Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Stem-cell therapy opens new avenue of research against Huntington's disease

Paying close attention to how a canary learns a new song has helped scientists open a new avenue of research against Huntington's disease – a fatal disorder for which there is currently no cure or even a treatment to slow the disease.

26 Sep 2007

Program for treating depression improves workers productivity

Employees seeking treatment for depression who participated in a program that included a telephone outreach intervention had fewer symptoms, worked more hours and had greater job retention than participants receiving usual care, according to a study in the September 26 issue of JAMA.

26 Sep 2007

Potential new therapeutic target for obesity

A hormone system linked to reducing food consumption appears to do so by increasing stress-related behaviors, according to a new study.

25 Sep 2007

Treating depression in the workplace pays off for workers and employers

Employers prepared to pick up the cost of providing treatment for depression amongst their workers could reap benefits in terms of improved productivity and greater job retention.

25 Sep 2007

Potential new treatment approach for schizophrenia

A new study reports important evidence for a potential new treatment approach for those diagnosed with schizophrenia.

25 Sep 2007

African American and Latino diabetics far less likely to blood sugar under control

Despite decades of advances in diabetes care, African Americans and Latinos are still far less likely than whites to have their blood sugar under control, even with the help of medications, a new nationally representative study finds.

25 Sep 2007

AstraZeneca and UT Southwestern agree to a three-year collaboration to combat psychiatric illness

Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States, affecting approximately 14.8 million adults or about 6.7 percent of the population age 18 and older in a given year(1).

25 Sep 2007

Genetic risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder identified

New research in primates suggests that infants and children who carry a certain gene variant may be more vulnerable to the ill effects of fetal alcohol exposure.

24 Sep 2007

European project to look at the wiring of the brain during growth

One of the great questions of neurobiology, how the brain is built up during embryonic development, could be resolved by a young French scientist in an award winning project organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the European Heads of Research Councils (EuroHORCS).

24 Sep 2007

Brain atrophy in elderly leads to unintended racism, depression and problem gambling

In a study appearing in the October issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, University of Queensland psychologist, Bill von Hippel, reports that decreased inhibitory ability in late adulthood can lead to unintended prejudice, social inappropriateness, depression, and gambling problems.

24 Sep 2007

Legal proceedings can be calming and supportive

It may seem that therapy and law do not share a common bond, but one University of Arizona law professor is making that connection by developing a body of knowledge to prove that legal proceedings can be calming and supportive.

21 Sep 2007

AHRQ and FDA to collaborate in ADHD study

Two U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agencies will collaborate in the most comprehensive study to date of prescription medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the potential for increased risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problems.

21 Sep 2007