Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Study highlights importance of empathetic care for children in pain

Whether it's a sore arm or a fear of injections, how a child is treated when they present with pain could significantly affect how they respond to and manage pain later in life.

25 Sep 2024

Remote video consultations show positive impact on depression and anxiety

Remote video consultations between patients and mental health specialists show a small but significant improvement on symptoms of depression and anxiety, finds a trial published by The BMJ today.

25 Sep 2024

Wrist-based sensors provide insights into sunlight’s impact on depression

Wrist-based activity sensors worn by individuals with depression and those without over the course of two weeks provided evidence for the relationship between daily sunlight exposure and physical activity, according to a study published September 25, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS Mental Health by Oleg Kovtun and Sandra Rosenthal from Vanderbilt University, U.S.

25 Sep 2024

Higher doses of buprenorphine linked to lower emergency visits in opioid use disorder

Adults with opioid use disorder who receive a higher daily dose of the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine may have a lower risk of subsequent emergency department visits or use of inpatient services related to behavioral health (such as for mental health and substance use disorders) than adults receiving the recommended dose, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

25 Sep 2024

Earthquake aftermath linked to higher rates of menstrual irregularities

In research published in Brain and Behavior, investigators found increased rates of menstrual irregularities in women living in areas affected by the 2023 earthquake in Turkey.

25 Sep 2024

Night-time aircraft noise linked to sleep disturbance

Noise from aircraft at night is linked with disturbed sleep quality and sleep-wake cycle, a new study using movement trackers has shown.

25 Sep 2024

One-third of former professional American football players report a punch-drunk reality - CTE

Study found that one-third of former American football players reported perceived CTE, which was significantly associated with a higher risk of suicidality and mental health problems.

25 Sep 2024

Study reveals limited access to opioid treatment in US jails

A new look into addiction treatment availability in the U.S. criminal justice system reveals that fewer than half (43.8%) of 1,028 jails surveyed across the nation offered any form of medication for opioid use disorder, and only 12.8% made these available to anyone with the disorder.

24 Sep 2024

Nepalese women in Japan face challenges in accessing sexual and reproductive health services

Despite a substantial Nepalese community in Japan many Nepalese women face significant challenges in accessing essential sexual and reproductive health services (SRHSs) due to language barriers and differences in healthcare laws and services between Nepal and Japan.

24 Sep 2024

Neurostimulation target identified for treating PTSD in veterans

A new study led by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, suggests that using neurostimulation therapies on a specific brain network could treat post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans.

24 Sep 2024

Brain connectivity changes after psilocybin treatment in body dysmorphic disorder patients

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a debilitating mental illness characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with perceived flaws in one's physical appearance.

24 Sep 2024

Study highlights urgent need for improved care for schizophrenia

New research finds that adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have high rates of comorbid mental and substance use disorders and significant social and economic disadvantages, and only 26% received minimally adequate treatment.

23 Sep 2024

Breakthrough research reveals key role of melatonin receptor in REM sleep

A significant breakthrough in the understanding of sleep mechanism opens new promise for treating sleep disorders and associated neuropsychiatric conditions: Scientists have pinpointed the melatonin receptor MT1 as a crucial regulator of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.

23 Sep 2024

Digital health investment could save millions from noncommunicable diseases

An investment today of an additional US$0.24 per patient per year in digital health interventions, such as telemedicine, mobile messaging and chatbots, can help save more than 2 million lives from noncommunicable diseases over the next decade, says a new report released jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union).

23 Sep 2024

WHO calls for action to support adolescent mental and sexual health

Increased investment is urgently needed to address evolving health risks and meet the mental and sexual and reproductive health needs for the nearly 1.3 billion adolescents (aged 10-19 years) globally, according to a new scientific publication released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

23 Sep 2024

Study shows no increased autism risk for pandemic-era children

Children born during the first year of the pandemic, including those exposed to COVID in utero, were no more likely to screen positive for autism than unexposed or pre-pandemic children, found researchers from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

23 Sep 2024

Many Dutch elite athletes and coaches face high levels of sport-related distress

Nearly three-quarters of Dutch elite athletes and forty percent of their coaches report sport-related distress.

23 Sep 2024

Multi-modal AI systems for enhanced emotion detection and understanding

Using a fusion of traditional and novel technological methods, researchers are hoping to better quantify emotions to transform the face of the emotion quantification field.

23 Sep 2024

Psilocybin shows promise for treating depression and improving well-being

A direct comparison between the experimental psychedelic drug psilocybin and a standard SSRI antidepressant shows similar improvement of depressive symptoms, but that psilocybin offers additional longer-term benefits.

22 Sep 2024

New online platform aims to empower Latino families in mental health and behavior

Cory Cobb, PhD, an assistant professor of health behavior at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, is leading a research team that has been awarded a three-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to create an online platform for the intervention program they developed for United States-based Spanish-speaking Latino parents and their children.

20 Sep 2024