It is well established that adolescents experiencing food insecurity (inconsistent access to enough safe and affordable food to live an active, healthy life) are at greater risk of physical and mental problems. In a Viewpoint article...
People with social anxiety disorder may benefit from an intervention that trains them to focus their attention on neutral facial expressions more than negative ones, according to a report in AJP in Advance . In a clinical trial,...
People who are diagnosed with sleep apnea may have an increased risk of dying by suicide, a study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research has found. Sleep apnea is a potentially serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and...
Patients with schizophrenia appear to be at a lower risk of hospitalization for physical health issues when taking high doses of two or more antipsychotic medications concurrently (polypharmacy) than when taking just one antipsychotic...
College students are far more likely to report having experienced an eating disorder, depression, or suicidal ideation compared with what parents report knowing about their children’s experiences with mental illness, according to a...
Women with severe mental illness (SMI)—such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression—are less likely to receive recommended treatment for breast cancer than those without SMI, according to a report in Psycho-Oncology ....
Older adults who develop delirium after a surgery may experience faster cognitive decline than those who do not develop post-surgery delirium, suggests a report in JAMA Internal Medicine . The findings are based on cognitive data...
In experiments with mice and humans, a team led by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers says it has identified a particular intestinal immune cell that impacts the gut microbiome, which in turn may affect brain functions linked to...
One in five deaths by suicide is related to problems with current or former intimate partners such as divorce, separation, romantic breakups, arguments, jealousy, conflicts, and intimate partner violence, a study in the American Journal...
Patients who enrolled in a trial of medication treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) who did not start or complete their assigned medication were at greater risk of experiencing an overdose than those who took their medication,...
Individuals with gender dysphoria who lived in California were significantly more likely to undergo gender-affirming surgery following the 2013 implementation of a state law prohibiting insurance discrimination against gender-affirming...
Experiencing high levels of stress during pregnancy is known to place mothers and their infants at risk of mental health problems. A report published today in JAMA Network Open highlights some of the impact that worries about COVID-19...
Children who experience the death of a parent are known to be at an increased risk of depression and other internalizing problems later in life. A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry has...
People with schizophrenia are known to experience motivational deficits (for example, defeatist beliefs and social withdrawal) that can hinder their ability to engage in social and occupational activities. A study published yesterday in...
Older adults who take vitamin D may be 40% less likely to develop dementia compared with those who do not, according to a study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia . “Vitamin D deficiency may be a modifiable risk factor [for...
Young people who began treatment within 14 days of being diagnosed with first-episode psychosis (FEP) were less likely to deliberately harm themselves than those who did not initiate treatment, according to a report in Psychiatric...
Researchers have successfully developed a blood test for anxiety. The test examines biomarkers that can help them objectively determine someone’s risk for developing anxiety, the severity of their current anxiety and which therapies...
Psychiatrists who treat older patients should review their patients’ medications very carefully, particularly when they are seeing a patient for the first time after a referral from a hospital, speakers at the American Association for...
Older adults with treatment-resistant depression may experience greater mood improvements when aripiprazole is added to their current antidepressant regimen compared with being switched to bupropion, suggests a study in the New England...
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has proposed rules that if finalized would allow limited flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances without an in-person visit after the public health emergency (PHE) ends on May 11. The...
Clinics and clinicians who provide gender-affirming care to youth have received an onslaught of threats and harassment . In a viewpoint published this week in J AMA Pediatrics , three clinicians whose institutions were recently targeted...
A strong majority of Americans who have pets regard their pets as part of the family, and most feel that their pets have a positive impact on their mental health, according to the latest findings from APA’s Healthy Minds Monthly Poll ....
A new study focused on defense veterans' mental health has found strong evidence that assistance dogs used in conjunction with traditional therapies provide the most effective treatment outcomes.
Postpartum depression—which can disrupt the forming of bonds between a mother and child—is estimated to impact between 12% and 24% of women following the birth of a child. A study in Pediatrics now suggests that women with postpartum...
APA has released an updated practice guideline on how to assess and treat patients with eating disorders —the first full update since 2006. The fourth edition of APA’s Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Eating...
Adverse childhood experiences in mothers can affect their children's mental and physical health, as researchers report. The study found that maltreatment during a mother's childhood is associated with a higher risk of health problems...
Youth with anxiety disorders who contract COVID-19 may experience worsening anxiety symptoms, suggests a small study reported in a letter in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry . Jeffrey R. Strawn,...
Researchers are calling for exercise to be a mainstay approach for managing depression as a new study shows that physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than counseling or the leading medications.
Prazosin—a medication commonly used to treat high blood pressure—may also reduce drinking by adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to a clinical trial involving active-duty military appearing in Alcohol: Clinical and...
A new study explores the interplay between the serotonin system and estradiol in the brain, showing that the central nervous system in patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) seems to increase serotonin transporter density...
Patients with trichotillomania (also known as hair-pulling disorder) and/or excoriation (skin-picking) disorder may experience symptom improvements while taking the Alzheimer's medication memantine, a report published today in AJP in...
Psychostimulants interacting with the dopamine transporter are found in the therapy of neuro-psychiatric disorders, such as ADHD or depression, as well as on the illicit drug market. In order to better understand their exact mode of...
A large international study has identified 27 loci in the human genome with genetic variants that increase the risk of ADHD. This is more than twice as many as previous studies have found.
A new study used MRI and survey data to identify structural differences in regions of the brain linked to threat processing in 9- and 10-year-olds that the researchers linked to disparities in childhood adversity exposure as a result of...
Reductions in violence are seen in individuals using Beta adrenergic-blocking agents (Beta-blockers) compared with periods that they are not taking the medication, a new study finds. If the findings are confirmed by other studies,...
Neuroscientists identified a specific neural mechanism in the human brain that tags information with emotional associations for enhanced memory. The team demonstrated that high-frequency brain waves in the amygdala, a hub for emotional...
On Blue Monday -- supposedly the gloomiest day of the year -- a study shows adults with high levels of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than adults with high...
Neuroimaging technology has been shown to hold great promise in helping clinicians link specific symptoms of mental health disorders to abnormal patterns of brain activity. But a new study shows there are still kinks to be ironed out...
People suffering from symptoms of depression or anxiety may help heal themselves by doing good deeds for others, new research shows. The study found that performing acts of kindness led to improvements not seen in two other therapeutic...
Diagnosing psychiatric disorders is challenging due to the lack of objective tests. Fortunately, genomic studies can reveal genes associated with increased risk of certain disorders. In a recent study, researchers from Japan investigated...
Patients with treatment resistant depression have a 23 per cent higher risk of death than other depressed patients. They also have twice as much outpatient care and spend three times the number of days in inpatient care.
For decades, doctors have treated kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with methylphenidate, a stimulant drug sold as Ritalin and Concerta, making it one of the most widely prescribed medications aimed at the central...
Researchers are learning more about how traumatic events may physically change our brains. Neurologists have revealed changes to a brain mechanism used for learning and survival may play a role in how someone responds to a threat...
Women with prolonged mental health problems up to three years after childbirth may be suffering from irregular immune system responses, according to new research.
The neurotransmitter serotonin plays a key role in both the onset and in the unlearning of fear and anxiety. A research team has been investigating the underlying mechanisms. The researchers showed that mice lacking a specific serotonin...
Researchers have published a new study examining factors behind the decision to begin or decline medication treatment for childhood anxiety disorders after cognitive behavioral therapy did not lead to improvement.