Psychiatry News and Research

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

Assisted living residents with dementia go undiagnosed and are not adequately treated

Two-thirds of assisted living residents in central Maryland were diagnosed with dementia and more than one-quarter of residents had other psychiatric ailments, such as depression, anxiety disorder or psychosis, according to a Johns Hopkins study.

4 Oct 2004

Researchers investigate whether hormone therapy and two alternative herbal products can lessen memory in menopausal women

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are investigating whether hormone therapy and two alternative herbal products can lessen memory and other cognitive problems experienced by menopausal women.

4 Oct 2004

People with mental disorders develop cancer at younger ages

People with mental disorders develop cancer at younger ages and have higher odds of later being diagnosed with certain cancers, including tumors of the brain and lung, according to a new analysis of insurance claims.

4 Oct 2004

Approval of Abilify (aripiprazole) for the treatment of acute bipolar mania

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical have announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Abilify (aripiprazole) for the treatment of acute bipolar mania, including manic and mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder.

4 Oct 2004

New warnings on antidepressants for children and adolescents highlight the need for appropriate treatments for depression

“Taking an antidepressant comes with risks. When deciding whether an antidepressant is right for a son or daughter, parents should discuss with the physician the possible alternatives, including psychotherapy. Research by the National Institute of Mental Health shows that combining talk therapy and an antidepressant is the most effective treatment for teens battling depression,”

29 Sep 2004

As little as one standard cup of coffee a day can produce caffeine addiction

If you missed your morning coffee and now you have a headache and difficulty concentrating, you might be able to blame it on caffeine withdrawal.

29 Sep 2004

Findings have implications for understanding psychiatric and neurological disease that affect the hippocampus

Spatial memory is more vulnerable than object recognition memory when damage occurs in the brain’s memory processing center, the hippocampus, according to memory specialists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine

27 Sep 2004

Group therapy does not improve survival in early-stage breast cancer patients

A new study shows that cognitive-existential group therapy (CEGT), a psychosocial intervention designed to improve the mood and attitude of patients with breast cancer, does not improve survival of women with early-stage disease.

27 Sep 2004

Promising early results in a study of a medication to treat kleptomania

Kleptomania, the guilt-ridden, impulsive stealing of inexpensive and unneeded items, often goes untreated as many who suffer from the disorder hesitate to seek help out of fear of being turned in for their illegal activities.

23 Sep 2004

FDA proposal on antidepressants is premature and may be counterproductive

The recent FDA proposal to force antidepressants to carry warnings about increased suicide risk is the subject of a pair of articles by leading experts in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

23 Sep 2004

Immunoglobulins may help patients with Alzheimer’s

Immunoglobulins which are already being used to treat multiple sclerosis may also be able to help patients with Alzheimer’s. This, at least, is the finding of a pilot study on five patients at the University of Bonn.

20 Sep 2004

Immunoglobulins might be promising treatment for Alzheimer's disease

Intravenous immunoglobulin might offer a promising treatment for Alzheimer's disease, suggests preliminary research in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

15 Sep 2004

Discovery of way to regulate brain blood could lead to new treatments for stroke, migraine, Alzheimer’s

There may be new treatments for stroke, migraine, Alzheimer’s and other brain disorders, thanks to the discovery of a mechanism for regulating brain blood flow made by researchers at the University of British Columbia.

10 Sep 2004

Normal teenagers are not ticking time bombs

Contrary to the psychoanalytic theory that children who appear to be well adjusted as adolescents are actually "ticking time bombs," most normal teenagers adapt to and benefit from life experiences, a Northwestern University study has found.

10 Sep 2004

Recreational gambling good for the elderly

Unlike younger recreational gamblers who show high rates of alcohol use and abuse, depression, bankruptcy and incarceration, there appears to be an association between recreational gambling and good health among elderly persons, according to a Yale study in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

10 Sep 2004

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder costs the U.S. $77 billion each year

A new analysis of a large-scale survey released today estimates yearly household income losses due to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) within the U.S. at $77 billion, according to Harvard researcher, Joseph Biederman, M.D., co-author of the study.

9 Sep 2004

Results of all clinical trials for new drugs and procedures must be released publicly

The results of all clinical trials for new drugs and procedures must be released publicly if people are to get the full facts about their medical treatment, says a letter in this week's BMJ.

9 Sep 2004

Gene linked to both alcoholism and depression

A national team of investigators led by psychiatric geneticists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified a gene that appears to be linked to both alcoholism and depression.

8 Sep 2004

ADHD children four times more likely to have mental health problems when they grow up

Many normal children display low levels of the traits associated with ADHD – behaving in an impulsive, inattentive, and restless fashion – which will not cause problems.

8 Sep 2004

Study challenges early age intervention with human growth hormone

A new study counters the prevailing belief that children and adolescents who are extra short have social adjustment problems and fewer friends than children of average height, challenging one rationale for intervening at an early age with human growth-hormone treatment.

7 Sep 2004