Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

New formulation of controlled-release drug OxyContin approved

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a new formulation of the controlled-release drug OxyContin that has been designed to help discourage misuse and abuse of the medication.

6 Apr 2010

Mass. municipalities could be hard hit by Cadillac tax

The Boston Globe: "Massachusetts municipalities that offer employees, retirees, and elected officials the most generous and costly health insurance plans will feel the squeeze of the new national health care law's tax on 'Cadillac' insurance plans. A family health plan that costs more than $27,500 would be subject to a 40 percent tax on every dollar spent above that threshold.

5 Apr 2010

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals submits Phase II protocol for study of Serdaxin in treatment of PD

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced that it has submitted a Phase II protocol to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the clinical study of Serdaxin® for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD).

5 Apr 2010

Economic burden associated with HAE treatment: First-ever comprehensive examination

Dyax Corp. announced the publication of a first-ever comprehensive examination of the economic burden associated with the treatment of acute attacks and chronic management of hereditary angioedema (HAE). The results, published today in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, bring to light the substantial direct and indirect medical costs of the disease on patients, payers and society. The economic study is one component of a larger survey-based Burden of Illness (BOI) study which assessed both the economic and humanistic burden of HAE.

5 Apr 2010

Physiotherapist-led exercise helps postnatal women reduce risk of PND

In a world first study of its kind, 161 postnatal women with no previous depressive symptoms were divided in two separate groups to test the effect of a physiotherapist-led exercise and education program on wellbeing.

3 Apr 2010

Changes in self-esteem over time

Self-esteem rises steadily as people age but starts declining around the time of retirement, according to a longitudinal study of men and women ranging in age from 25 to 104.

3 Apr 2010

Growing problem of prescription drug abuse

Prescription painkiller abuse is a rapidly growing and widespread problem, recently coming into full view due to high profile stories and tragic celebrity deaths.

3 Apr 2010

Town hall meetings highlight the dangers of underage drinking

In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month in April, communities throughout the nation are conducting town hall meetings to discuss what can be done to prevent and reduce underage drinking.

3 Apr 2010

NEDA and Alliance panel explore ways to reduce negative effects of obesity and eating disorders

The television news and entertainment media are missing the mark when it comes to communicating realistic and helpful information about health and weight to Americans, according to an expert media panel assembled today at Pace University in New York City.

3 Apr 2010

NAFC supports PMAA of Uromedica's ACT device for SUI, speaks to FDA

On March 24, Nancy Muller, executive director of The National Association For Continence (NAFC), spoke to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in support of a Premarket Approval Application (PMAA) of Uromedica, Inc.'s Adjustable Continence Therapy (ACT®) device to approve its usage in the U.S. The ACT is designed to treat female stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

2 Apr 2010

Genome of Australian zebra finch decoded

Nearly all animals make sounds instinctively, but baby songbirds learn to sing in virtually the same way human infants learn to speak: by imitating a parent.

2 Apr 2010

Nanotechnology for eavesdropping on inner electrical activity of individual cells

A nanometer-scale probe designed to slip into a cell wall and fuse with it could offer researchers a portal for extended eavesdropping on the inner electrical activity of individual cells.

2 Apr 2010

Molecular mechanism behind mutation in calcium channel protein linked with night blindness

Congenital stationary night blindness, an inherited condition that affects one's ability to see in the dark, is caused by a mutation in a calcium channel protein that shuttles calcium into and out of cells. Now, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have teased apart the molecular mechanism behind this mutation, uncovering a more general principle of how cells control calcium levels.

2 Apr 2010

Cornerstone: UMass Memorial Health Care's multi-year, multi-entity EMR integration project

UMass Memorial Health Care is undertaking an electronic medical record integration project of incredible scope. Known as Cornerstone, the project is a multi-year, multi-entity corporate initiative to implement common patient clinical and financial systems and to reduce variability in processes and workflows across the system. Currently in full design and implementation mode and continuing over the next four years, the way UMass Memorial collects, views, shares, manages, and interacts with all patient information will drastically change and improve.

2 Apr 2010

Sunshine vitamin cures common health problems

What do obesity, heart disease, depression, diabetes, and fibromyalgia have in common? The answer is vitamin D deficiency. More than 200 million Americans lack this essential vitamin and as a result suffer from a host of daily annoyances, chronic conditions, and even life-threatening illnesses.

2 Apr 2010

Mayo Clinic introduces a reliable and easy-to-understand resource on alternative medicine

Want to find ways that may help prevent illness naturally, for a fraction of the cost of a trip to the doctor? Interested in taking control of your health with evidence-based practices that complement conventional medicine?

2 Apr 2010

MRI study reveals worry may offset negative effects of fear and depression

A new study of brain activity in depressed and anxious people indicates that some of the ill effects of depression are modified - for better or for worse - by anxiety

2 Apr 2010

Researchers identify link between genetic mutation and schizophrenia

In what may provide the most compelling evidence to date, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have illuminated how a genetic variant may lead to schizophrenia by causing a disruption in communication between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex regions of the brain, areas believed to be responsible for carrying out working memory.

2 Apr 2010

ICF International awarded new contract to conduct SHPPS 2012

ICF International, a leading provider of consulting services and technology solutions to government and commercial clients, has been awarded a new contract by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health, to conduct the School Health Policies and Practices Study 2012.

1 Apr 2010

Binge eating: Helping to stop binging while saving money

A new study finds that a self-guided, 12-week program helps binge eaters stop binging for up to a year and the program can also save money for those who participate. Recurrent binge eating is the most common eating disorder in the country, affecting more than three percent of the population, or nine million people, yet few treatment options are available.

1 Apr 2010