http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/mental_health/ Find current news and in-depth information about clinical depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and ADHD in adults, teens, and children. Expand your understanding of mental illness and the learn techniques for managing stress. en-us Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:05:01 EDT Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/mental_health/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902095113.htm If there's one thing that everyone knows about newborn babies, it's that they don't sleep through the night, and neither do their parents. But in fact, those first six months of life are crucial to developing the regular sleeping and waking patterns, known as circadian rhythms, that a child will need for a healthy future. Some children may start life with the sleep odds stacked against them, though, say sleep experts who study the issue. Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902095113.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903204227.htm A new study has found that mothers who delivered vaginally compared to caesarean section delivery were significantly more responsive to the cry of their own baby, identified through MRI brain scans two to four weeks after delivery. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903204227.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903134209.htm One of the few studies to look at the effects of religious participation on the mental health of minorities suggests that for some of them, religion may actually be contributing to adolescent depression. Previous research has shown that teens who are active in religious services are depressed less often because it provides these adolescents with social support and a sense of belonging. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903134209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901205721.htm Brain scans taken at different times of year suggest that the actions of the serotonin transporter -- involved in regulating the mood-altering neurotransmitter serotonin -- vary by season, according to a new report. These fluctuations may potentially explain seasonal affective disorder and related mood changes. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901205721.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903172156.htm In an effort to better understand how chronic stress affects the human body, researchers have created an animal model that shows how chronic stress affects behavior, physiology and reproduction. Developing the animal model better positions the researchers to understand the neurohormonal causes of such stress and the body reaction in order to develop more effective treatment options for humans. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903172156.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901205719.htm Older age among fathers may be associated with an increased risk for bipolar disorder in their offspring, according to a new report. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901205719.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903075614.htm Half the residents of New Orleans were suffering from poor mental and physical health more than a year after their homes and community were devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, according to new research. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903075614.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901205723.htm Low-birth-weight children appear to be at higher risk for psychiatric disturbances from childhood through high school than normal-birth-weight children, according to a new report. In addition, low-birth-weight children from urban communities may be more likely to have attention problems than suburban low-birth-weight children. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901205723.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080831114717.htm Scientist have presented the latest findings on how brain cells can be adversely affected by stress and depression. They have explained how the adult brain is generating new cells. These findings will impact the development of novel antidepressant drugs. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080831114717.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902075218.htm Lingering depression is a serious and common problem in bipolar disorder, and does not resolve well with existing treatments. Because individuals with both depression and bipolar disorder experience a glutathione deficiency, an antioxidant that protects cells from toxins, researchers sought to evaluate whether N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), an over-the-counter supplement that increases brain glutathione, might help alleviate depressive symptoms. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902075218.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829104939.htm Women with depression may be much more likely than men to get relief from a commonly used, inexpensive antidepressant drug, a new national study finds. But many members of both sexes may find that it helps ease their depression symptoms. The persistence of a gender difference in response to the drug -- even after the researchers accounted for many complicating factors -- suggests that there's a real biological difference in the way the medication affects women. Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829104939.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901205732.htm More than half of orphaned youth age 12 to 24 who head households in rural Rwanda meet criteria for depression, according to a new report. Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901205732.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901205725.htm Family-focused therapy, when combined with medication, appears effective in stabilizing symptoms of depression among teens with bipolar disorder, according to a new report. Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901205725.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901090117.htm Depression and heart disease are the two leading disorders with the strongest contributions to the global burden of disease. Depression and heart disease are also intertwined. In recent years, much attention has been given to depression following heart attack and its effects on prognosis. Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901090117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080831114715.htm Bipolar disorder is one of the most important psychiatric diseases, often associated with considerable treatment needs and tremendous social and occupational burden for both the individual and family (Pini et al., 2005). Previously also labeled manic-depressive illness, bipolar disorder is typically referred to as an episodic, yet lifelong and clinically severe mood (or affective) disorder. Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080831114715.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828084056.htm Researchers have discovered in mice that the brain must create new nerve cells for either exercise or antidepressants to reduce depression-like behavior. Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828084056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829135352.htm While more Americans believe that mental illness has genetic causes, the nation is no more tolerant of the mentally ill than it was 10 years ago. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829135352.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829091315.htm Scientists have presented the state of evidence concerning the relation of antidepressants and suicidal behavior and critically commented on the current discussion with regard to the role of antidepressive treatment in real-life clinical practice. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080829091315.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160249.htm An increasing number of students are packing more than their computers and iPods when leaving for college. They are bringing along prescribed psychiatric medications. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University will survey students on managing psychiatric medications in the transition from home to college. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080819160249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080827100814.htm The news about antidepressant medications over the past several years has been mixed. The bad news from large multicenter studies such as STAR*D is that current antidepressant medications are effective, but not as effective as one might hope. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080827100814.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080827100816.htm In the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers shed new light on one link between stress and illness by describing a mechanism through which stress alters immune function. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080827100816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825203813.htm While debate continues over the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, a new study indicates traumatic events and PTSD symptoms may be followed in some cases by a size reduction in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825203813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825092347.htm In a study on adolescent depression following terror attacks, Professor Golan Shahar of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel, and Professor Christopher Henrich of Georgia State University, report that social support experienced by these adolescents seems to protect against depression. Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825092347.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825092420.htm Brain scientists have moved a step closer to understanding why some people may be more prone to depression than others. Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825092420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820194845.htm Pregnant women who endure the psychological stress of being in a war zone are more likely to give birth to a child who develops schizophrenia. Research published in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry supports a growing body of literature that attributes maternal exposure to severe stress during the early months of pregnancy to an increased susceptibility to schizophrenia in the offspring. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820194845.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223446.htm Asian Americans whose families experience a high degree of interpersonal conflict have a three-fold greater risk of attempting suicide when compared with Asian Americans overall, according to a new study by University of California, Davis, researchers. The risk is tripled even among those who have never had a diagnosis of depression. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223648.htm A growing body of research suggests that there is a potent way to fight symptoms of depression that doesn't involve getting a prescription. This potent weapon? Hope. "We're finding that hope is consistently associated with fewer symptoms of depression. And the good news is that hope is something that can be taught, and can be developed in many of the people who need it," said Jennifer Cheavens at Ohio State University. Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223648.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223530.htm Biracial Asian Americans are twice as likely as monoracial Asian Americans to have been diagnosed with a psychological disorder, UC Davis researchers report. Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223530.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223434.htm People taking prescription antidepressants appear to drive worse than people who aren't taking such drugs, and depressed people on antidepressants have even more trouble concentrating and reacting behind the wheel. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223434.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223548.htm A large genetic study of bipolar disorder has implicated machinery that balances levels of sodium and calcium in neurons. The disorder was associated with variation in two genes that make components of such ion channels. Although it's not yet known if or how the suspect genetic variation might affect the balance machinery, the results point to the possibility that bipolar disorder might stem, at least in part, from malfunction of ion channels. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080817223548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812135646.htm A study of 439 US and Mexican-born Latinas seeking pregnancy and postpartum services at public health clinics in San Antonio uncovered elevated levels of depression among the more "Americanized" women, report researchers in the Maternal and Child Health Journal. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812135646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814104835.htm As NASA prepares to send humans back to the moon and then on to Mars, psychologists are exploring the challenges astronauts will face on missions that will be much longer and more demanding than previous space flights. Psychologists outlined these mental health challenges at the American Psychological Association's 116th Annual Convention, and introduced a new interactive computer program that will help address psychosocial challenges in space. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814104835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813120747.htm Scientists have unveiled a functional link between production of new neurons and the effectiveness of antidepressants in an animal model. The study, published by Cell Press in the journal Neuron, provides exciting insight into a mechanism that might underlie a poor response to antidepressive medications for anxiety or depression. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813120747.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812160607.htm Younger service members and Reserve and National Guard combat personnel returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are at increased risk of new-onset heavy drinking, binge drinking and other alcohol-related problems, according to a new study. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812160607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812102611.htm Spouses of husbands and wives with dementia pay an emotional toll as they care for their ailing spouse. This has prompted a call for new interventions and strategies to assist caregivers in coping with the demands of this difficult time, according to a new study. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812102611.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813114222.htm An estimated 15 million American children are diagnosed with a mental disorder, but only about a quarter of them are getting appropriate treatment based on scientific evidence. Many more children are at risk of developing behavioral disorders. And the problem is only going to get worse unless the health care system changes how it delivers services, according to a new task force. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813114222.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812160611.htm In Nepal, former child soldiers display greater severity of mental health problems, such as symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, compared with children who were not forced into military service, according to a study in the August 13 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812160611.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812160609.htm Men and women who experienced sexual violence while fighting in Liberian civil wars report higher rates of symptoms of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and thoughts of suicide than noncombatants or other former combatants who were not exposed to sexual violence, according to a study in the August 13 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812160609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812160605.htm A school-based intervention for children in communities affected by political violence in Indonesia reduced post-traumatic stress symptoms and helped maintain hope, but did not reduce traumatic stress-related symptoms, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms or functional impairment, according to a new study. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812160605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807072125.htm Researchers have just shown how one of the stress hormones regulates brain neurotransmission on the short and long term and enables neuronal connections to adapt. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807072125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804165316.htm A declining number of office-based psychiatrists appear to be providing psychotherapy to their patients, according to a new report. Psychotherapy has been part of the practice of psychiatry for generations. Various forms of psychotherapy, either alone or in combination with medications, are recommended for the treatment of major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and other psychiatric illnesses. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804165316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806113312.htm A researcher suggests that the struggles of adolescence can be particularly painful for children who also struggle with obesity. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080806113312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807112609.htm Unique biochemical crosstalk that enables a fetus to get nutrition and oxygen from its mother's blood just may cause common postpartum blues, researchers say. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807112609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804165318.htm Voluntary physical activity does not appear to cause a reduction in anxiety and depression, but exercise and mood may be associated through a common genetic factor, according to a new article. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804165318.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804123041.htm Depression causes patients with advanced cancer to die sooner than they should, say scientists at the University of Liverpool. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804123041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804165320.htm When combined with antipsychotic medications, the estrogen estradiol appears to be a useful treatment in women with schizophrenia, according to a new report. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804165320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730155350.htm Scientists have successfully identified genetic factors associated with schizophrenia. These findings could represent a decisive step towards understanding the causes of this severe mental disorder as well as developing new potential treatments. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730155350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730140613.htm Researchers have pinpointed a mechanism in the brains of mice that could explain why some human mothers become depressed following childbirth. The discovery could lead to improved treatment for postpartum depression. After giving birth, female mice bred to be deficient in a suspect protein showed depression-like behaviors and neglected their newborn pups. Giving a drug that restored the protein's function improved maternal behavior and reduced pup mortality. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730140613.htm