Mental Health Weekly Digest articles from December 2008

Mental Health Weekly Digest archives from December 2008

Novel imaging technique reveals brain abnormalities that may play key role in ADHD.
December 1, 2008... A study published in the online advance edition of The American Journal of Psychiatry for the first time reveals shape differences in the brains of children with ADHD, which could help pinpoint the specific neural circuits involved in the...

Study finds ADHD affects motor skills of boys more than girls.(Report)
December 1, 2008... New research published in the November 4, 2008 issue of Neurology[R], the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that ADHD affects the motor skills of boys more than girls. By examining age-related improvement of motor...

Bottoms up: Individualists more likely to be problem drinkers.
December 1, 2008... What makes residents of certain states or countries more likely to consume more alcohol? According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, high levels of individualism lead to more problem drinking (see also University of Chicago...

Researchers from Fordham University publish new studies and findings in the area of aging.
December 1, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "Women's bodies at every age are expressions of self and culture." "In a culture that values slender, taut-skinned youth, the embodied selves of postmenopausal women are dismissed and devalued,...

Data on anxiety disorders described by researchers at Michigan State University.(Report)
December 1, 2008... "Using a diathesis-stress model, this study examined the development of depressive and anxiety symptoms in women who experience stressors of domestic violence (DV) and/or negative life events (NLEs) over the course of three years. Family...

New mental health data have been reported by J. Rapaport and co-authors.
December 1, 2008... "The 'nearest relative' and social work roles in mental health services share common ground. Although the social worker is a trained professional and the nearest relative is identified from a fixed hierarchy of kin, both roles were awarded the...

Chain Restaurants Turn up the Heat on Menu Innovation, Says Technomic.(Report)
December 1, 2008... Tough economic times typically sharpen companies' focus on cost-cutting measures. However, foodservice consultants at Technomic found a significant up-tick in recent menu innovation among the top 250 chain restaurants. Based on data collected...

Study results from University of British Columbia, Psychology Department provide new insights into attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.
December 1, 2008... Investigators publish new data in the report 'Novel measures of response performance and inhibition in children with ADHD.' "Fifteen children with ADHD aged 8 to 12 years and age and gender matched controls performed two different stopping...

University of Maryland, Department of Psychology describes research in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.
December 1, 2008... Data detailed in 'Associations between maternal attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and parenting' have been presented. According to recent research from the United States, "Mothers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity...

New life sciences study findings have been reported by scientists at King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine.
December 1, 2008... New investigation results, 'The copy number variant involving part of the alpha7 nicotinic receptor gene contains a polymorphic inversion,' are detailed in a study published in European Journal of Human Genetics. According to recent research...

New alcoholism study findings have been published by scientists at University of Plymouth.(Report)
December 1, 2008... "This study compared 75 wives of alcoholics with an equal number of wives of non-alcoholics matched on key socio-demographic variables, using a cross sectional ex-post facto research design. Instruments to assess the extent of conflict and...

Reports summarize dementia research from University of Florida.
December 1, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "People who have dementia ore at risk for wandering away from the safety of the care setting and becoming lost in the community. Reported cases of people with dementia wandering off, even from...

Research from University of Pennsylvania in the area of dementia published.
December 1, 2008... "Families provide a considerable amount of informal care and support for older adults living with dementia," investigators in the United States report (see also Dementia). "And when an older adult with dementia is hospitalized, family...

Studies from North Dakota State University have provided new data on life sciences.
December 1, 2008... "This article examined social issues surrounding casino gambling among older adults both nationally and in the state of North Dakota. An exploratory review of gambling trends among older adults and an examination of policies to protect older...

Studies from J.L. Goldenberg et al further understanding of neuroticism.
December 1, 2008... "We argue that existential concerns underlie discomfort with the physicality of the body and that activities likely to make individuals aware of their physical body (e.g., sex, dancing) may be inhibited and cause guilt. Further, individuals...

Research on schizophrenia discussed by scientists at University of Tokyo.(Report)
December 1, 2008... According to recent research from Hongo, Japan, "Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is one of the most promising candidate genes for schizophrenia. A number of replication studies have been conducted, although the results were inconsistent and no susceptible...

Study data from University of Leipzig update understanding of social phobia.(Report)
December 1, 2008... According to a study from Leipzig, Germany, "In this study, we analyzed changes in the strength of self-anxiety associations-as measured by the Implicit Association Test-Anxiety (IAT-Anxiety; Egloff & Schmukle, 2002) and the Social Phobia...

