Lower drinking ages may result in an elevate risk for suicide among women born after 1960, researchers say. Their study collected data on more than 200,000 suicides and 130,000 homicides from individuals born between 1949 and 1972 (the years during which the drinking age changed). The researchers found a significantly higher risk for suicide and [...]
Alcoholism and other substance use conditions appear to be linked to a gene mutation, according to a new study. Researchers examined variants of a gene (called cannabinoid receptor 1) in blood samples of 298 males with alcoholism and 155 people without addiction. They found a combination of variants in the normal gene sequence that appears [...]
Psychological responses to racism similar to trauma symptoms, study finds WASHINGTON—For black American adults, perceived racism may cause mental health symptoms similar to trauma and could lead to some physical health disparities between blacks and other populations in the United States, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association. While [...]
One in 12 teens deliberately harms themselves, but 90 percent give up the behavior by the time they’re young adults, according to a new study. Researchers followed a group of young people in Victoria, Australia, from 1992 to 2008. Approximately 8 percent reported self-harm. A higher percentage (10 percent) was reported by girls than boys [...]
NIH-funded Study Finds Engaging Peers in Social Skills Intervention May Be More Helpful than Training Children with ASD Directly Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who attend regular education classes may be more likely to improve their social skills if their typically developing peers are taught how to interact with them than if only the [...]
Rare Syndrome’s Workings Could Help Explain How Brain Wiring Goes Awry – NIH-funded Study Potential clues to how autism miswires the brain are emerging from a study of a rare, purely genetic form of the disorders that affects fewer than 20 people worldwide. Using cutting-edge “disease-in a-dish” technology, researchers funded by the National Institutes of [...]
We recently added free classifieds to The Mental Health Social Worker (http://mhsw.org/social-worker-classifieds/). And yes, they really are completely free. There is no charge to post anything for any amount of time on them, and they are really easy to use. We’re hoping they will become a popular place to advertise mental health related opportunities over [...]
Inactivity can cause a number of symptoms associated with depression, researchers say. Their study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, included close to 50,000 women who were surveyed every couple of years from 1992 to 2006 as part of the U.S. Nurses’ Health Study. Participants recorded the amount of time they spent watching TV [...]
Nicotine appears to enhance the effects of cocaine and possibly increases the chances of becoming addicted, according to new research performed on mice. Researchers treated mice with nicotine and then exposed them to cocaine. The mice who were exposed to nicotine responded differently to the cocaine (exhibiting more characteristics of addiction) compared to mice who [...]
An area of the brain works less efficiently in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, researchers say. Using a functional magnetic imaging scanner to track signs of neural activity among 19 affected children and 23 other children, the scientists discovered that a critical mental control area, called the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, worked much harder among children [...]
A new report by National Alliance on Mental Illness found that 28 states and the District of Columbia have reduced mental health funding by nearly $1.7 billion since fiscal year 2009. Modest increases in some states’ mental health budgets have done little to erase massive cuts nationwide over the past three years and a reduction [...]
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending that all adolescents be screened for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use at every office visit. The organization said pediatricians should use a validated screening tool at routine visits, as well as appropriate acute care visits. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recommends that [...]
The Mayo Clinic and mental health experts have developed a toolkit designed to help identify mental health conditions in youth. “This toolkit will allow pediatricians, teachers and others that could help get the word out to families we can close the gap so the three out of four children with mental health disorders who aren’t [...]
All Children Matter Report Documents How Children Have Become Collateral Damage of Anti-Gay Laws Washington, D.C. —A groundbreaking new report released today shows how two million children have become collateral damage of decades of ideology, laws and policies designed to hurt lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. All Children Matter: How Legal and Social [...]
The genes suspected of causing autism, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses are activated in the developing brain before birth, according to a new analysis. Researchers, whose findings are reported in the journal Nature, also detected hundreds of genetic differences between males and females still in the womb. The analysis examined more than 1,300 tissue samples [...]
A chemical used in consumer products could be linked to behavioral and emotional problems in young girls, according to a new study. After tracking 244 Cincinnati-area mothers and their 3-year-olds, the study concluded that mothers with high levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine were more likely to report that their children were hyperactive, [...]
Miswired brain circuitry traced to early exposure – NIH-funded study Rats exposed to an antidepressant just before and after birth showed substantial brain abnormalities and behaviors, in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. After receiving citalopram, a serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), during this critical period, long-distance connections between the two hemispheres of [...]
Individuals who have experienced long-term unemployment in the past year—those unemployed for longer than 25 weeks—are three times more likely than people employed throughout the past year to experience mental health issues for the first time, a new study finds. The researchers found that people with more than a high school education and members of [...]
People who have lost homes or are in foreclosure have poorer mental and overall health than those who aren’t experiencing similar financial difficulties, according to a new study. Reported in the American Journal of Public Health, the study found that people who said that they had fallen behind on their mortgage between 2006 and 2008 [...]