Feature Channels: Mental Health

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University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers believe they have determined that the immune system whittles away neurons to properly shape the brain and accounts for differences in sizes of regions in male and female rats. These changes later affect behavior of the rats in their personal preferences.

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A study exploring trends in suicide rates among 13 to 14 year olds from 1999 to 2018 shows rates more than doubled from 2008 to 2018, following a rise in social media and despite significant declines in suicide mortality in this age group previously from 1999 to 2007. These trends were similar in urban and rural areas but were more common in boys in rural areas where firearms are more prevalent. Suicides occurred significantly more often between September and May and were highest on Monday followed by the rest of the weekdays, suggesting school stress as a contributor.

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A gene in the brain driving anxiety symptoms has been identified by an international team of scientists. Critically, modification of the gene is shown to reduce anxiety levels, offering an exciting novel drug target for anxiety disorders. The discovery, led by researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Exeter, is published online today [25 April] in Nature Communications.

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They’re the tanned, toned bodies sporting the latest fitness fashion, but when it comes to body image these ‘fitspiration’ influencers are more talk than walk, according to world-first research from the University of South Australia.

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One in five adults in California, or an estimated 6.5 million people, are concerned that someone they know, usually a friend or family member, is at risk of harming themselves or others, according to new research published in Preventive Medicine. Alcohol and substance misuse, a history of violence, and firearm access were common reasons for concerns about potential violence.

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Bilingual people from cultural backgrounds in which mental health is a particularly taboo topic may be more likely to support treatment when they hear information in their second language.

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Columbia University today announced the establishment of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Center for Precision Psychiatry & Mental Health at Columbia University. The center will catalyze the scientific innovation and clinical implementation of precision medicine to advance the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness.

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Problems with the brain’s ability to ‘prune’ itself of unnecessary connections may underlie a wide range of mental health disorders that begin during adolescence, according to research published today.

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People who first experience problems with alcohol after the age of 60 may have better mental health functioning than those whose drinking problems start sooner, and the benefits of alcohol treatment are not conditional on when hazardous drinking began, a new study suggests.

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Sleeping enough, eating well, exercising and coping with stress are all components of good health, but focusing on all four at once while managing a hectic schedule may seem impossible.

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Krause-Parello's innovative research focuses on the human-animal bond. She developed and is the director of the university-based health research initiative for veterans, Canines Providing Assistance to Wounded Warriors (C-P.A.W.W. ™), a program established to advance the health and well-being of members of the armed forces.

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New mental health app developed by Rutgers Institute for Health faculty member Dr. Edward Selby launches today.

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Dormir lo suficiente, alimentarse bien, hacer ejercicio y controlar el estrés son componentes de una buena salud, pero centrarse en los cuatro a la vez mientras se gestionan muchas actividades puede parecer imposible.

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Dormir o suficiente, comer bem, se exercitar e administrar o estresse são componentes de uma boa saúde, mas se concentrar nas quatro áreas de uma vez enquanto administra uma agenda agitada pode parecer impossível.

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In a study conducted at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), researchers found that the use of peripheral nerve blocks in total knee and total hip arthroplasty were associated with a consistent reduction in risk for postoperative complications in patients with a lower comorbidity burden. In particular, the most consistent reduction in risk of complications and use of hospital resources was in older patients with no comorbidity burden. These findings were presented at the 2023 Spring American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) Annual Meeting and were acknowledged as one of the President’s Choice Abstracts.1

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Nurses exposed to 40 minutes of bright light before their night shifts feel less fatigued and make fewer errors at work, according to a study led by McGill University. The nurses also slept better after their shifts.

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Researcher will discuss the study which involved a sleeping aid known as suvorexant that is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for insomnia, hints at the potential of sleep medications to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Measuring stress activity directed to the blood vessels of muscles could allow researchers to measure pain objectively, according to a new study.

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A five-minute test commonly used to evaluate olfactory function (sense of smell) could also help doctors screen for depression, according to new research out of King George’s Medical University, India.

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Athletes’ experience of using mental health support – and their attitudes towards these services – could be better understood with a more robust approach to research.

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The rate of suspected suicide attempts by poisoning among children and adolescents ages 10-19 reported to U.S. poison centers increased 30% during 2021 – the COVID-19 pandemic’s first full year – compared with 2019, a new UVA Health study found.

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A 2019 Florida Department of Health survey showed that 12.7 percent of Florida high schoolers had carried a weapon; 21.2 percent were involved in a physical altercation; and 11.3 percent and 14.9 percent were bullied electronically or on school property, respectively. In addition, 15.6 percent reported they had seriously considered attempting suicide. Alarmingly, results indicated a 50 percent increase in the suicide attempt rate for black females. These numbers demonstrate the need for timely, immediate prevention and intervention in mental health services for Florida youth.

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In a paper published today in Molecular Psychiatry, a team of scientists from the University of Pittsburgh in collaboration with researchers in Italy described shared patterns of sleep disturbances and irregularities in daily rhythms of rest and activity across patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, or SSD.

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People with epilepsy living in disadvantaged neighborhoods—areas with higher poverty levels and fewer educational and employment opportunities— may be more likely to have memory, thinking, and mental health problems compared to people with epilepsy living in neighborhoods with fewer disadvantages, according to new research published in the April 19, 2023, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that living in disadvantaged neighborhoods causes memory and mental health problems. It only shows an association.

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A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveals that a connection between the body and mind is built into the structure of the brain. The study shows that parts of the brain area that controls movement are plugged into networks involved in thinking and planning, and in control of involuntary bodily functions such as blood pressure and heart rate.

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Having a four-year college degree and a low level of stress are strongly linked to psychological resilience in American women aged 80 and older, a new study suggests.

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University of Minnesota Twin Cities computer science researchers found that the nature of TikTok’s algorithm can have both positive and negative outcomes for users’ mental health and sense of belonging on the platform.

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Eleven California State Universities were recently awarded a combined $35 million to increase the state's supply of staff trained to provide behavioral health care.

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Historically oppressed communities are faced with compounded health, economic and social injustices – with climate change making them worse.

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As a four-day work week is trialled in countries across the globe, health researchers at the University of South Australia say they’re ‘all in’ when it comes to a long weekend, especially as new empirical research shows that the extra time off is good for our health.

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Susan Hedayati, M.D., Director of Clinical and Population Health Research in Nephrology at UT Southwestern, has spent a career investigating the links between kidney disease and depression and developing methods to improve care from a patient-centric perspective for those with chronic kidney disease.

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A machine learning model can effectively predict a patient’s risk for a sleep disorder using demographic and lifestyle data, physical exam results and laboratory values, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

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Dopamine, a brain chemical long associated with pleasure, motivation and reward-seeking, also appears to play an important role in why exercise and other physical efforts feel “easy” to some people and exhausting to others, according to results of a study of people with Parkinson’s disease led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers. Parkinson’s disease is marked by a loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain over time.

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A type of cell usually characterized as the brain’s support system appears to play an important role in OCD, providing a surprising new clue about potential therapeutic strategies for the disorder.

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The research team of Brenda Pun and E. Wesley Ely, of Vanderbilt University's Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction, and Survivorship Center, will receive the AACN Pioneering Spirit Award in recognition of their collaborative work over more than 20 years to develop evidence-based tools for clinicians that have proven to optimize ICU patient recovery and outcomes.

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A cancer diagnosis can cause financial strain on patients as they cope with the cost of treatment and lost work. But what about their partners? A new study from University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center researchers surveyed the partners of colorectal cancer patients and found the financial impact of a loved one’s diagnosis also impacts the partner’s health-related quality of life.