New suicide data have been reported by scientists at University of Michigan.(Report)
December 1, 2008... "Cross-cultural examinations of the validity and reliability of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck, Steer, Ball, & Ranieri, 1996) is essential for its use in assessment and monitoring of the effectiveness of suicide interventions across...

New suicide findings from University of Dusseldorf described.
December 1, 2008... "The aim of the study was to assess the association among various childhood adversities and suicide attempts. A total of 575 patients of a psychosomatic clinic and general practitioners were examined by use of a structured interview,"...

Findings from T.K. Chu and co-authors broaden understanding of dementia.(Report)
December 1, 2008... New research, 'Psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire (ADLQ-CV),' is the subject of a report. According to recent research from Hong Kong, "This study examines the psychometric properties...

Research data from Institute of Health Economics update understanding of dementia.
December 1, 2008... Data detailed in 'Measurement of informal care time in a study of patients with dementia' have been presented. According to a study from Neuherberg, Germany, "Previous assessments of informal care time have tended to consider only the amount of...

New life sciences study findings have been reported from West Virginia University.(Report)
December 1, 2008... Current study results from the report, 'Direct injection mass spectrometric confirmation of multiple drugs in overdose cases from postmortem blood using electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry and MS(3),' have been published. "Five...

Data from L. Power and colleagues advance knowledge in suicide.
December 1, 2008... A report, 'A comparison of suicide rates between older adults in Ireland and the UK: 1975-2005,' is newly published data in Irish Journal of Medical Science. According to a study from Ireland, "In recent years suicide among older adults has...

Admiral Imports and Berentzen Gruppe AG Sign Distribution Agreement.
December 1, 2008... Admiral Imports announces that effective January 1, 2009, it will become the new U.S. importer for Berentzen Apfel. The Berentzen Gruppe AG is a Germany-based producer and international distributor of spirits and alcoholic beverages. The...

Dakim Hires Kluge Strategic To Manage All Online Efforts.
December 1, 2008... Dakim, Inc. announced that it has hired Kluge Strategic, Inc. of Burbank, CA, to develop and manage all online marketing efforts for the Dakim(R) BrainFitness(TM) system, the leading brain training platform to help seniors combat dementia and...

The Tata Interactive Learning Disability Forum Promotes Special Deeds for Special Needs.
December 1, 2008... Global learning solutions provider, Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) will host their third annual conference on learning disability - the Tata Interactive Learning Disability Forum (TLDF) - on November 29th in Mumbai and December 2nd, 2008...

Health study in northern Uganda calls for improved services for internally displaced persons.
December 8, 2008... There are over 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Uganda due to the 20-year conflict waged between a rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army, and the central government. Previous research on the health of IDPs has focused on...

Research conducted at D.V. Sheehan and co-authors has provided new information about anxiety disorders.
December 8, 2008... In this recently published article, scientists in the United States conducted a study "To examine the relationship between global functional impairment and the treatment of anxious symptoms and painful somatic symptoms (PSS) in patients with...

Research from A.M. Gastens et al broadens understanding of anxiety disorders.(Clinical report)
December 8, 2008... According to a study from Hannover, Germany, "Patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) exhibit an increased risk of psychiatric comorbidity, including depression, anxiety, psychosis, and learning disorders. Furthermore, a history...

Research from C. Francois and co-researchers yields new findings on anxiety disorders.
December 8, 2008... According to a study from Paris, France, "Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with substantial reduction in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Escitalopram has proven efficacy in the short-term treatment of SAD and prevention of...

Research results from Emory University update knowledge of anxiety disorders.
December 8, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "Common mental disorders are a major contributor to the burden of disease in developing countries. An assessment was carried out of whether food insecurity and exposure to stressful life events, two...

Research in the area of schizophrenia reported from Nagoya University, Medical Department.
December 8, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, "Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder with a fairly high degree of heritability. Although the causes of schizophrenia remain unclear, it is now widely...

Research reports from University of Windsor, Department of Psychology provide new insights into life sciences.
December 8, 2008... A new study, 'Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the structured interview for disorders of extreme stress,' is now available. According to recent research published in the journal Assessment, "Two studies were conducted to provide...

