Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Schizophrenia-linked gene keeps new adult brain cells under control

The study reveals that the gene, known as Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), directs the incorporation of new neurons into the adult brain and keeps the process under control. The gene's newly discovered roles might help to explain why schizophrenia's symptoms generally arise in adolescence or early adulthood, the researchers suggested.

10 Sep 2007

Pregnancy may open a window of vulnerability for developing binge eating disorder

Especially for women from lower socio-economic situations, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers and colleagues in Norway.

10 Sep 2007

Help for parents with bipolar disorder

Parents with bipolar disorder are taking part in a study that will give them the chance to follow a highly successful parenting skills programme.

From The University of Manchester 10 Sep 2007

Opioid-based pain medications may cause sleep apnea

Opioid-based pain medications may cause sleep apnea, according to an article in the September issue of Pain Medicine, the journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

10 Sep 2007

New understanding of role of schizophrenia risk gene DISC1 in normal adult brains

How the gene that has been pegged as a major risk factor for schizophrenia and other mood disorders that affect millions of Americans contributes to these diseases remains unclear.

10 Sep 2007

Link found between a lack of vitamin D and pre-eclampsia

Researchers in the United States have found an association between vitamin D levels in pregnant women and the risk of pre-eclampsia; they say women who have a vitamin D deficiency early in their pregnancy are at risk from pre-eclampsia.

9 Sep 2007

WHO warns about the impact of depression

A warning from the World Health Organistion (WHO) says that the impact of depression should not be underestimated.

9 Sep 2007

Teenage American girls' suicide rates soar by 76 percent

The latest figures on teenage suicide in the United States presents a worrying picture especially for young women.

9 Sep 2007

Adolescents need to see their doctors more often to receive the HPV vaccine

Despite recommendations for annual preventive exams for adolescents, only 10 percent of teens have enough visits within 12 months to receive the recommended three shots needed for HPV vaccine. Ideally the three shots are delivered within six months, and only 1 percent of teens see their physicians that often.

5 Sep 2007

Primary care depression treatment often does not follow quality guidelines

Most patients with depression who are treated by primary care physicians do not receive care consistent with quality standards, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

5 Sep 2007

Selection on genes underlying schizophrenia during human evolution

Several genes with strong associations to schizophrenia have evolved rapidly due to selection during human evolution, according to new research in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Wednesday 5 September 2007).

5 Sep 2007

Purging disorder - new eating disorder

A University of Iowa professor is making a case for a new eating disorder she calls purging disorder.

5 Sep 2007

ADHD and preschoolers

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is no longer diagnosed just in schoolchildren.

5 Sep 2007

Do not ignore fatigue

Jennifer Sieck knew something had to be done when she would lie in bed most of the day and night.

5 Sep 2007

Experts call for more resources worldwide to deal with mental illness

Experts in Britain are calling for better recognition of the impact of mental illness on other health problems and for more resources worldwide to deal with mental health issues.

5 Sep 2007

Dramatic rise of bipolar disorder in young Americans

According to a new study there has been a dramatic rise in the number of young Americans diagnosed with bipolar disorder in recent years.

4 Sep 2007

Global health community must act on mental health

The global public health community must take action to scale up services for mental disorders, especially in low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries, according to a team of public health experts writing in the Lancet.

4 Sep 2007

WHO calls for greater mental health priority

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is appealing to countries to increase their support for mental health services.

4 Sep 2007

Patients with depression may not recover their heart rate variability following heart attack

Patients with depression appear to have an impaired ability to recover their heart rate variability following acute coronary syndromes such as heart attack, a factor that could increase their risk of coronary death, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Sep 2007

Bipolar disorder a growing health issue

The estimated number of youth with office visits with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder substantially increased between 1994 and 2003, while adult visits with a bipolar disorder diagnoses appeared to almost double, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Sep 2007