Feature Channels: Mental Health

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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is releasing “Ending Conversion Therapy: Supporting and Affirming LGBTQ Youth,” a comprehensive report that provides an in-depth review of research and clinical expertise related to conversion therapy. This important new resource makes it clear that conversion therapy is not an appropriate therapeutic approach based on the evidence, and explores alternative ways to discuss sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression with young people.

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The American Psychological Association expressed support for a report released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration calling for an end to the practice of “conversion therapy” for children and youth.

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A new emergency department study from the University of Michigan Injury Center looks deeper at risk and protective factors among teenagers who report dating violence and alcohol use.

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For most, pregnancy is a joyful time of anticipation of the arrival of a child. Unfortunately for some, the arrival is of painful loss.

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Having a high stress job may be linked to a higher risk of stroke, according to an analysis of several studies. The meta-analysis is published in the October 14, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Using advanced brain imaging, researchers have matched certain behavioral symptoms of schizophrenia to features of the brain’s anatomy. The findings, from a research team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis could be a step toward improving diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia.

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Incarcerated youth who have suffered head injuries, traumatic experiences and mental illness diagnoses are more likely to abuse multiple inhalants, according to researchers at Georgia State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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A new study finds that children with congenital heart disease and ADHD can take stimulant medications without fear of significant cardiovascular side effects.

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A multicenter study of young patients with bipolar disorder provides what may be the most scientifically rigorous demonstration to date that lithium — a drug used successfully for decades to treat adults with the condition — can also be safe and effective for children suffering from it.

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A new analysis led by researchers at the UNC School of Medicine identified “illogical thoughts” as most predictive of schizophrenia risk. Surprisingly, perceptual disturbances – the forerunners of hallucinations – are not predictive.

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The NAPHS Membership Directory is a comprehensive referral resource providing information on the nation’s behavioral healthcare systems.

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How happy you are may have something to do with who you know—and where you come from. Lijun Song, assistant professor of sociology, set out to discover whether knowing high-status people helped or harmed mental health, using depressive symptoms as a proxy. Her findings appear in the July 2015 issue of Social Science and Medicine.

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Media advisory on Oregon school shooting.

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In a study to be published on Oct.1 by the journal Pediatric Emergency Care, investigators at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles piloted a brief mental health screening tool to be used with patients accessing the emergency department for medical complaints who might be at risk for mental health problems.

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New analysis shows that the scientific literature paints an overly rosy picture of the efficacy of psychotherapy for depression comparable to the bias previously found in reports of treatments with antidepressant drugs.

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The Latino culture, more than others, places a high value on the family unit; yet, little research has examined the dynamics of Latino family relationships and how those dynamics affect children’s development. Now, a University of Missouri researcher found sibling relationship quality in adolescence affects Mexican-origin adolescents’ and young adults’ later depressive symptoms and their involvement in risky behaviors, including those with sexual risk.

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When it comes to treating depression, how well a person responds to a fake medicine may determine how well they’ll respond to a real one, a new study shows. Those who can muster their brain’s own chemical forces against depression have a head start in overcoming symptoms with help from medication.

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The first patient with depression has been treated with focused ultrasound. This procedure marks the beginning of a pilot clinical trial to determine the feasibility and safety of MR-guided focused ultrasound to non-invasively destroy a small volume of tissue deep in the brain – the anterior limb of the internal capsule – a well-established target for treating severe depression. In this initial patient, the target was successfully ablated without complications.

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Choosing the right antidepressant can be a daunting task. With so many choices and such unpredictability in their individual effects, patients with depression often spend months or years casting about for the right medication, while clinicians are often uneasy or unwilling to offer options other than their preferred prescriptions.

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More than half of older adults with clinical depression don’t get better when treated with an antidepressant. But results from a multicenter clinical trial that included Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that adding a second drug — an antipsychotic medication — to the treatment regimen helps many of those patients.

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Suicide rates gradually have been increasing for years despite improved treatments for depression. Doctors want those at risk of harming themselves to know there is hope — including a new treatment that may relieve suicidal wishes in people with depression.

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Individuals who blame karma for their poor health have more pain and worse physical and mental health, according to a new study from University of Missouri researchers. Targeted interventions to counteract negative spiritual beliefs could help some individuals decrease pain and improve their overall health, the researchers said.

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Women react differently to negative images compared to men, which may be explained by subtle differences in brain function. This neurobiological explanation for women’s apparent greater sensitivity has been demonstrated by researchers.

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Researchers led by Bradley S. Peterson, MD, director of the Institute for the Developing Mind at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, have shown that lower levels of conflict-related brain activity are associated with a higher risk for later psychosis. The study, in conjunction with colleagues at Columbia University, is available via PubMed in advance of publication by the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

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Margaret Pabst Battin, distinguished professor of philosophy and medical ethics at the University of Utah has spent almost 40 years researching, collecting and organizing historical sources on suicide, examining every side of these issues. Her new book, “The Ethics of Suicide: Historical Sources,” published by the Oxford University Press with an accompanying digital archive hosted by the University of Utah’s J. Willard Marriott Library, provides a diverse range of thinking about suicide throughout history, representing a full range of cultures and traditions.

