Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

Thriving early environments boost brain and cognitive development in children

Researchers have found that environmental supports in the first year of life, termed the thrive factor (T-factor), play a crucial role in brain, cognitive, and socioemotional development in children by age 3, underscoring the importance of quality environments for early childhood development.

19 Mar 2024

Study examines oral hygiene self-care behavior among patients with mental health disorders

A study aiming to examine oral hygiene self-care behavior among patients with self-reported mental health disorders was presented at the 102nd General Session of the IADR, which was held in conjunction with the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research and the 48th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, on March 13-16, 2024, in New Orleans, LA, USA.

19 Mar 2024

Knitting is beneficial for people with mental health problems, study shows

A study from the University of Gothenburg shows that knitting is beneficial for people living with mental health issues.

19 Mar 2024

How national political ambition could fuel, or fail, initiatives to protect abortion rights in states

In early February, abortion rights supporters gathered to change Missouri history at the Pageant — a storied club where rock 'n' roll revolutionary Chuck Berry often had played: They launched a signature-gathering campaign to put a constitutional amendment to voters this year to legalize abortion in the state.

19 Mar 2024

Amid mental health staffing crunch, Medi-Cal patients help one another

Three people gathered in a classroom on a recent rainy afternoon listened intently as Derrick Cordero urged them to turn their negative feelings around.

19 Mar 2024

Study highlights cannabis use linked to mental health risks in youth

Review in Epidemiologia examines the negative mental health impacts of cannabis use among young people in Australia and the US, revealing increased risks of depression, anxiety, suicide, psychosis, and cannabis use disorders.

18 Mar 2024

Antipsychotic use during pregnancy not linked to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders or learning difficulties

The use of antipsychotics during pregnancy isn't linked to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders or learning difficulties, UNSW Sydney-led study shows – giving assurance to those concerned about continuing their medications during pregnancy.

18 Mar 2024

Glucose fluctuations impact cognitive function in people with Type 1 Diabetes

A new study led by researchers at McLean Hospital (a member of Mass General Brigham) and Washington State University used advances in digital testing to demonstrate that naturally occurring glucose fluctuations impact cognitive function in people with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D).

18 Mar 2024

Global health burden of neurological conditions is much greater than previously understood, study reveals

Globally, the number of people living with, or dying from, neurological conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and meningitis has risen substantially over the past 30 years due to the growth and ageing of the global population as well as increased exposure to environmental, metabolic, and lifestyle risk factors.

18 Mar 2024

Innovative interventions combat mental health impacts of climate change

A comprehensive review explores interventions targeting the adverse effects of climate change on mental health, highlighting the field's novelty and the promise of current interventions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

17 Mar 2024

Researchers sound a clarion call for greater investment in bereavement care

The public health toll from bereavement is well-documented in the medical literature, with bereaved persons at greater risk for many adverse outcomes, including mental health challenges, decreased quality of life, health care neglect, cancer, heart disease, suicide, and death.

15 Mar 2024

Research provides insight into how the brain translates motivation into goal-oriented behavior

Hunger can drive a motivational state that leads an animal to a successful pursuit of a goal -; foraging for and finding food.

15 Mar 2024

Lesbian, gay and bisexual women respond more positively to tobacco marketing

People who identify as lesbian, gay and bisexual – particularly women – respond more positively to tobacco marketing, are more inclined to smoke cigarettes daily and may have a more difficult time quitting, according to two studies by a Rutgers Health researcher.

15 Mar 2024

Study highlights growing burden of neurological disorders worldwide

Globally, the number of people living with, or dying from, neurological conditions such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and meningitis has risen substantially over the past 30 years due to the growth and aging of the global population as well as increased exposure to environmental, metabolic, and lifestyle risk factors.

15 Mar 2024

Study highlights national burden of injury and deaths from police shootings in the U. S.

A new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions and Vanderbilt University found that an average of 1,769 people were injured annually in police shootings from 2015 to 2020, 55 percent of them or 979 people, fatally.

15 Mar 2024

Anxiety therapy prior to COVID-19 pandemic shields against increased stress

The start of the COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented exposure to stressors driven by fears of a novel and deadly disease, intense uncertainty, and resulting isolation measures, which in turn resulted in increases in anxiety for many.

14 Mar 2024

Neurobiologists unravel how stress triggers generalized fear

Our nervous systems are naturally wired to sense fear. Whether prompted by the eerie noises we hear alone in the dark or the approaching growl of a threatening animal, our fear response is a survival mechanism that tells us to remain alert and avoid dangerous situations.

14 Mar 2024

African American veterans with PTSD more likely to be re-hospitalized after stroke

After a stroke, African American veterans previously diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were significantly more likely to be re-hospitalized than those without PTSD. PTSD did not raise the risk of post-stroke readmission in white veterans, according to research published today in Stroke, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.

14 Mar 2024

Rapid, easy-to-use diagnostic test could save more lives from melioidosis

Globally, more than half of patients die after infection with the neglected tropical disease, melioidosis, often before they are diagnosed.

13 Mar 2024

Short-term, self-regulating therapies may help alleviate long COVID symptoms

A new UCLA-led study suggests that some people living with long COVID may be able to alleviate certain symptoms by using short-term, self-regulating therapies.

13 Mar 2024