mental health

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Biggest Stories You Didn't Hear in '08

Catching up on the stuff blotted out by the election and financial crisis

(Newser) - Election coverage and reports on the financial crisis ate up much of the media's attention in '08—while some major news stories went under-reported. Time runs down the biggest:
  1. A Pentagon gaffe accidentally sent nuclear warhead fuses to Taiwan in 2006; the mix-up was noted this year—by the Taiwanese.
...

Personality Disorders Afflict 20% of Young Adults

(Newser) - In the wake of shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, a new study says nearly 20% of young adults suffer from personality disorders, the AP reports. Obsessive compulsive disorder topped the list, but the problems include anti-social feelings and paranoia, which can lead to violence. Fewer than a...

Electric Therapy Can Relieve Depression

New treatment using currents can help when meds don't

(Newser) - People with major depression that doesn't respond to medication may get relief from a therapy that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the cortex, the Wall Street Journal reports. In a clinical trial, transcranial magnetic stimulation worked in about a quarter of patients—about twice the success rate of patients on...

Multitasking Can Melt Your Brain

Scientists warn of dangers of doing too much at once

(Newser) - Multitasking isn’t as productive as you may think—in fact, our brains just can’t handle it. Scientists say working on many tasks at once slows all of them down, NPR reports. “No matter how good you have become at multitasking, you’re still going to suffer hits...

Autism-Reversing Drugs Show Promise

MIT scientists stumbled onto workaround for misfiring brain system

(Newser) - MIT scientists have discovered one of the mechanisms of Fragile X Syndrome, one cause of autism, and are developing drugs to treat it, NPR reports. The disorder, triggered by a genetic mutation, interferes with the normal links between brain cells, making those networks something like a car without a brakes....

Hallucinogenic Plant's High May Knock Medical Use Down

States try to crack down on promising herb

(Newser) - A hallucinogenic herb pharmacologists believe holds great promise for pain relief and mental health treatment is facing tough restrictions thanks to thrill-seekers, the New York Times reports. Users of the highly potent psychedelic Salvia divinorum—dubbed "Magic Mint" by users—have been posting videos of their trips on YouTube,...

Bipolar Risk Rises With Father's Age

Kids with dads over 30 have greater chance of developing disorder

(Newser) - Children born to fathers older than 30 have an 11% higher chance of developing bipolar disorder than kids with younger dads, and the risk increases with the father’s age, new research reveals. The rate climbs to 37% of offspring of fathers aged 55, Reuters reports, compared to the overall...

C-E-R-T-A-I-N Scrabble Winners
 C-E-R-T-A-I-N Scrabble Winners
Aug 30, 2008 10:01 AM CDT

C-E-R-T-A-I-N Scrabble Winners

ZQFMGB not included

(Newser) - Sure, Bart Simpson could fake it at Scrabble—but for those of us playing against a wit sharper than Homer's, here are some gems Mental Floss magazine dug up that actually mean something:
  • Cwm: A valley created by glacial shifts.
  • Adz: An axe-like woodworking tool.
  • Xu: The currency of Vietnam.
...

Yoga Blunts Menopause: Study
 Yoga Blunts Menopause: Study 
Aug 23, 2008 8:37 AM CDT

Yoga Blunts Menopause: Study

(Newser) - Menopausal women who do yoga experience fewer hot flashes and have greater mental acuity than their non-practicing counterparts, suggests a new study conducted by a yoga university in India. The research compared results from a control group against women who did yoga or stretches five days a week for 2...

Calif. Therapists Rake in Millions Under Sex Offender Law

Billed $24M for 2007 Jessica's Law services

(Newser) - Psychologists and psychiatrists are cashing in on a California law requiring mental health screening for sex offenders, the LA Times reports. Last year, private contractors billed the state for millions of dollars in prisoner evaluations, with one psychologist bringing home $1.5 million. State officials defend the expense as necessary...