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As high schools across the country continue to reduce physical education, recess, and athletic programs, a new study shows that regular exercise significantly reduces both suicidal thoughts and attempts among students who are bullied.

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"This study has let us characterize the parameters of decline in people who will eventually develop Alzheimer's, which means we can better identify both benign symptoms and those that warrant particular attention." - Sylvie Belleville

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Researchers at Case Western Reserve University had previously found that mothers of children dependent on life-supporting medical technology are at risk for depression. In a new study, the researchers discovered factors that significantly contribute to the condition.

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The study found that healthy sisters of women suffering from eating disorders suffered from higher levels of depressive symptoms stemming from the strained relationship between the two. “During treatment maximum attention should be given to the relationship between the two sisters, strengthening it and transforming it from a negative, competitive interaction to one of support,” said Prof. Yael Letzer from the University of Haifa who led the research together with Prof. Ruth Katz and Keren Berger

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A University of Adelaide led study has found that a psychiatric drug claimed to be a safe and effective treatment for depression in adolescents is actually ineffective and associated with serious side effects.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States – greater even than traffic crashes, but Ian Rockett, professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health at West Virginia University says the problem is bigger and in the latest issue of JAMA Psychiatry proposes a way to address it.

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Scientists at Duke University have released a highly detailed model of connections in the mouse brain that could provide generations of neuroscientists new insights into brain circuits and origins of mental illness, such as depression and schizophrenia. The findings are published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.

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In patients with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, a clinical trial shows antidepressants can increase incidents of depression and mood cycling.

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Researchers conducting clinical trials of drugs that might prevent AD are exploring how best to inform participants of their increased risk for the disease, and studying how they cope with this information. Alzforum reports in a two-part series.

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Caregiving is an important and widespread responsibility that is becoming more common as our society’s elderly population grows. Much of this caregiving role is shifting onto families, increasing the need for professional help for those caring for their loved ones.

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A prospective longitudinal study of U.S. Marines suggests that reduced heart rate variability – the changing time interval between heartbeats – may be a contributing risk factor for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings are reported in the September 9 online issue of JAMA Psychiatry by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System.

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Treating depressed individuals and figuring out who will and won’t respond to antidepressants is mostly trial and error but a National Institutes of Health-funded study conducted by Vanderbilt’s Center for Cognitive Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry may shed some light on predicting the response of a group of depressed individuals age 60 and older.

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The aging of the population, shifting diagnostic criteria, and new health care policy initiatives are some of the factors driving changes in mental health treatment for older Americans, according to the September special issue of the Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

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Switzerland is the best place in the world for older people to live, closely followed by Norway and Sweden, according to a new report from HelpAge International, working in partnership with the University of Southampton, UK.

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Low. Down. Less than normal. That’s what the word depression means, and what people with depression often feel like. But sometimes, depression can mean too much of something – as new research shows.

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With the rate of stillbirths now topping that of infants who die before their first birthdays, employers — and society in general — must become more empathetic to families grieving the death of a baby through stillbirth or miscarriage, says a Baylor University researcher who helped form Cradled, a Waco-based nonprofit serving bereaved families.

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A commonly prescribed antidepressant may alter brain structures in depressed and non-depressed individuals in very different ways, according to new research at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

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New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may help explain why drug treatments for addiction and depression don’t work for some patients. The conditions are linked to reward and aversion responses in the brain. And the research suggests that some treatments simultaneously stimulate reward and aversion responses, resulting in a net zero effect.

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A new study examining changes in gun policy in two states finds that handgun purchaser licensing requirements influence suicide rates. Researchers estimate that Connecticut’s 1995 law requiring individuals to obtain a permit or license to purchase a handgun after passing a background check was associated with a 15.4 percent reduction in firearm suicide rates, while Missouri’s repeal of its handgun purchaser licensing law in 2007 was associated with a 16.1 percent increase in firearm suicide rates.

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Working with mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have added to evidence that a commonly prescribed antidepressant called fluoxetine helps stroke victims improve movement and coordination, and possibly why.

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Those with borderline personality disorder a mental illness marked by unstable moods, often experience trouble maintaining interpersonal relationships. New research from the University of Georgia indicates that this may have to do with lowered brain activity in regions important for empathy in individuals with borderline personality traits.

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During the month of September and as the school year begins, many healthcare, family and children’s organizations focus on the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). As part of this, Alexis Resnick, Ph.D., a professor of psychology in the behavioral science department at Broward College, as well as a licensed psychologist who provides assessment, therapy and consultation services to children, adolescents and young adults with behavioral, academic, developmental, emotional, and social concerns, is providing several behavioral treatment tips for ADHD.

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