Mental Health Articles

Schizophrenia is a devastating mental disease, thought to be caused by the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors. Because there is no biochemical test that can identify the disorder, physicians rely upon the recognition of its symptoms — which can include auditory hallucinations and paranoia — in order to make their diagnosis.

A trio of genome-wide studies — collectively the largest to date — have pinpointed a vast array of genetic variation that cumulatively may account for at least one third of the genetic risk for schizophrenia. One of the studies traced schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in part, to the same chromosomal neighborhoods.

We swim in a sea of information, but filter out most of what we see or hear. New analysis of data from dozens of studies sheds new light on how we choose what we do and do not hear. The study found that while people tend to avoid information that contradicts what they already think or believe, certain factors can cause them to seek out, or at least consider, other points of view.

Anxiety and depression are associated with more frequent angina in coronary artery disease patients, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Angina is chest pain and can include jaw, shoulder, back and arm discomfort. Angina is caused by myocardial ischemia, an inadequate supply of blood-borne oxygen to the heart muscle.

More pieces in the complex autism inheritance puzzle are emerging in the latest study from a research team including geneticists from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and several collaborating institutions. This study identified 27 different genetic regions where rare copy number variations – missing or extra copies of DNA segments – were found in the genes of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but not in the healthy controls.

The physical and mental health needs of juvenile offenders should be treated as a priority if offenders held in detention have any real hope of rehabilitation, according to new research from the University of Adelaide, Australia. Therefore, juvenile offenders need more mental health counseling and services.

Stressful life events are strongly associated with a person’s risk for major depression, but a certain gene variation long thought to increase risk in conjunction with stressful life events actually may have no effect, according to researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study, published in the June 17, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, challenges a widely accepted approach to studying risk factors for depression.

People with memory problems who are depressed are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to people who are not depressed, according to a study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. However, the research also shows that the popular Alzheimer’s drug donepezil may delay the progression to Alzheimer’s disease for depressed people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or memory problems.

Child suicide rates in Denmark are at alarming levels as 450 children each year attempt suicide. Children poison themselves with pills or otherwise try to take their own lives. Suicide help hotline centers need to increase in numbers. Figures from the country's children's department indicate that about 450 children between 10 and 15 years are hospitalized each year after they have attempted suicide. This is the first time that scientists have studied this age group.

New initiatives to enhance suicide prevention activities in the north are now being implemented, Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Steve Ashton announced here today.

“Last fall, we announced a comprehensive strategy to prevent youth suicide, improve access to mental-health care and provide hope and opportunity to young people,” said Irvin-Ross. “Today, we’re getting a number of the strategy’s initiatives underway to reach out to youth across the north.”

The new initiatives include: