Coordinating care to manage depression and chronic illness such as diabetes or heart disease produces better outcomes for patients, a new study finds. Researchers reviewed the progress of 214 patients with depression and heart disease or diabetes or both. Half of the patients received coaching from a specially trained nurse to help them meet goals [...]
People with diabetes or heart disease plus depression fare better if their medical care is coordinated by a care manager who also educates patients about their condition and provides motivational support, compared to those who receive care from their primary care physician only, according to an NIMH-funded study published December 30, 2010, in the New [...]
Trained lay counselors can be effective at helping treat people who have depression and anxiety in public primary care facilities in developing countries, according to a new study . Adult patients in 24 groups took part in a randomized trial at public and private primary care facilities in Goa. Some of the groups were assigned [...]
Children who are friendless may be at risk of spiraling into depression as teenagers, new research asserts. In a three-year study, researchers looked at 130 girls and 101 boys in the third through fifth school grades who were asked to answer whether they felt they were shy or preferred to be alone. The study, published [...]
Co-occurring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at the root of attention problems in children with Tourette syndrome (TS), according to NIMH-funded researchers. Their findings also support the theory that children with TS develop different patterns of brain activity in order to function at the same level as children without TS. The study was [...]
Experiments in transgenic mice have provided a novel glimpse of how a prenatal infection could interact with a specific gene variant to cause behavioral and neurologic changes in adults that mirror those seen in major psychiatric disease. The mouse model used offers a means to explore gene/environment interactions and to identify both the mechanisms involved [...]
Women war veterans who became pregnant after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan may be at greater risk for mental health problems, a study finds. The review of more than 43,000 women who completed their service between 2001 and 2008 found that pregnant veterans were twice as likely as those without pregnancy to be diagnosed with [...]
WASHINGTON – Losing a job is a profoundly distressing experience, but the unemployed may be more resilient than previously believed – the vast majority eventually end up as satisfied with life as they were before they lost their jobs, according to a new analysis published by the American Psychological Association. “Unemployment rates continue to be [...]
WASHINGTON – During the holiday season it can be difficult to keep to a healthy diet, even for those most dedicated to healthy foods and activity. In addition to the ongoing temptation of cookies and candies, many Americans experience heightened stress during the holidays, which can result in unhealthy management strategies, such as overeating. The [...]
Mindfulness—using meditation—can help prevent a relapse back into depression as effectively as traditional antidepressant medication, according to new research. A common problem with antidepressant medication is that patients often stop taking the drugs far too soon. The study, which is reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry, compared subjects who were weaned off antidepressant medication [...]
Breathing in secondhand tobacco smoke may harm the mental health of children, according to a new study. British researchers compiled data and tested the saliva of 901 children aged 4 to 8. They were also asked to report on how frequently they were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. A questionnaire that was completed by parents [...]
Although a new study finds one-third of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) adolescents have attempted suicide in their lifetime, few are experiencing mental health problems. Researchers, who reported their findings in the American Journal of Public Health, said the prevalence of mental disorders among LGBT youth was higher than that in the general population, [...]
The number of Americans who drove drunk or under the influence of illegal drugs declined slightly over the past several years, according to new government figures. But the numbers, compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, remain high. In some states, the number of drunk and drugged drivers tops 20 percent. The [...]
Although more Americans are receiving treatment for depression, the number who get psychotherapy with our without drugs continues to decline, according to a new survey. From 1998 with 2007, the percentage of those receiving psychotherapy fell from 53.6 percent to 43.1 percent, researchers report in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The decline in psychotherapy was [...]
Targeting the core social deficits of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in early intervention programs yielded sustained improvements in social and communication skills even in very young children who have ASD, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study was published online [...]
WASHINGTON – Moderate consumption of so-called energy drinks can improve people’s response time on a lab test measuring behavioral control, but those benefits disappear as people drink more of the beverage, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association. With the growing popularity of energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster, Burn and [...]
The symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may be related to Crohn’s disease, researchers report. In a study of 600 Swiss adults with Crohn’s disease, participants underwent a PTSD assessment and were monitored for 18 months. Crohn’s patients with PTSD were more than 13 times likelier to experience worsening symptoms than those without PTSD, the [...]
People with depression who also have psychotic-like symptoms are less likely to respond to antidepressants, a new study asserts. Researchers, who reported their findings in the Archives of General Psychiatry, also found that bipolar disorder does not appear to be associated with treatment resistance in patients with depression. That challenges the common theory that some [...]
A new study finds that a supportive family environment can have a positive impact on the general and mental health of gay, lesbian and bisexual children. Researchers were able to define specific behaviors by parents and family that were perceived as being either accepting or rejecting of teens’ sexual orientation, and to connect these behaviors [...]
Teens with hard-to-treat depression who reach remission after 24 weeks of treatment are still at a significant risk for relapse, according to long-term, follow-up data from an NIMH-funded study published online ahead of print November 16, 2010, in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. The long-term data reiterate the need for aggressive treatment decisions for teens [...]