'Self-distancing' can help people calm aggressive reactions, study finds July 2, 2012 by Jeff Grabmeier in Psychology & Psychiatry

A new study reveals a simple strategy that people can use to minimize how angry and aggressive they get when they are provoked by others.

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-self-distancing-people-calm-aggressive-reactions.html...

Offenders need integrated, on-going, mental health care June 25, 2012

In Psychology & Psychiatry Offenders with mental health problems need improved and on-going access to health care, according to the first study to systematically examine healthcare received by offenders across the criminal justice system.

Read more at: http://medicalxpres...

Depression may go overlooked when physicians use electronic medical records, researchers find August 16, 2012 in Health (Medical Xpress) -- Patients who have three or more chronic medical conditions are half as likely to receive depression treatment in primary care practices that use electronic medical records as they are in practices that use paper-based records, a new University of Florida study has found.

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Toxoplasma gondii parasite may trigger suicide attempts August 16, 2012 in Medical research

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-toxoplasma-gondii-parasite-trigger-suicide.html#jCp

New research app...

Rise in the number of suicides in the South West

Hospital admissions for self-harm also rise

Public health leaders in the South West have outlined a new approach to combat a sign...

Anorexia nervosa study finds inner conflicts over the 'real' self that have treatment implications

November 22nd, 2011 in Psychology & Psychiatry

"It feels like there's two of you inside – like there's another half of you, which is my anorexia, and then there's the real K, the real me, the logic part of me, and it's a constant battle between the two." - 36 year old study participant with anorexia nervosa.

(Garrison, NY) People ...

People with early Alzheimer's disease may be more likely to have lower BMI

November 21st, 2011 in Diseases

Studies have shown that people who are overweight in middle age are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease decades later than people at normal weight, yet researchers have also found that people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI). A current study exa...

Helping others helps teens stay on the road to addiction recovery

November 9th, 2011 in Health

A new study of teens undergoing substance abuse treatment finds helping others helps the adolescent helper by reducing cravings for alcohol and drugs, a major precipitator of relapse. These novel findings stem from the "Helping Others" study (http://helpingotherslivesober.org) led by Maria Pagano, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University S...

Cognitive reframing can help dementia caregivers with depression, stress

November 9th, 2011 in Health

Family caregivers of people with dementia experience more burden and are at greater risk of developing depression than caregivers of people with a chronic illness. A new evidence review from the Netherlands finds that a psychotherapy technique called cognitive reframing can help reduce caregivers’ stress when they are caring for loved ones with dementia.

Cognitive reframing can help dementia caregivers with depression, stress

November 9th, 2011 in Health

Family caregivers of people with dementia experience more burden and are at greater risk of developing depression than caregivers of people with a chronic illness. A new evidence review from the Netherlands finds that a psychotherapy technique called cognitive reframing can help reduce caregivers’ stress when they are caring for loved ones with dementia.

Research reveals autistic individuals are in fact superior in multiple areas

November 2nd, 2011 in Psychology & Psychiatry

We must stop considering the different brain structure of autistic individuals to be a deficiency, as research reveals that many autistics – not just "savants" – have qualities and abilities that may exceed those of people who do not have the condition, according to a provocative article published today in Nature by Dr. Laurent ...

New findings contradict dominant theory in Alzheimer's disease

October 28th, 2011 in Neuroscience

For decades the amyloid hypothesis has dominated the research field in Alzheimer's disease. The theory describes how an increase in secreted beta-amyloid peptides leads to the formation of plaques, toxic clusters of damaged proteins between cells, which eventually result in neurodegeneration. Scientists at Lund University, Sweden, have now presented a study that turns ...

Reversing aging

October 17th, 2011 in Research

Technology developed by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin could significantly reduce the time and cost to finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease and help answer one of the greatest biological questions: why do we age?

The research, led by Cockrell School of Engineering Associate Professor Adela Ben-Yakar and College of Natural Sciences Assistant Professor Jon Pierce-Shimomura,...

CAMH study confirms genetic link to suicidal behavior

October 7th, 2011 in Psychology & Psychiatry

A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has found evidence that a specific gene is linked to suicidal behaviour, adding to our knowledge of the many complex causes of suicide. This research may help doctors one day target the gene in prevention efforts.

In the past, studies have implicated the gene for brain-derived ...

Published online 4 October 2011 | Nature 478, 15 (2011) | doi:10.1038/478015a

Trillion-dollar brain drain

Enormous costs of mental health problems in Europe not matched by research investment.

Kerri Smith

Brain disorders cost Europe almost €800 billion (US$1 trillion) a year — more than cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes put together. That's the conclusion of a report1 commissioned by the ...

Alzheimer's might be transmissible in similar way as infectious prion diseases: study

October 4th, 2011 in Diseases

The brain damage that characterizes Alzheimer's disease may originate in a form similar to that of infectious prion diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob, according to newly published research by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

"Our findings op...

September 28th, 2011 in Psychology & Psychiatry

The level and nature of autistic intelligence II: What about Asperger Syndrome?

Autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger syndrome, have generally been associated with uneven intellectual profiles and impairment, but according to a new study of Asperger individuals published in the online journal PLoS ONE, this may not be the case – as long as intelligence is evaluated by the right...

Alzheimer's protein kills nerve cells in nose

September 27th, 2011 in Neuroscience

A protein linked to Alzheimer's disease kills nerve cells that detect odors, according to an animal study in the September 28 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings shed light on why people with Alzheimer's disease often lose their sense of smell early on in the course of the disease.

"Deficits in odor detection and discrimination are among the...

Study finds dairy products in adult diets improve cognitive function

September 27th, 2011 in Health

Adults who consume dairy products at least once daily have higher cognitive function than those who rarely or never drink milk or eat dairy foods, according to a new study by researchers from the University of South Australia and University of Maine.

Those who consumed the most dairy products had the highest scores in an extensive cognitiv...

Large study finds genetic 'overlap' between schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

September 21st, 2011 in Genetics

Knowledge about the biological origin of diseases like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other psychiatric conditions is critical to improving diagnosis and treatment.

In an effort to push the field forward, three UCLA researchers, along with scientists from more than 20 countries, have been taking part in one of the largest col...