Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Why are some young victims of domestic violence resilient?

More than 10 million U.S. children witness domestic violence yearly, resulting in a range of emotional and behavioral problems.

30 Apr 2009

Genetic risk for anxiety does not have to be destiny

A growing body of basic animal research and studies of abused and neglected children provide a strong basis of support for the hypothesis that individuals with particular genotypes are at greater risk for depression, anxiety disorders, and problems with the abuse of alcohol and other substances.

29 Apr 2009

Anti-viral drug telaprevir improves response, halves duration of hepatitis C treatment

The addition of the anti-viral drug telaprevir to a standard treatment for hepatitis C can shorten the duration of therapy and increase the number of patients who can be cured of their disease, according to the results of study coordinated by investigators from the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).

29 Apr 2009

Swine flu - All you need to know

Swine influenza or Swine flu is a respiratory disease commonly found in pigs which is caused by type A influenza virus - it causes high levels of illness in pigs but low death rates and while swine flu viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, most outbreaks occur during the autumn and winter months similar to flu outbreaks in humans.

29 Apr 2009

Racial and ethnic discrimination and their effect on mental health in children

A new multicenter study involving UCLA and the RAND Corp. has found that perceived racial or ethnic discrimination is not an uncommon experience among fifth-grade students and that it may have a negative effect on their mental health.

27 Apr 2009

Scientists learn to induce gamma oscillations in the brain

Scientists have studied high-frequency brain waves, known as gamma oscillations, for more than 50 years, believing them crucial to consciousness, attention, learning and memory.

26 Apr 2009

Brain works best when cells keep right rhythms

It is said that each of us marches to the beat of a different drum, but new Stanford University research suggests that brain cells need to follow specific rhythms that must be kept for proper brain functioning.

26 Apr 2009

Aussies wanted for international groundbreaking study on depression

Australians researchers have put out a call for 400 people to take part in a study on depression.

26 Apr 2009

Four babies out of every 1,000 born in Australia suffering from serious drug withdrawal symptoms

A new study by Australian researchers has found that far more babies are now being born with serious drug withdrawal symptoms.

26 Apr 2009

Anxious children often poor sleepers, especially in term time

Australian researchers say children who are anxious can also suffer from night-time fears and restless sleep - the researchers from Macquarie University's Centre for Emotional Health say the problems may be more evident in school time.

26 Apr 2009

Study links arm/hand swelling to number of lymph nodes removed during breast cancer surgery

In older breast cancer survivors, the number of lymph nodes removed during surgery and the presence of cancer in the lymph nodes were the two factors most directly linked to the development of lymphedema, swelling of the arm and hand, according to a study from the Medical College of Wisconsin's Center for Patient Care and Outcomes Research in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

23 Apr 2009

Researchers find medical inpatients with unhealthy alcohol use may benefit from brief intervention

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that some medical inpatients with unhealthy alcohol use may benefit from a brief intervention.

23 Apr 2009

Treating mental disorders in children cost $8.9 billion in 2006

Treating mental disorders in children, such as depression, cost $8.9 billion in 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

23 Apr 2009

Policy brief outlines hurdles of access to health care for people with mental disorders in Europe

Poverty and social exclusion continue to be serious challenges across the European union and for health systems in member states.

23 Apr 2009

Many teens who smoke marijuana use it as a medication, not as a means of getting high

When legal therapies let them down, some teens turn to marijuana.

22 Apr 2009

Poor sleep disturbs neuroendocrine control of appetite

Laboratory and epidemiological studies continue to show that sleep curtailment and/or decreased sleep quality can disturb neuroendocrine control of appetite, leading to overeating, and can decrease insulin and/or increase insulin resistance, both steps on the road to Type 2 diabetes.

22 Apr 2009

Couples cope in different ways following death of premature baby

Most parents who have lost a premature baby still hold the baby in a central place in their lives two to six years after the baby's death, physicians report in a new small study.

22 Apr 2009

Anxiety increases pain intensity, disability

British researchers writing in The Journal of Pain , the peer-review publication of the American Pain Society, found that individuals with high levels of anxiety due to chronic pain exhibit more emotional distress and disability, but the use of pain coping strategies can mediate this effect.

21 Apr 2009

8.5 percent of youth gamers addicted to video games

Parents have been saying for years that their kids are "addicted" to video games, but a new study by an Iowa State University psychology professor is the first to actually report that pathological patterns of video game addiction exist in a national sample of youth, aged 8 to 18.

20 Apr 2009

First compound for receptors in schizophrenia and Alzheimer's holds promise

For almost 20 years, pharmacological companies have known that certain compounds that activate two specific CNS receptors, causing them to release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, are effective in treating the cognitive and motor problems related to both schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

20 Apr 2009