Study results from Duke University update understanding of post-traumatic stress disorders.
December 8, 2008... Fresh data on post-traumatic stress disorders are presented in the report 'Memory in posttraumatic stress disorder: properties of voluntary and involuntary, traumatic and nontraumatic autobiographical memories in people with and without...

Researchers at Karolinska Hospital target alcoholism.(Report)
December 8, 2008... "Convergent lines of evidence suggest potentiation of glutamatergic synapses after chronic ethanol exposure, and indicate that the presynaptic effect hereof is on modulators of synaptic strength rather than on executors of glutamate release,"...

Research on mental retardation discussed by scientists at University of Groningen.
December 8, 2008... According to recent research from Netherlands, "We reevaluated a unique family with two sibs who had a presumed autosomal recessively inherited syndrome characterized by mental retardation, microcephaly, short stature and absent phalanges. This...

Reports from K. Schnell et al highlight recent research in schizophrenia.(Report)
December 8, 2008... "Passivity experiences are hallmark symptoms of schizophrenia that can be characterized by the belief that ones thoughts or actions are controlled by an external agent. It has recently been suggested that these psychotic experiences result from...

Research from Maastricht University has provided new data on schizophrenia.
December 8, 2008... According to a study from Netherlands, "Now that schizophrenia researchers may be moving from unilateral molecular genetic approaches to models including so-called gene-environment interactions, the question rises which environments may be...

Study findings from N. Segarra et al provide new insights into schizophrenia.(Report)
December 8, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Neuroreport, "Cerebellar abnormalities have been documented in schizophrenia in postmortem, functional and volumetric neuroirnaging studies. This study aims to establish the relationship...

Scientists at Michigan State University, Department of Psychology describe research in life sciences.
December 8, 2008... Scientists discuss in 'The psychological impact of rape victims' new findings in life sciences. "This review article examines rape victims' experiences seeking postassault assistance from the legal, medical, and mental health systems and how...

Findings from University of Georgia, Department of Psychology provide new insights into personality disorders.(Report)
December 8, 2008... Research findings, 'The Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy scale: an examination of the personality traits and disorders associated with the LSRP factors,' are discussed in a new report. According to recent research from the United States, "There...

Researchers from University of Insubria detail new studies and findings in the area of Rett syndrome.
December 8, 2008... Current study results from the report, 'CDKL5 expression is modulated during neuronal development and its subcellular distribution is tightly regulated by the C-terminal tail,' have been published. "Mutations in the human X-linked...

Design Firm Taps Into Veterans' Subconscious to Aid in Designing First-of-its- Kind Recovery Center.
December 8, 2008... Astorino, an architecture, engineering, interior design and construction services firm, along with their affiliate company, fathom, applied innovative research techniques, never before used on a VA campus, for the design of the new Veterans...

Wyoming Legislative Leadership.
December 8, 2008... Colin M. Simpson, a shareholder in the firm of Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C. has been elected Speaker-Elect of the Wyoming House of Representatives (see also Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, P.C.). Mr. Simpson has...

Quality, quantity lacking in children's educational TV, study says.
December 8, 2008... Commercial broadcasters are doing the "bare minimum and not much more" for children's educational programming, according to University of Illinois communication professor Barbara Wilson, one of two lead researchers on a study released (Nov. 12)...

New approach to screen individuals for early Alzheimer's disease.
December 15, 2008... With millions of baby boomers entering late adulthood, the number of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is expected to drastically rise over the next several decades (see also Emory University). A team of national researchers, led by...

Lower childhood IQ associated with higher risk of adult mental disorders.
December 15, 2008... Researchers have hypothesized that people with lower IQs may have a higher risk of adult mental disorders, but few studies have looked at the relationship between low childhood IQ and psychiatric disorders later in life. In a new, long-term...

Elementary school intervention increases mental, sexual health, economic status.
December 15, 2008... Fifteen years after they completed an intervention program designed to help their social development in elementary school, young adults reported better mental health, sexual health and higher educational and economic achievement than a control...

Research from University of Helsinki provides new data on anxiety disorders.
December 15, 2008... "Human anxiety disorders are complex diseases with largely unknown etiology. We have taken a cross-species approach to identify genes that regulate anxiety-like behavior with inbred mouse strains that differ in their innate anxiety levels as a...

Research results from M.A. Katzman and co-authors update knowledge of anxiety disorders.
December 15, 2008... "Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic disorder associated with significant morbidity and disability. Traditional therapies are associated with poor levels of remission, and often result in troublesome side effects," researchers in...

