Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

New hope for people with therapy-resistant depression

A study at the University Clinics of Bonn and Cologne gives people with therapy-resistant depression reason for hope.

19 Apr 2007

Short and simple interventions can reduce drinking in the general population

Five minutes of straight talk between doctors and problem drinkers could help reduce the toll of alcohol-related injuries, violence and accidents.

19 Apr 2007

Treatment costs fall and quality improves when patients use self-treatment tools

Encouraging patients to become involved in providing their own care can reduce the cost and improve the quality of long-term medical treatment, say researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in PLoS Medicine this week.

18 Apr 2007

Animal model for binge eating disorder

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) psychologists have developed an animal model for the binge eating disorder, which affects an estimated one in 20 Americans.

18 Apr 2007

Review of all major studies involving anti-depressants in children

Today, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a review of all major studies involving anti-depressants in children and adolescents by a team of researchers from Western Psychiatric Institute in Pittsburgh.

18 Apr 2007

Risks and benefits of antidepressant treatment for children with depression

According to a new study, conducted by the Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice (CIPP) at Columbus Children's Hospital and published in the April 18 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), there is more information for parents about the risks and benefits of antidepressant treatment for children with depression and anxiety disorders.

18 Apr 2007

Confidentiality and privacy of personal health information is critical to acceptance of NHIN

"ACP strongly believes in the goal of widespread adoption and use of health information technology to improve quality of care," Michael H. Zaroukian, MD, PhD, FACP, told the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality at their hearing on "Consumer Controls for Sensitive Health Records."

18 Apr 2007

Benefits of antidepressants for children and teens with depression or anxiety disorders may outweigh risks

A review of previous studies indicates that the benefits of antidepressants for children and teens with depression or anxiety disorders may outweigh their risks, and that the increased risk for suicidal thoughts and attempts from using these medications is not statistically significant, according to an article in the April 18 issue of JAMA.

18 Apr 2007

Antidepressants safe for children and adolescents - black box warnings questioned

Antidepressants are safe and effective for treating anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and major depressive disorder in children and adolescents, according to a meta-analysis of 27 major studies.

18 Apr 2007

Innovative treatment option for excessive sweating

An estimated 3 percent of the world population, or about 197 million people suffer from some form of hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), many of whom do not receive proper diagnosis or treatment.

17 Apr 2007

Deep brain stimulation helps improve memory in patients with psychiatric illness

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic will present results of a study today that shows deep brain stimulation (DBS) is associated with improvements on formal memory tests in patients with severe psychiatric illness.

17 Apr 2007

Mellowing with age helps you live longer!

While mellowing with age has often been thought to have positive effects, a Purdue University researcher has shown that doing so could also help you live longer.

17 Apr 2007

New findings on insomnia

Those persons who are labeled a 'night owl' report more pathological symptoms related to insomnia, despite many having the opportunity to compensate for their nocturnal sleeplessness by extending their time in bed and being able to gain more total sleep time, according to a study published in the April 15th issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM).

16 Apr 2007

New drug therapy zaps hepatitis C in 12 weeks

Trials of new hepatitis C drug suggest sufferers could be cleared of the virus within 12 weeks of treatment.

16 Apr 2007

British look at detaining dangerous mental patients

Government ministers in Britain are in the midst of discussing controversial plans to allow mentally ill people to be detained against their will, even if they have not committed a crime.

16 Apr 2007

Night owls do it tougher than other insomniacs

According to a new study night owls, those who stay up late with insomnia and then sleep longer in the mornings, have more psychological symptoms than morning insomniacs and need different treatment, even though they get more sleep.

16 Apr 2007

New device to test for proteins that play important role in human health and disease

A new technology developed at the University of Toronto is revealing biochemical processes responsible for diseases such as cystic fibrosis and could one day pave the way for pharmaceutical applications.

15 Apr 2007

Bullying widespread in elementary students

Nine out of 10 elementary students have been bullied by their peers, according to a simple questionnaire developed by researchers at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine.

15 Apr 2007

Lower educational level makes some men more vulnerable to the effects of prostate cancer

Among men who have received similar treatments for prostate cancer, those with less education , particularly those who did not graduate from high school , experience a significant drop in their quality of life after treatment compared with men who have more education, according to a study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC).

15 Apr 2007

New perspectives on risk taking in adolescence

While the government spends billions of dollars on educational and prevention programs to persuade teens not to do things like smoke, drink or do drugs, a Temple University psychologist suggests that competing systems within the brain make adolescents more susceptible to engaging in risky or dangerous behavior, and that educational interventions alone are unlikely to be effective.

15 Apr 2007