Drugs Shrinking Psychiatrists' Talk Time: Study

Cost-conscious managed care also seen behind decline

(Newser) - Psychiatry is increasingly focused on prescribing drugs and less on psychotherapy, a study published in the Archives of General Psychology finds. A reluctance by insurance firms to pay for therapy is one factor, HealthDay reports, along with the wide variety of drugs now available to treat various conditions.

VA Doctor Discouraged Post-Traumatic Diagnoses

Email urged staffers to save disability costs

(Newser) - A team leader at a veterans' medical center in Texas sent staffers an email urging them to avoid diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder, the Washington Post reports. "Given that we are having more and more compensation-seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD...

Gitmo Drives Detainees Crazy: Lawyers
Gitmo Drives Detainees Crazy: Lawyers
Apr 26, 2008 10:48 AM CDT

Gitmo Drives Detainees Crazy: Lawyers

As trials draw near, prisoners' mental health at issue

(Newser) - Osama bin Laden's driver can't help his lawyers prepare his defense because he's been driven mad by years of isolation at Guantanamo Bay, his lawyers say. The conditions "boil his mind" and prevent a fair trial, they say, an argument that will become increasingly common as lawyers begin preparing...

Tiny Shocks Win by a Nose
Tiny Shocks
Win by a Nose
Mar 28, 2008 4:00 PM CDT

Tiny Shocks Win by a Nose

Sense of smell shows electric response; technique could help PTSD patients

(Newser) - Electric shocks can sharpen the sense of smell, a finding that suggests new ways of altering sensory perception, the Chicago Tribune reports. MRIs showed subjects’ brains actually changing after researchers administered tiny shocks, which improved their ability to distinguish between similar smells. Because many psychological conditions relate to the senses,...

Schizophrenia Gene Find Surprises Scientists

Glitches vary from person to person

(Newser) - Scientists have tracked down the genetic roots of schizophrenia, but in a surprising twist researchers found that the genetic errors to blame often vary from person to person, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The discovery suggests that multiple glitches in the genetic code are behind schizophrenia, with the exact combination unique...

Gene Linked to Stress Disorder
Gene Linked
to Stress Disorder
Mar 19, 2008 11:16 AM CDT

Gene Linked to Stress Disorder

Could explain why some soldiers are more susceptible

(Newser) - A gene that may influence an individual's susceptibility to post-traumatic stress disorder has been identified by psychologists at Emory University, Time reports. A study of low-income African-American adults in the Atlanta area, 80% of whom had experienced trauma, found that certain versions of a gene were linked to higher PTSD...

Exercise and Happiness Not Linked: Study

Same gene set makes physically active most likely to be mentally fit

(Newser) - Going for a run might not clear your head in quite the way thought, reports USA Today, and its supposed benefits on mental health may be misguided. Rather, Dutch researchers found that a single set of genes both determines one’s inclination toward exercise and happiness—making the most physically...

Therapy by Any Other Name
Therapy by Any Other Name
Mar 12, 2008 6:56 PM CDT

Therapy by Any Other Name

Low-cost program aims to reduce stigma, treat depression in developing world

(Newser) - A program that treats depression in Indian villages is seeking to transform mental health care throughout the developing world, the New York Times reports. Bypassing expensive doctors, the clinics train laypeople to avoid talk of mental illness—a shameful stigma in many cultures—by screening for "strain" and "...

Repeat Combat Tours Zap Troops' Mental Health

Survey finds steep rise in mental problems among soldiers on third, fourth tours

(Newser) - Cutting the time soldiers have between tours of duty helped the Pentagon boost troop numbers in Iraq—but has taken a heavy toll on soldiers' mental health, Reuters reports. An Army survey found a steep rise in mental health problems among soldiers returning for their third or fourth combat tour,...

House Passes Mental Health 'Parity' Bill

Requires comparable insurance coverage for illnesses of body, mind

(Newser) - The House has passed a bill requiring most group health insurers to provide comparable coverage for treatment of mental illness and addiction as they do for physical illness, the New York Times reports. "Illness of the brain must be treated just like illness anywhere else in the body,"...

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