of sleep without interruption.

31 Oct 2015

Study sheds light on mechanism of neuronal activity

Neurons communicate by passing electrical messages, known as action potentials, between each other. Each neuron has a highly specialized structural region, the axon initial segment (AIS), whose primary role is in the generation and sending of these messages.

30 Oct 2015

Psychiatry News and Research

Further Reading

Understanding how schizophrenia affects workings of the brain

Medication not psychotherapy intensity sways treatment outcome in adult ADHD

Study raises concerns about patient access to specialists within insurance plans under ACA

Tai Chi, better sleep quality reduce inflammation, depression and age-related morbidities

Vanderbilt wins NIA grant to study effectiveness of nicotine patch in improving memory loss in older adults with MCI

New study compares effectiveness of clozapine with standard antipsychotics in adults with schizophrenia

Computer algorithm may be useful in early diagnosis of schizophrenia

Expressive writing may improve functioning among combat veterans with reintegration problems

UCSF research on mood disorders aims to advance understanding and treatment of depression

Researchers explain why ADHD continues to affect many adults

New research shows how food word cues can be linked with increased food desire and intake

Estradiol fluctuation may enhance emotional sensitivity to psychosocial stress during menopausal transition

APOE ε4 predicts risk of future depression

Hypersexual disorder can be linked to hyperactive stress systems

Patients with Down syndrome face additional challenge of early-onset dementia

Public health policies targeting smokers may actually have opposite effect, study finds

Stanford bioethicist wins 2015 MacLean Center Prize in Clinical Ethics and Health Outcomes

Charles Bonnet syndrome: an interview with Dr. Dominic ffytche

Interrupted sleep affects people's positive moods

Study sheds light on mechanism of neuronal activity

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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