Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

New understanding of how our brains process sensory information

The same chemical in the body that is targeted by the drug Viagra. also helps our brains "boot up" in the morning so we can process sights, sound, touch and other sensory information.

8 Aug 2006

One dose of ketamine may help reduce severe depression

New research suggests that just one dose of the anesthetic ketamine appears to reduce depression in patients who show little improvement with standard medications.

8 Aug 2006

Researchers discover a cellular signal that aggravates the symptoms of multiple sclerosis

Depression, coordination and speech problems, muscle weakness and disability are just a few of the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

6 Aug 2006

For the first time, scientists watch neurons change in response to experience

Thanks to a new imaging system, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have gotten an unprecedented look into how genes shape the brain in response to the environment.

6 Aug 2006

Why reassurance fails in patients with unexplained symptoms

When patients are unconvinced by reassurance from their doctor that they have nothing to worry about, it may be because their emotional state makes it hard for them to remember all the information the doctor has given them, according to new research in PLoS Medicine.

6 Aug 2006

Almost half of kids with ADHD are not being treated

In contrast to claims that children are being overmedicated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that a high percentage of kids with ADHD are not receiving treatment.

4 Aug 2006

Researchers have found that increasing paternal age is significantly associated with increased rates of spontaneous abortion

Results indicate that as the male partner ages there is a steady increase in rate of miscarriage.

3 Aug 2006

Breastfed babies cope better with stress in later life than bottle fed babies

The findings are based on almost 9000 children, who were part of the 1970 British Cohort Study, which regularly monitors a sample of the British population from birth onwards.

2 Aug 2006

Genetic mutations may be responsible for schizophrenia

The higher risk of schizophrenia among offspring of expectant mothers living through famine could help us understand the genetic basis for that debilitating mental disorder.

2 Aug 2006

fMRI shows "gambling" structures in the brain

From gamblers playing blackjack to investors picking stocks, humans make a wide range of decisions that require gauging risk versus reward.

2 Aug 2006

Placebo study - brain activity predicts treatment results before medication begins

Treating major depression can be quite a puzzle, and a newly published UCLA study suggests medication is just one of many potential pieces.

2 Aug 2006

Long-reaching damage of the tsunami on mental health

The December 2004 tsunami which devastated the coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and many other countries has left behind more than just untold damage to the environment, property and communities.

2 Aug 2006

Iraq war takes more of a toll on returning soldiers

According to a study which has looked at how U.S. soldiers fared following time spent on duty in Iraq, has found that feeling confused, having difficulty concentrating and memory lapses were quite common.

2 Aug 2006

Why reassurance fails in patients with unexplained symptoms

2 Aug 2006

Anti-obesity vaccine keeps rats trim

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in California in the U.S. have developed an anti-obesity vaccine that significantly slowed weight gain and reduced body fat in rats even when they over ate.

1 Aug 2006

Understanding postpartum depression critical to improving care for mothers and infants

Physicians should screen mothers for postpartum depression regularly for at least a year following childbirth to better identify women who develop symptoms throughout the year and those whose depression persists, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers say.

26 Jul 2006