Psychiatry News and Research

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

Researchers examine how telephone-based coaching could help COPD patients

Coaching patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to manage stress, practice relaxation and participate in light exercise can boost a patient's quality of life and can even improve physical symptoms, researchers at Duke Medicine report.

26 Sep 2014

‘Missing’ schizophrenia heritability found

Researchers have matched up single nucleotide polymorphism sets with clinical syndromes to show that previously identified genetic variants can account for nearly all cases of schizophrenia.

25 Sep 2014

Children conceived after interval of 5 or more years at increased risk of autism

A study published in the MONTH 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that children who were conceived either less than 1 year or more than 5 years after the birth of their prior sibling were more likely to be diagnosed with autism than children conceived following an interval of 2-5 years.

25 Sep 2014

Weight loss possible for mentally ill patients

The STRIDE lifestyle intervention helps individuals taking antipsychotics to lose weight and improve their fasting glucose levels, study findings indicate.

24 Sep 2014

ECT benefits demonstrated in randomised controlled trial

Electroconvulsive therapy is more effective than pharmacological treatment for the reduction of depressive symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression, Norwegian study data show.

24 Sep 2014

Trauma center in Pennsylvania granted Level IV Trauma Center Accreditation status

Level IV Trauma Center Accreditation status has been granted to an additional hospital in Pennsylvania for the period from November 1, 2014 through October 31, 2015.

23 Sep 2014

Single-family room environment can optimize care for preterm infants

The prevalence of preterm birth - the birth of an infant prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy - is a significant health problem that has increased over the past two decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, preterm birth affects nearly 500,000 babies each year, or one of every eight born in the U.S. While medical care has improved survival rates for preterm infants, questions remain about ways to positively impact the neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants.

23 Sep 2014

Researchers take major step forward in accurate diagnosis of people experiencing psychosis

A study led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers represents an important step forward in the accurate diagnosis of people who are experiencing the earliest stages of psychosis.

22 Sep 2014

Extra stress in same-sex couples may raise risk of domestic abuse

Domestic violence occurs at least as frequently, and likely even more so, between same-sex couples compared to opposite-sex couples, according to a review of literature by Northwestern Medicine scientists.

22 Sep 2014

Research roundup: Home health nurses' workloads; readmissions at the VA; SHOP choices

In anticipation of next year's premium announcements and given some information already made public, concerns have surfaced about the potential for double-digit percent increases in nongroup and small-group health insurance premiums. This analysis shows that, although average annual increases in small-group premiums over the past 13 years averaged roughly 5.5 percent, double-digit average premium increases are common for states and large metropolitan areas.

22 Sep 2014

Research findings provide more details about earliest stages of neurodegenerative disease

The link between a protein typically associated with Alzheimer's disease and its impact on memory and cognition may not be as clear as once thought, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center.

19 Sep 2014

Reducing insomnia can decrease inflammation, lower risk for chronic disease in older adults

Lack of sleep can make you sick. And while everybody has the occasional restless night, for those who suffer from chronic insomnia — some 15 percent of older adults in the United States — that sleep loss can increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and even lead to an earlier death.

18 Sep 2014

Scientists develop first blood test to diagnose major adult depression

The first blood test to diagnose major depression in adults has been developed by Northwestern Medicine- scientists, a breakthrough approach that provides the first objective, scientific diagnosis for depression.

18 Sep 2014

Benefits and risks of hatha yoga for people with bipolar disorder

Right now no one can say whether yoga provides clinical benefits to people with bipolar disorder, but in a new article in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice, researchers report survey responses they gathered from scores of people with the condition who practice yoga. What the collective testimony suggests is that yoga can be a substantial help, but it sometimes carries risks, too.

18 Sep 2014

Urgency breeds aggression in schizophrenia patients

Increased urgency is a major contributor to aggression in patients with schizophrenia, suggests research published in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

17 Sep 2014

Recovery-focused CBT aids bipolar patients

Cognitive behavioural therapy that is focused broadly on patients’ recovery may be an effective intervention for patients with recent-onset bipolar disorder, a pilot randomised trial indicates.

17 Sep 2014

Reading deficits in schizophrenia contribute to underachievement

People with schizophrenia display severe deficits in reading ability that are not captured in current routine clinical assessments, a study by US researchers indicates.

17 Sep 2014

New study sheds light on relationship between schizophrenia and smoking stems

Schizophrenia is associated with increased rates and intensity of tobacco smoking. A growing body of research suggests that the relationship between schizophrenia and smoking stems, in part, from an effort by patients to use nicotine to self-medicate symptoms and cognitive impairment associated with the disease.

17 Sep 2014

Brain stimulation increases cravings for high-calorie foods, shows study

Magnetic stimulation of a brain area involved in "executive function" affects cravings for and consumption of calorie-dense snack foods, reports a study in the September issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society.

16 Sep 2014

Early intervention prevents aggressive children from becoming violent, criminal adults

Aggressive children are less likely to become violent criminals or psychiatrically troubled adults if they receive early intervention, says a new study based on more than two decades of research.

16 Sep 2014