Research from University of Liverpool reveals new findings on life sciences.
December 15, 2008... "The present study examined the immediate impact of media portrayals on evaluations of body shape and disordered eating symptomatology in female undergraduates. By using a repeated measures design, participants (N= 42) were exposed on two...

Researchers from Indiana University describe findings in addiction medicine.
December 15, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "The authors used narrative data from court and police records of homicides in Russia to compare alcohol- and non-alcohol-related incidents on victim, offender, and event characteristics. Binary...

Studies in the area of addiction medicine reported from S.M. Rosen and co-researchers.
December 15, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "California is the largest alcohol market in the United States. In 2005 alone, Californians consumed almost 14 billion alcoholic drinks, which contributed to many severe and potentially fatal...

Recent findings from University of Florida highlight research in dementia.
December 15, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "Every adult With a diagnosis of progressive dementia is at risk for wandering away or becoming lost. Those with dementia may not have the capacity to remember crucial contact information or...

Researchers from Drexel University, Medical Department provide details of new studies and findings in the area of dementia.
December 15, 2008... "Recent studies demonstrated that progranulin plays an integral role in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia. To begin to explore the role of progranulin in dementia with Lewy bodies, we investigate its association with pathologic...

Studies from A. Madeo et al provide new data on dementia.
December 15, 2008... "A consumer satisfaction survey was completed by 21 caregivers to persons with dementia, who participated in Silver Club, a person-centered Adult Day Service program. Two themes emerged: caregivers expressed high program satisfaction based on...

Study results from R. Ward et al provide new insights into dementia.(Report)
December 15, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Ageing & Society, "This article reports findings from a three-year project on 'Communication patterns and their consequences for effective care, that explored communication in dementia-care...

New depression study findings have been published by scientists at University of Geneva.(Report)
December 15, 2008... According to recent research published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, "Traumatic events have predicted depressive symptoms. Despite this consensus, it remains unclear as to whether the relationship between trauma and depression...

Research reports on mental health from Bentley College provide new insights.
December 15, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "While numerous studies have examined how health affects retirement, few have analyzed the impact in the reverse direction. Using the Health and Retirement Study (1992-2005), this paper...

Studies from E. Church et al further understanding of mental health.
December 15, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Canadian Family Physician, "PROBLEM ADDRESSED Patients' mental health issues have become an increasing focus of Canadian family physicians' practices. A self-help approach can help meet this...

Study data from University of Central Lancashire update understanding of mental health.
December 15, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Health & Social Care in the Community, "Participatory art projects for people with mental health needs typically claim outcomes such as improvements in confidence, self-esteem, social...

Reports from University of Alaska add new data to research in mental illness.
December 15, 2008... "This preliminary study investigated the association of insight (defined as a patient's recognition of having a mental illness) with depression and suicidality among individuals with schizophrenia (N = 1009), bipolar I disorder (N = 297), and...

Research from University of California yields new data on mental illness.(Report)
December 15, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "This study examined implicit and explicit measures of bias toward mental illness among people with different levels of mental health training, and investigated the influence of stigma on...

New suicide research from University of Notre Dame described.
December 15, 2008... "We are interested in the relationship between public policies and outcomes measuring quality of life. There is no outcome more final than the ending of one's own life," scientists in the United States report (see also Suicide). ...

New life sciences research from Karolinska Institut outlined.(Report)
December 15, 2008... New investigation results, 'The older patient's experience of encountering professional carers and close relatives during an acute confusional state: an interview study,' are detailed in a study published in International Journal of Nursing...

New research on life sciences from Z.O. Othmen and co-authors summarized.(Report)
December 15, 2008... A report, 'Cytotoxicity effects induced by Zearalenone metabolites, alpha Zearalenol and beta Zearalenol, on cultured Vero cells,' is newly published data in Toxicology. "Zearalenone (Zen) is a non-steroidal estrogenic mycotoxin produced by...

Research results from Northumbria University update understanding of life sciences.
December 15, 2008... Investigators publish new data in the report 'Development of a Readiness Ruler for use with alcohol brief interventions.' According to recent research published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, "A quick method of assessing readiness...

Scientists at Yeditepe University publish new data on life sciences.
December 15, 2008... Researchers detail in 'Shyness and cognitions: an examination of Turkish university students,' new data in life sciences. "The authors aimed to examine the relation between shyness and dysfunctional relationship beliefs and to extend findings...

