Veterans with mental health conditions often face long and “unconscionable” waits for treatment, according to a report by the Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General. An evaluation of the electronic waiting lists used at several mental health clinics in the Atlanta area found a “significantly high number” of patients waited for more than a month [...]
Pets provide social and emotional support equal to human friendship, according to psychologists. Researchers conducted three experiments to examine the potential benefits of pet ownership. Reporting in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, they found that pet owners had greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious, were [...]
Feeling of control over one’s life a strong influence WASHINGTON—Self-esteem increases during adolescence, then slows in young adulthood, but contrary to popular belief, there is no significant difference between men’s and women’s self-esteem during either of those life phases, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. In addition, the researchers found that in [...]
Despite a suicide rate among the highest in the world and growing rates of depression and stress, South Koreans have resisted psychotherapy. Talk therapy is only slowly being accepted. And many seek help from private clinics because of stigma due to the fact that their government insurance records will carry a designation that they sought [...]
Children with one or more parent on long-term deployment in Iraq or Afghanistan have a higher chance of mental health problems, according to a new study. Published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, the study examined the medical records of 307,520 U.S. children, aged 5 to 17, who had at least one parent [...]
The Obama administration announced last week it will reverse a long-standing, unwritten policy of not sending condolence letters to families of soldiers who die by suicide in combat zones. The military said the previous policy was based on a concern that recognizing such deaths might encourage more suicides. President Obama said sending the letters might [...]
NIH Announces International Research Initiative Mental health experts are calling for a greater world focus on improving access to care and treatment for mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders, as well as increasing discoveries in research that will enable this goal to be met. The Grand Challenges in Global Mental Health Initiative, led by [...]
Non-inherited Genetic Factors Also in the Mix — NIH-funded Science two toddler boys crawling on a colorful play mat The largest and most rigorous twin study of its kind to date has found that shared environment influences susceptibility to autism more than previously thought. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, found that [...]
A free, nationally available program can significantly improve a family’s ability to cope with an ill relative’s mental disorder, according to an NIMH-funded study published June 2011 in Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association. Background The Family-to-Family (FTF) education and support program is a free, 12-week course offered by the National Alliance [...]
Individualism a stronger predictor of well-being than wealth, says new study WASHINGTON—Freedom and personal autonomy are more important to people’s well-being than money, according to a meta-analysis of data from 63 countries published by the American Psychological Association. While a great deal of research has been devoted to the predictors of happiness and life satisfaction [...]
Evidence in both humans and animals points to emotional benefits from exercise, both physical and mental. Now, in recent experiments with mice, scientists have traced the stress-buffering effect of activity to a brain circuit known to be involved in emotional regulation as well as mood disorders and medication effects. The finding is a clue to [...]
Having a regular outpatient mental health provider may not be enough to prevent children and teens with behavioral problems from repeatedly ending up in the emergency room, a new study finds. For the study, researchers analyzed more than 2,900 records of pediatric patients, ages 3 to 17, treated at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital emergency [...]
A proposed new definition of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may make it easier to diagnose and treat older teens and adults-an increase prevalence rates. A proposal being considered by the American Psychiatric Association would expand the criteria that now apply to children by describing what ADHD looks like in older teens and adults. Some doctors [...]
Some adults who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that also experience excessive emotional reactions appears to run in families, according to a new study. Researchers studies 83 participants-23 who had ADHD alone, 27 with ADHD plus deficient emotional self-regulation (DESR), 33 with neither condition-plus their siblings. The study, which appears in the American Journal of Psychiatry, [...]
More than half of all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans treated in Department of Veterans Affairs’ hospitals since 2002 have been diagnosed, at least preliminarily, with mental health problems, according to statistics. The data, which is released quarterly, also shows that the raw number of returning soldiers with psychological problems is rising. Nearly 18,000 new patients [...]
The rate of soldiers hospitalized for having suicidal thoughts has increased by 7,000 percent over the last five years, according to the Pentagon. A new report, which covers the period from the fourth year troops were in Afghanistan and the third year they were in Iraq, also shows the number of soldiers thinking of taking [...]
The American Psychiatric Association is proposing a new classification system that they hope will correspond better to the causes of mental illness. The new organization for the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) eliminates some categories while adding new ones and substantially renaming others. It reflects the latest scientific [...]
Total population study points to possible higher rates of ASDs when screening the general population and the growing worldwide concern for screening, diagnosis, and services The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children in South Korea appears to be much higher than the range of estimates previously reported in other countries, according to a [...]
A combination of two antidepressants may not be any more effective in treating chronic major depression than a single antidepressant, according to an NIMH-funded study published online ahead of print May 2, 2011, in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Background When treating depression, doctors sometimes prescribe a second antidepressant medication if a patient does not [...]
NIH-funded Study Demonstrates Feasibility and Effectiveness of Conducting Systematic Screening During Well-Baby Check-Ups mother holds baby boy A five-minute checklist that parents can fill out in pediatrician waiting rooms may someday help in the early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) , according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Published today [...]