Mental Health Weekly Digest articles from February 2009

Mental Health Weekly Digest archives from February 2009

Does universal health care affect attitude toward dementia?
February 2, 2009... A new study has found that in spite of their universal health care system which facilitates access to free dementia care, older adults in the United Kingdom are less willing to undergo dementia screening than their counterparts in the U.S....

New findings from University of British Columbia in the area of Alzheimer disease described.
February 2, 2009... According to a study from Vancouver, Canada, "Neuritic plaques in the brains are one of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Amyloid beta-protein (A beta), the central component of neuritic plaques, is derived from...

Data on anxiety disorders described by researchers at Uppsala University.
February 2, 2009... According to recent research from Uppsala, Sweden, "Although the amygdala is thought to be a crucial brain region for negative affect, neuroimaging studies do not always show enhanced amygdala response to aversive stimuli in patients with...

Data on anxiety disorders reported by researchers at University of California.
February 2, 2009... According to recent research from the United States, "Isolated sleep paralysis (ISP) is a temporary period of involuntary immobility that can occur at sleep onset or offset. It has previously been reported in association with both panic...

New anxiety disorders research from A. Frieder and co-researchers described.
February 2, 2009... According to recent research from the United States, "For a substantial proportion of women, pregnancy can be complicated by the occurrence or reoccurrence of a psychiatric condition." "Psychiatric disorders during pregnancy are associated...

Reports outline anxiety disorders study findings from K. Salterspedneault and colleagues.(Report)
February 2, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "Intrusive thoughts (i.e., unwelcome, distressing, involuntary thoughts) are prevalent in a variety of clinical conditions and are increasingly a focus of translational research. The goal of this...

Studies from George Washington University in the area of anxiety disorders described.
February 2, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "Relatively little is known about the integration of people's fear-related dispositions and their expectations about stressful events. This research used information integration theory to examine how...

National Cheng-Kung University details research in life sciences.(Report)
February 2, 2009... According to a study from Tainan, Taiwan, "Endocannabinoids are critically involved in the extinction of fear memory. Here we examined the effects of repeated cannabinoid administration on the extinction of fear memory in rats and on inhibitory...

New social phobia study findings reported from University of Konstanz.(Report)
February 2, 2009... "Individuals with social phobia fear negative evaluation, which is most directly signalled by an angry expression of the interlocutor's face. This study investigated the processing of 3 series of schematic emotional faces, which were morphed in...

Research from P.M. Dietze et al has provided new information about addiction medicine.
February 2, 2009... In this recent study, researchers in Melbourne, Australia conducted a study "To examine self-reported patterns of alcohol consumption and experience of alcohol-related harms among professional Australian Football League (AFL) players. setting...

New dementia study findings have been reported from Stavanger University.
February 2, 2009... According to a study from Stavanger, Norway, "There is considerable heterogeneity within patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) regarding time from onset of PD to dementia." "We compared grey matter atrophy using magnetic resonance images...

New dementia study findings reported from C.M. Speechly and co-authors.(Survey)
February 2, 2009... In this recently published article, scientists in Sydney, Australia conducted a study "To describe the steps taken by health professionals to diagnose dementia and the timeframes for these steps, as reported by carers. setting and...

Research from S. Dang and co-researchers yields new findings on dementia.
February 2, 2009... "Caring for loved ones with dementia is challenging and stressful for family members who have to provide the home care. The responsibility takes a huge physical, emotional, and financial toll on the caregivers, which is known as caregiver...

New drug abuse study findings recently were published by K. Debeck and co-researchers.(Report)
February 2, 2009... "Drug law enforcement remains the dominant response to drug-related harm. However, the impact of incarceration on deterring drug use remains under-evaluated," scientists in Vancouver, Canada report (see also Drug Abuse). "We sought to...

Scientists at University of Queensland discuss research in life sciences.
February 2, 2009... "Australia shares many dilemmas with North America regarding shortages of doctors in rural and remote locations. This preliminary study contributes to the establishment of a psychobiological profile for rural doctors by comparing temperament...

Study results from University of Colorado provide new insights into life sciences.
February 2, 2009... According to recent research from the United States, "Although the effects of stress on health have been studied in numerous urban-dwelling populations, fewer studies have addressed these effects in rural populations, such as farmers and...

Research data from A.S. Bassett and colleagues update understanding of schizophrenia.
February 2, 2009... According to a study from Toronto, Canada, "22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a common microdeletion syndrome with congenital and late-onset features. Testing for the genomic content of copy number variations (CNVs) may help elucidate...

Researchers from University of Texas, Health Science Center report on findings in alcoholism.
February 2, 2009... Current study results from the report, 'Differential activation of the anterior cingulate cortex and caudate nucleus during a gambling simulation in persons with a family history of alcoholism: studies from the Oklahoma Family Health Patterns...