Findings in schizophrenia reported from School of Medicine.
December 15, 2008... Researchers detail in 'Social cognition in schizophrenia: an NIMH workshop on definitions, assessment, and research opportunities,' new data in schizophrenia. According to recent research from the United States, "Social cognition has become a...

Study results from University of California provide new insights into schizophrenia genetics.
December 15, 2008... Scientists discuss in 'Gene-environment interaction and covariation in schizophrenia: the role of obstetric complications' new findings in schizophrenia. "While genetic factors account for a significant proportion of liability to schizophrenia,...

Data from Y.J. Pan et al provide new insights into suicide.(Report)
December 15, 2008... New research, 'Charcoal burning and maternal filicide-suicide trends in Taiwan: the impact of accessibility of lethal methods,' is the subject of a report. "Charcoal burning has emerged as a novel suicide method in Taiwan and its impact on...

75th Anniversary of Prohibition's Repeal Reminds Us of Indiana's Antiquated Alcohol Laws.
December 15, 2008... Hoosiers for Beverage Choices commemorates on December 5th the 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition by sadly observing that little has changed since the days of Prohibition regarding Indiana's antiquated alcoholic beverage laws (see...

Fast food a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's.(Clinical report)
December 15, 2008... [PRESS RELEASE, 28 November 2008] Mice that were fed a diet rich in fat, sugar and cholesterol for nine months developed a preliminary stage of the morbid irregularities that form in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The study results,...

9 Killed, 321 Injured In Holiday Traffic Crashes Across Pennsylvania.
December 15, 2008... Nine people were killed in crashes investigated by Pennsylvania State Police during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday driving period, Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski said (see also Pennsylvania State Police Department). He said 321 others...

Memory study on mice offers new insights into understanding autism, NYU, Baylor scientists conclude.
December 22, 2008... Researchers at New York University's Center for Neural Science and the Baylor College of Medicine have identified a protein that when removed from mice results in behaviors that are akin to those with autism and obsessive-compulsive disorders....

Coerced medication used in psychiatric care despite lack of clinical evidence.
December 22, 2008... Researchers are calling for more studies into the practice of forcing psychiatric patients to take medication, after a research review showed that there have been very few rigorous investigations of the procedure (see also Wiley-Blackwell). ...

Mothers' mental games increase depressive symptoms in daughters.
December 22, 2008... A new study in the journal Family Relations examined the effects of a mother's psychological control on the risk for depression of African American adolescents. Researchers found that girls whose mothers played mental games with them like...

Data from M. Alegria and colleagues advance knowledge in anxiety disorders.
December 22, 2008... "Previous studies have documented diagnostic bias and noted that its reduction could eliminate misdiagnosis and improve mental health service delivery. Few studies have investigated clinicians' methods of obtaining and using information during...

Findings from University of Illinois provide new insights into anxiety disorders.(Report)
December 22, 2008... "A substantial number of individuals evaluated for complaints of chest pain do not suffer from coronary heart disease (CHD). Studies show that many patients who complain of symptoms that might be caused by CHD, such as shortness of breath or...

University of California publishes research in quality of life.(Survey)
December 22, 2008... In this recent report, researchers in the United States conducted a study "To explore the extent to which associations between sleep problems and functional impairment are attributable to comorbid mental and physical health problems. Sleep...

New anxiety disorders research from Washington University, Department of Psychology outlined.(Report)
December 22, 2008... Research findings, 'Intrinsic motivation in schizophrenia: relationships to cognitive function, depression, anxiety, and personality,' are discussed in a new report. "The goal of the current project was to assess subjective reports of intrinsic...

New research on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder from University of Minnesota summarized.
December 22, 2008... Current study results from the report, 'Divided attention in youth-onset psychosis and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder,' have been published. According to a study from the United States, "The authors used pupillary dilations to test...

Scientists at University of California release new data on addiction medicine.
December 22, 2008... "A low level of response (LR), or low sensitivity, to alcohol as established by alcohol challenges has been shown to predict future heavier drinking, alcohol-related problems and alcohol use disorders. To date, only one study has evaluated the...

Researchers from DePaul University publish findings in bullying.
December 22, 2008... "Bullying is a serious problem in today's workplace, in that, a large percentage of employees have either been bullied or knows someone who has. There are a variety of ethical concerns dealing with bullying-that is, courses of action to manage...