Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Link between asthma and depressive disorders found

Young people with asthma are about twice as likely to suffer from depressive and anxiety disorders than are children without asthma, according to a study by a research team in Seattle.

6 Nov 2007

EU project confirms Europe's excellence in migraine research

An EU-funded project on migraines has not only taken researchers a step closer to understanding the causes of these incapacitating attacks, but has created a critical mass, reinforcing Europe's reputation of excellence in this field, and reassuring migraine sufferers that their condition is being taken seriously.

6 Nov 2007

Selective resequencing provides low-cost method for interpreting human genome

Cold Spring Harbor, NY Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have developed a new means of extracting and interpreting data from the human genome that is more powerful and more economical than methods currently employed.

6 Nov 2007

Prazosin curbs brain damage from post-traumatic stress disorder

A drug used to treat high blood pressure and enlargement of the prostate may protect the brain from damage caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer's disease, depression and schizophrenia.

6 Nov 2007

Strongest evidence yet that prenatal exposure to alcohol causes conduct problems in children

An Indiana University study provides some of the strongest evidence yet that prenatal exposure to alcohol causes conduct problems in children, a finding that has been called into question in recent years.

6 Nov 2007

Non-maternal care linked to reduced physical aggression in children of mothers with less education

Among children of mothers with low education levels, those who receive regular care from other adults during preschool years may be less likely to have problems with physical aggression, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

6 Nov 2007

Brain chemical anandamide work as antidepressant

American and Italian researchers have found that boosting the amounts of a marijuana-like brain transmitter called anandamide produces antidepressant effects in test rats.

6 Nov 2007

FADS2 gene governs IQ boost from breastfeeding

The known association between breast feeding and slightly higher IQ in children has been shown to relate to a particular gene in the babies, according to a report this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

6 Nov 2007

Floating effective for stress and pain

Relaxation in large, sound- and light-proof tanks with high-salt waterfloatingis an effective way to alleviate long-term stress-related pain.

6 Nov 2007

Trial of the antidepressant fluoxetine for teens with depression and substance use disorders

The antidepressant fluoxetine combined with cognitive behavioral therapy appears as effective for treating depression among teens who also have substance use disorders as among those without substance abuse problems, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Nov 2007

Oregon receives $1.2 million to provide rent, support services for HIV-positive people living with mental illnesses

The HIV Care and Treatment Program in the Oregon Department of Human Services recently received a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide support services and rental housing for HIV-positive people living with mental illnesses, the Eugene Register-Guard reports.

5 Nov 2007

Raid of WellCare prompted by Medicaid fraud concerns

A recent raid by federal and state authorities on Tampa, Fla.-based health insurer WellCare was prompted by allegations that the company inflated mental health care spending so it could keep funds it should have refunded to the state's Medicaid program, according to a person familiar with details of the investigation, the Wall Street Journal reports (Won Tesoriero/Francis, Wall Street Journal, 11/3).

5 Nov 2007

Family history of bipolar affects decision to have children

One in three people with a strong family history of bipolar disorder (manic depression) are reluctant to have children due to the hereditary nature of the illness and its perceived social stigma, new research from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has found.

4 Nov 2007

Substance abuse practitioners ask 'what is recovery?'

Abstinence from alcohol and drugs is just the starting point in defining "recovery" for people with substance abuse disorders, according to a paper in the October issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (JSAT).

2 Nov 2007

New evidence that psychological factors play a role in disease progression

Even though effective drug cocktails have improved the outlook for many patients with HIV, disease progression, including the time from AIDS onset to death, varies widely from patient to patient.

2 Nov 2007

Mental health review of Katrina victims

According to the most comprehensive survey of people affected by Hurricane Katrina, results of which are being presented today to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery, the percentage of pre-hurricane residents of the affected areas in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi who have mental disorders has increased significantly compared to the situation five to eight months after the hurricane.

1 Nov 2007