Louisiana State University, Department of Psychology publishes research in anxiety disorders in women.
February 2, 2009... Data detailed in 'Social anxiety disorder as a risk factor for alcohol use disorders: a prospective examination of parental and peer influences' have been presented. According to recent research from the United States, "Elucidation of...

New research on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder prevention from S.H. Kollins and co-authors summarized.
February 2, 2009... New investigation results, 'Effects of smoking abstinence on reaction time variability in smokers with and without ADHD: an ex-Gaussian analysis,' are detailed in a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. According to a study from the...

Reports from RTI International describe recent advances in life sciences.(Report)
February 2, 2009... Researchers detail in 'Mediating mechanisms of a military web-based alcohol intervention,' new data in life sciences. "This study explored the mediating mechanisms of two Web-based alcohol interventions in a sample of active duty United States...

Researchers from University of Tasmania discuss findings in life sciences.
February 2, 2009... Researchers detail in 'Factors associated with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs among an Australian sample of regular ecstasy users,' new data in life sciences. "The aim of the present study was to investigate factors associated...

Studies from Department of Veterans Affairs provide new data on life sciences.
February 2, 2009... Scientists discuss in 'Military sexual trauma: a review of prevalence and associated health consequences in veterans' new findings in life sciences. According to recent research from the United States, "This article reviews the literature...

Aero Financial Partners With 'The I AM Foundation'.
February 2, 2009... Aero Financial announces its partnership with The I AM Foundation, an educational 501c3 nonprofit whose mission is gifting books and music to children and adults around the world. The I AM Foundation creates good will for America by traveling...

Evangelical Homes of Michigan Adopts Dakim BrainFitness System, Becoming State's First Senior Facility With Brain Training Machine.
February 2, 2009... Evangelical Homes of Michigan announced that it is the first senior living provider in the state of Michigan to adopt the Dakim BrainFitness System as part of its wellness programming for residents. The fully automated system supplies a...

Justice Department Reaches Settlement Over Conditions at South Carolina Nursing Care Center.
February 2, 2009... The Justice Department announced a settlement with the South Carolina Department of Mental Health regarding civil rights violations at the C.M. Tucker Jr. Nursing Care Center in Columbia, a state-owned nursing home serving approximately 360...

New study explores the relationship between preterm birth and autism spectrum disorder.
February 9, 2009... Recent studies have suggested that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be more prevalent among children born very prematurely. The early symptoms of ASD are also associated with other conditions related to preterm births, such as cerebral palsy,...

Government services for young people at risk of drugs misuse may be doing more harm than good.
February 9, 2009... Current government programmes aimed at reducing drug and alcohol use among young people may be ineffective and may even be doing more harm than good, according to a paper published in Public Policy Research, the quarterly journal published by...

'Abusive behavior' towards people with dementia by family carers is common.(Report)
February 9, 2009... Half of family carers of people with dementia report some abusive behaviour towards the person they are caring for and one third report 'significant' levels of abuse, according to new research from UCL (University College London) published in...

Data from Harvard University provide new insights into anxiety disorders.(Report)
February 9, 2009... According to recent research from the United States, "Cognitive reserve has been proposed as important in the etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, tests of the association between premorbid IQ and adult mental disorders other than...

New anxiety disorders data have been reported by J. Voisey and co-authors.
February 9, 2009... "Variations in genes related to the dopaminergic pathway have been implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders such, as schizophrenia, substance misuse, Alzheimer's disease and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A single nucleotide...

Study results from Kent State University broaden understanding of anxiety disorders.(Report)
February 9, 2009... "This study examined whether the self-report version of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS-SR) could accurately identify individuals with social anxiety disorder and individuals with the generalized subtype of social anxiety disorder....

Data on life sciences described by C. Lemogne et al.(Report)
February 9, 2009... "Autobiographical memory (AM) specificity is impaired in depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Previous studies emphasised the role of cognitive avoidance of intrusive memories in this impairment," scientists in Paris, France report...

Findings from University of Regina advance knowledge in post-traumatic stress disorders.
February 9, 2009... According to recent research published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, "The authors studied MMPI-2 profiles of workers (N = 83) diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a control group comprising workers with chronic...

Studies in the area of post-traumatic stress disorders reported from J.Z. Schmidt and co-researchers.
February 9, 2009... "This preliminary study examined whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was related to difficulties in identifying the mental states of others in a group of refugees. Sixteen Bosnian refugees, referred to treatment in an outpatient...

New alcoholism study results from J. Tujague et al described.(Report)
February 9, 2009... "The aim of this study was to demonstrate a methodology for estimating detailed energy intake from alcoholic beverages. Participants were 315 monthly drinkers who completed a drink-measuring exercise," scientists writing in the journal Alcohol...

Studies from J.A. Mauskopf and co-authors have provided new information about anxiety disorders.
February 9, 2009... In this recent study, researchers in the United States conducted a study "To characterize the spectrum of clinical outcomes achieved with depression treatment and the associated impact on quality of life (QOL), functional status, overall...

Research from University of Sydney yields new findings on depression.
February 9, 2009... "Spreading depression (SD), a propagating wave of electrical silence in the cortex and archicortex, involves depolarization of neurons and astrocytes for similar to 1 min, due principally to a large increase in extracellular K+. SD is...

Reports from Malmo University advance knowledge in life sciences.
February 9, 2009... According to recent research from Malmo, Sweden, "With the aim of examining predictors of social workers' ideal recommendations of inpatient or outpatient treatment for problem substance users, this study applied multilevel logistic regression...

Research findings from University of Milan update understanding of life sciences.(Report)
February 9, 2009... According to recent research from Milan, Italy, "Previous studies have shown that taking care of elderly, demented patients carries a high cost to caregivers' health, and is associated with negative consequences for physical and mental health....

New mental health findings from R. Mireau and co-researchers published.
February 9, 2009... "Community-based mental health services are increasingly challenged by waiting lists for individual counseling. A strengths-based, brief solution-focused Counseling (BSFC) model was used to increase the number of clients served while...

Research conducted at Southern Methodist University has provided new information about mental health.(Report)
February 9, 2009... "Several researchers have argued that basic research oil extinction learning can guide efforts to enhance the efficacy of exposure-based therapy. At the basis of this translational research paradigm is the assumption that extinction...

Research from University of Oxford reveals new findings on mental health.
February 9, 2009... "The aim of this pilot study was to examine whether priming preoccupation (rumination) in healthy participants adversely affects the processing of interpersonal information. Sixty female undergraduates with moderate or marked preoccupation...

Scientists at National Institute of Mental Health report research in mental health.
February 9, 2009... According to recent research published in the journal Psychosomatics, "A suicide can be a devastating event in the hospital, and few guidelines exist to aid an institution's response." "The authors describe a framework of immediate,...

Studies from University of Malaysia yield new data on mental health.
February 9, 2009... "A lot of research carried out within the context of mental-health nursing using qualitative data collection tools claims that it is hermeneutical, with usually just a short section describing the hermeneutical methodology as though it is a...

New neuroticism data have been reported by scientists at University of Mannheim.
February 9, 2009... "The fast-and-frugal recognition heuristic (RH) claims that people base inferences on recognition only, thus ignoring further knowledge they possess. This claim has been repeatedly challenged, while recent evidence suggests that there are...

Research from S. Raffard and co-authors yields new data on schizophrenia.(Report)
February 9, 2009... "Previous studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia are impaired in recalling specific events from their personal past. However, the relationship between autobiographical memory impairments and disturbance of the sense of identity in...

Researchers from University of Tokyo report recent findings in schizophrenia.(Report)
February 9, 2009... According to a study from Komaba, Japan, "Although previous studies have suggested a relationship between mixed-handedness and schizotypic symptoms, possibly indicating a predisposition to schizophrenia, the participants involved were...

Findings in schizophrenia reported from Johns Hopkins University.(Report)
February 9, 2009... Research findings, 'Identifying patient-relevant endpoints among individuals with schizophrenia: an application of patient-centered health technology assessment,' are discussed in a new report. According to recent research published in the...

Spirit Pilots Condemn Alcohol Ads on Flight Attendant Aprons.
February 9, 2009... Spirit Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, IntEl (ALPA), announced strong support for the Spirit Airlines flight attendants union in its demand that Spirit Airlines management end offensive marketing strategies. On...

New Poll Says Americans Strongly Oppose Soda Tax.
February 9, 2009... A new nationwide Rasmussen Reports survey showed that 70 percent of Americans oppose a national tax on all non-diet soft drinks, while only 18 percent supported the idea of an "obesity tax" on regular soda like the one proposed by New York Gov....

Psychoanalysts Approve Position Statement on Homosexuals and Bisexuals Serving in the Military.
February 9, 2009... Though it's not widely known, psychoanalysts as a professional group are proactive on a number of social issues including homosexuality. During the organization's Winter 2009 Meeting held January 14 - 18 in New York, the American Psychoanalytic...

Beam Global Spirits & Wine and Southern Wine & Spirits Sign Long-Term Agreement for 21 Markets.
February 9, 2009... Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. [Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE:FO)], the leading American spirits company, and Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (SWS), the nationEs leading wine and spirits distributor and control state broker, are pleased...

DVCon 2009 Announces New Executive Panel: "EDA: Dead or Alive".
February 9, 2009... The Design and Verification Conference (DVCon), sponsored by Accellera, announced a new executive-level panel to showcase significant issues facing the industry. The panel titled, oEDA: Dead or Alive?o will be moderated by Peggy Aycinena,...

'Surviving Life as a Dumbass': It Doesn't Have to be a Life Sentence.
February 9, 2009... