NIMH-funded researchers recently completed a pilot study showing that an Internet-based, self-managed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, with effects that last after treatment has ended. This study supports further development of PTSD therapies that focus on self-management and innovative methods of providing care to large [...]
NASW and NASW-NJ submitted amici curiae brief to support same sex couples Edison, NJ – In a landmark decision, the New Jersey Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the state must amend its marriage statutes or create an equivalent legal structure for same-sex couples. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and its New Jersey Chapter [...]
Arlington, Va. – An eight-week program of self-management cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) delivered over the Internet to U.S. military service members produced greater reductions in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression than did Internet-based supportive counseling. In a pilot study involving the Department of Veterans Affairs and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 25 percent of [...]
Arlington, Va. – A child diagnosed with an anxiety or depressive disorder who also has a conduct or substance abuse disorder has a significantly higher risk of later being arrested for a major criminal offense as a teenager or young adult, according to researchers. The new findings, from Duke University’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral [...]
Arlington, Va. – As devastating wildfires continue to endanger and destroy California communities, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) expresses its deepest sympathies to all those affected by these devastating events and offers tips and resources on how to minimize the effects of trauma caused by destruction and loss of life during natural disasters. This type [...]
New Poll Shows Stress on the Rise, Affecting Health, Relationships and Work Americans Say Housing Costs an Added Stressor in 2007 New York—One-third of Americans are living with extreme stress and nearly half of Americans (48 percent) believe that their stress has increased over the past five years. Stress is taking a toll on people [...]
The National Institutes of Health will intensify its efforts to find the causes of autism and identify new treatments for the disorder, through a new research program. The Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) program represents a consolidation of two existing programs, the Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment (STAART) and Collaborative Programs of Excellence [...]
Family Intervention that Improves Behavior, Social Skills Also Improves Cortisol Patterns A family-based behavioral intervention that helps prevent social and behavior problems in high-risk preschoolers also may help normalize their cortisol levels when they anticipate stressful situations, results of a new NIMH study suggest. Cortisol is a hormone that regulates response to stress. Imbalances in [...]
Recent breakthroughs in phone counseling services have jump-started a new market that is safe, private, and professional. Counselors and therapists are now available by phone or chat to take calls 24/7 from anywhere in the US, and consumers can view and leave ratings for the practitioners as well. In years past, popular pay-per-usage telephone services [...]
MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Individuals trying to cope with the emotional consequences of the Southern California wildfires now have access to a free Help Line staffed by experienced master’s-level specialists. These specialists can assist callers with a broad range of personal concerns. The toll-free Help Line number is (866) 342-6892. It will be open 24 hours a day, [...]
Psychotherapy Combined with Antidepressant Medication Most Effective A combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication appears to be the most effective treatment for adolescents with major depressive disorder—more than medication alone or psychotherapy alone, according to results from a major clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The [...]
How genes and the environment shape the brain circuitry underlying social behavior is among the questions being addressed by three newly NIMH-funded studies. The basic science grants, totaling more than $6 million over 4-5 years, are aimed at understanding how the brain processes social behaviors — processes which are disrupted in autism, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders [...]