Latest Mental Health News From Medical News Today.

Total news: 261
Last news: May 2, 2008 15:00:00

More than two-and-a-half years after Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, some Louisiana residents still experience negative health effects related to the storms, particularly mental health problems, according to a report released on Tuesday, the Baton Rouge Advocate reports (Gyan, Baton Rouge Advocate, 4/30). The findings were released at a forum cosponsored by the - [Read more]

A new survey by Mental Health America shows that while many Americans are routinely overwhelmed by stress, most view their relationships with family, friends and others as important sources of emotional support and stress-relief, which can have positive effects on their mental and overall health. - [Read more]

Network television programming might suggest that America is fascinated with the idea of psychological counseling.Frasier Crane and his brother, Niles, both practiced psychiatry on their popular NBC sitcom "Frasier." Mob boss Tony Soprano had his therapist on HBOs hit show "The Sopranos." And HBO has even made therapy the focus of two recent shows -- "Tell Me You Love Me" and "In Treatment. - [Read more]

With data suggesting that one in five Illinois residents is experiencing a mental health challenge at any one time, a new public education campaign was launched to promote good mental health and to empower those living with a mental health issue to Say it out loud. - [Read more]

Was Josef Fritzl, who kept his daughter (Elizabeth) in a cellar for 24 years and has confessed to fathering seven children with her, responsible for his actions? That is what his lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, said experts must decide. He faces up to 15 years in prison just for rape - if he is found guilty of rape. In an interview with the BBC Mayer said Fritzl will undergo several psychological and psychiatric tests. - [Read more]

Mental health factors, such as ones level of self-esteem or ability to handle stress, are linked to whether or not a young Canadian will display delinquent behaviour or become involved in criminal activity. According to a new study from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), youth aged 12 to 13 who reported hyperactivity and depression were more likely to report high levels of aggressive behaviour, as well as high levels of delinquent acts involving property. - [Read more]

Your newborn is crying. If its a cry of pain, youre going to respond more strongly than you would to a cry of hunger - thats the normal pattern. But if you suffer from post-partum depression, the difference between your response to the pain cry and the hunger cry is going to be even greater. And this, says psychologist Alison Fleming, isnt necessarily a good thing. As part of a study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Dr. - [Read more]

Investors get carried away with excitement and wishful phantasies as the stock market soars, suppressing negative emotions which would otherwise warn them of the high risk of what they are doing, according to a new study led by UCL (University College London). - [Read more]

The trauma of combat, stress of multiple extended deployments on military families, and an Air Force suicide prevention program are among military-focused topics for workshops and forums at the 161st American Psychiatric Association (APA) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., May 3-8. Military-focused sessions will include top military officials and experts from across the psychiatric field. - [Read more]

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has released a new brochure, Women and Depression, about the many dimensions of major depression in women. It can be downloaded at http://www.nami.org/womendepression. - 1 in 8 women experiences depression in their lifetime; twice the rate as men, regardless of race or ethnic background. - [Read more]

Leading mental health charity Mind comments on the results of a new survey that shows that almost one in three young women have tried to self-harm.Minds Information Manager Bridget OConnell said:"It is concerning that such high numbers of young women admit to self harm. Children and teenagers face immense pressure today. - [Read more]

Studies of how brain cell communication may be altered in schizophrenia have earned Dr. Lin Mei, chief of developmental neurobiology at the Medical College of Georgia, a 2008 Distinguished Investigator Award from NARSAD.Dr. - [Read more]

Human imaging studies have for the first time identified brain circuitry associated with social status, according to researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National Institutes of Health. They found that different brain areas are activated when a person moves up or down in a pecking order - or simply views perceived social superiors or inferiors. - [Read more]

Mental Health America is calling on all three presidential candidates to address the critical importance of mental illnesses and mental health in their health policy proposals. "Any plan to modernize our health care system and proposals to contain costs could hardly find a better target for achieving those goals than mental health," said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America. "The candidates take different approaches on health policy. - [Read more]

You can now buy a commercial genetic test that claims to assess your risk of developing bipolar disorder. Genetic tests for major depression and schizophrenia are also expected to reach the market soon. However, although the suspects are numerous, the genes responsible for most brain disorders remain unknown. So, when it comes to commercial genetic tests, we just dont know enough to make the tests useful, reports the May issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter. - [Read more]

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and committee member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on Tuesday called for the resignation of Department of Veterans Affairs - [Read more]

Strong showing for campaigning local reporters in Minds mental health journalism award shortlistMental health charity Mind released the shortlist for its Journalist of the Year Award 2008, open to all news and consumer print journalists, with campaigning local journalists making a strong showing. - [Read more]

ARYx Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARYX) announced that it has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate clinical testing of ATI-9242, a novel antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. The company has begun dosing healthy volunteers with ATI-9242 in a Phase 1 safety study being conducted under an Investigational New Drug application (IND). ATI-9242 is designed as a next-generation atypical antipsychotic agent. - [Read more]

The announcement of the development of the first National Dementia Strategy in 2007 and the introduction of a major new government programme to improve access to psychological therapies, signals the importance of mental health service provision in the NHS. Both initiatives have emphasised the need for early diagnosis and interventions in improving the quality of care for those with mental health disorders. - [Read more]

The disparity of the 50 percent Medicare coinsurance requirement for mental health services reflects an outmoded benefit design on obsolete understandings of the nature of mental disorders and our ability to successfully treat people with these serious illnesses, said American Psychiatric Association President Carolyn Robinowitz, M.D., during a Senate briefing held today by the APA and the Mental Health Medicare Equity Coalition. - [Read more]