Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

fMRI can predict language development outcomes in ASD toddlers

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers say it may be possible to predict future language development outcomes in toddlers with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), even before they've been formally diagnosed with the condition.

10 Apr 2015

Arts and craft activities, computer use may stave off memory problems

People who participate in arts and craft activities and who socialize in middle and old age may delay the development in very old age of the thinking and memory problems that often lead to dementia, according to a new study published in the April 8, 2015, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

9 Apr 2015

Every third teenager reports one mental disorder, one chronic physical disease

Every third teenager has suffered from one mental disorder and one physical disease. These co-occurrences come in specific associations: More often than average, depression occurs together with diseases of the digestive system, eating disorders with seizures and anxiety disorders together with arthritis, heart disease as well as diseases of the digestives system.

9 Apr 2015

Simple dietary intervention can help reduce weight gain

A University of Calgary study has found that rats fed a fibre supplement while on a high fat and high sugar diet show a much lower weight gain than those who did not eat the fibre. A team of researchers from the university's Cumming School of Medicine and the Faculty of Kinesiology says the study helps scientists better understand the mechanisms of weight control and energy balance.

9 Apr 2015

Northwestern Medicine launches mobile 'therapist' to combat depression, anxiety

Feeling blue or anxious? Now, there's a mobile 'therapist' designed to understand you and suggest the ideal mini-app to lift your particular mood.

9 Apr 2015

TABS study: Older people can improve their health by reducing sitting time

"I feel lethargic when I sit all day," said Gerald Alexander, an 82-year-old retired social service worker among the 25 Group Health patients who participated in the Take Active Breaks from Sitting (TABS) pilot study. "I feel much peppier when I stand and take walks."

9 Apr 2015

TSRI scientists find molecular trigger of schizophrenia-like behaviors and brain changes

According to the World Health Organization, more than 21 million people worldwide suffer from schizophrenia, a severe psychiatric disorder that can cause delusions and hallucinations and lead to increased risk of suicide...

8 Apr 2015

Study: 9% of U.S. adults have impulsive, angry behavior and have access to guns

An estimated 9 percent of adults in the U.S. have a history of impulsive, angry behavior and have access to guns, according to a study published this month in Behavioral Sciences and the Law. The study also found that an estimated 1.5 percent of adults report impulsive anger and carry firearms outside their homes.

8 Apr 2015

Prevalence of ADHD decreases substantially as altitude increases

Recent research has linked the thin air of higher elevations to increased rates of depression and suicide. But a new study shows there's also good news from up in the aspens and pines: The prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) decreases substantially as altitude increases.

8 Apr 2015

Scientists identify brain molecule that triggers schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have identified a molecule in the brain that triggers schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes and global gene expression in an animal model. The research gives scientists new tools for someday preventing or treating psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism.

8 Apr 2015

Stroke patients at greater risk of committing suicide compared with other population groups

Stroke patients can be up to twice as likely to commit suicide compared with the rest of the population, and the risk of attempted suicide is highest within the first two years after a stroke. These are the findings of a study from Umeå University published in the journal Neurology.

8 Apr 2015

Juvenile arthritis care in NSW, Australia: an interview with Jannine Jackson

Juvenile arthritis is a disease that, by definition, affects children under the age of sixteen. It's an autoimmune inflammatory condition that affects children's joints. Several different forms of the condition are diagnosed based on how many joints are affected and whether or not other parts of the body are also affected...

8 Apr 2015

RAND report examines sleep problems in U.S. military members

Improving the quality and quantity of U.S. military members' sleep following deployment could help reduce other health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

8 Apr 2015

Early neuropsychiatric symptoms prevalent in PD

Neuropsychiatric symptoms, but not cognitive impairment, are common in early untreated patients with Parkinson’s disease, suggest findings from the multicentre Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative.

7 Apr 2015

CVS Health Foundation announces new grant recipients to increase access to health care

The CVS Health Foundation, a private foundation created by CVS Health Corporation (NYSE: CVS), today announced 55 new grant recipients as part of its multi-year, $5 million commitment to increase access to health care in communities nationwide.

7 Apr 2015

Not all psychopaths fit the 'cold, callous and untreatable' stereotype, shows study

Movie villains from Norman Bates to Hannibal Lecter have popularized the notion of the psychopath as cold, cruel, lacking in empathy and beyond the reach of treatment.

7 Apr 2015

Younger patients can benefit from ACL surgery

A new study appearing in the April issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS), found that most patients who underwent surgery to repair and rebuild an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, showed significant improvement in physical function at two years, which continued for at least six years following surgery.

7 Apr 2015

Family stressors during childhood are associated with weight gain

Adolescent obesity is a national public health concern and, unchecked, places young people on a trajectory for a variety of health issues as they grow older.

7 Apr 2015

Study estimates prevalence of treatment-related chronic diseases among childhood cancer survivors

The number of childhood cancer survivors in the U.S. has increased, but the majority of those who have survived five or more years after diagnosis face chronic health problems related to their treatment, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

7 Apr 2015

Antipsychotic drugs may elevate child's risk for weight gain, type II diabetes

Today in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's (CHOP) PolicyLab published the largest study to date documenting the significant risks to children's health associated with prescription antipsychotics, a powerful a class of medications used to treat mental and behavioral health disorders.

7 Apr 2015