Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Mental Health News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/mental_health/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170089.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170089.php News outlets report on a variety of health issues at the state level including immigrants' challenges when trying to access new care in Massachusetts and a proposal by employees to cut some services but keep open a mental hospital in Maryland. The Boston Globe reports: Gov. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170016.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170016.php Mental Health America today praised the House health reform bill (the Affordable Health Care for Americans Act, H.R. 3962) for taking ground-breaking steps to expand coverage and significantly improving access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. Mental Health Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170017.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170017.php Mind has found evidence that the UK's complex asylum seeker process, detention centres and aspects of UK life are actively worsening the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers. In two new reports, the charity shows how a lack of support and resources for refugees and asylum seekers is both exacerbating pre-existing mental health conditions and triggering them in the first place. In the Mental Health Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170030.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170030.php In the wake of several recent highly-publicized stories about violence among school-aged children, a new report shows that school districts participating in the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative substantially improved the safety of their students. Psychology / Psychiatry Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170036.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170036.php UNISON, the UK's largest public sector union, has accused employers of "burying their heads in the sand," instead of tackling stress, anxiety and depression in the workplace. The latest statistics from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence show that 13.7 million working days are lost each year as a result of work-related illness, costing employers a massive £28.3bn a year. Anxiety / Stress Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170013.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170013.php Rush University Medical Center has opened the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic to offer patients suffering from major depression a safe, effective, non-drug treatment. TMS therapy is the first FDA-approved, non-invasive antidepressant device-based treatment clinically proven for treatment of depression. Psychiatrists at Rush University Medical Center were among the first to test the technique and Dr. Depression Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169929.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169929.php The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today (5 November) issued guidance for employers on promoting mental wellbeing at work through productive and healthy working conditions. The guidance aims to help reduce the estimated 13.7 million working days lost each year due to work-related mental health conditions including stress, depression and anxiety which are currently estimated to cost UK employers around £28.3 billion per year at current pay levels. Mental Health Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169871.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169871.php Use of cannabinoids (marijuana) could assist in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder patients. This is exposed in a recent study carried out at the Learning and Memory Lab in the University of Haifa's Department of Psychology. The study, carried out by research student Eti Ganon-Elazar under the supervision of Dr. Irit Akirav, was published in the prestigious Journal of Neuroscience. Anxiety / Stress Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169864.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169864.php In the fifth in PLoS Medicine's series of articles on mental, neurological and substance-use disorders in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), Martin Prince and colleagues discuss the treatment of dementia. Globally, 24.3 million people are affected by dementia and 4.6 million new cases occur annually. The prevalence of dementia is expected to double every 20 years, reaching 81.1 million by 2040. Alzheimer's / Dementia Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169804.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169804.php Newspapers report on health issues at the state level, including Louisiana's struggles with a Medicaid shortfall and the Texas governor's criticism of congressional health care reform efforts. The Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169781.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169781.php A new website aimed at the nation's stressed out workforce is being launched today, on National Stress Awareness Day (4 November). The new resource, produced by the national anti-stigma programme Time to Change, provides practical advice on how mental distress can be managed professionally at work. It uses a wide range of inspiring films to show how line managers and employees can work together by being more flexible and supportive. Mental Health Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169732.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169732.php Seaside Therapeutics LLC announced that the Company has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of STX107, a highly potent, selective mGluR5 antagonist, in development for the treatment of Fragile X Syndrome. The single ascending dose study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of STX107 in healthy volunteers. Fragile X Syndrome is the most common inherited form of mental impairment and the most common known cause of autism. Neurology / Neuroscience Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169719.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169719.php Individuals who experience both childhood adversity and traumatic events in adulthood appear more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder than those exposed to only one of these types of incidents, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In addition, the risk was further increased in individuals with a certain genetic mutation. Anxiety / Stress Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169675.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169675.php Fresh plans to reduce suicide and self-harm will be launched today, by the Welsh Assembly Government following extensive consultation on a draft action plan published last year. The national action plan, 'Talk to Me', aims to raise awareness of suicide and self-harm and encourage people to talk more about their problems to remove the stigma that is associated with emotional and mental health problems. Mental Health Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169606.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169606.php On Thursday this week, House Democratic leaders presented a new health care overhaul bill that melds legislation passed by three committees over the summer and makes a series of changes to accommodate lawmakers' concerns. In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is finalizing legislation merging the work of two committees, Finance and Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP). Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169572.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169572.php As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, more servicemen and women are experiencing physical and emotional wounds. The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) and the Tug McGraw Foundation (TMF) know that increased civilian/military partnerships can accelerate the pace of scientific advancements that will improve the identification and treatment of these wounds. Veterans / Ex-Servicemen Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169515.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169515.php A study of an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme has found it had significant clinical results for depression and anxiety sufferers. The results are published today, 2nd November 2009, in the British Journal of Clinical Psychology. Psychology / Psychiatry Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169426.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169426.php In today's state watch, Virginia plans to close a pharmacy for the mentally ill, Medicaid patients in Michigan are suing over dental care and Rhode Island reports that insurers remain relatively healthy. Mental Health Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169360.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169360.php They found that the prevalence of all common mental disorders was 27.2%, and PTSD symptoms, 4.8%. There were no substantial differences in the prevalence of PTSD symptoms between US and UK troops deployed to Iraq, which had been previously found. In UK troops, the most common diagnoses were alcohol abuse (18.0%) and depression/anxiety (13.5%). Mental Health Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169302.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169302.php Because Medicaid is the nation's primary payer for mental health services, changes in Medicaid policies-even those policies that are not specifically related to mental health services-can have significant effects on public mental health systems, according to research reported in the November issue of Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association. Some of these effects may not be intended or fully understood. Author Jeffrey A. Buck, Ph.D. Mental Health Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169214.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169214.php The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on the treatment and management of depression in adults with chronic physical health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Serious health concerns can have a big impact on an individual's psychological wellbeing, with depression being approximately two to three times more common in people with a chronic physical health problem than in people who have good physical health. Diabetes Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169226.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169226.php US researchers found that many children and teenagers treated with second generation antipsychotic drugs put on a significant amount of weight and also experienced a worsening of cholesterol and triglyceride levels and other metabolic measures. The study was the work of Dr Christoph U. Psychology / Psychiatry Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169160.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169160.php The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on the treatment and management of depression in adults with chronic physical health problems. Chronic physical health problems such as cancer, heart disease or diabetes can have a serious impact on an individual's psychological wellbeing. Depression is approximately two to three times more common in patients with a chronic physical health problem than in people who have good physical health. Depression Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169145.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169145.php Schoolchildren with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are substantially more likely to engage in many types of criminal activity such as burglary, theft and drug dealing as they grow older, a new study by the Yale School of Public Health has found. The research was published in The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics. ADHD Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169121.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169121.php Mental Health America is applauding legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators to establish national centers of excellence for the treatment of depression and bipolar disorders. The centers will create a national network to help diagnose people in need and improve access to evidence-based, quality care. The bill, called the "ENHANCED Act" was introduced by U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich. Bipolar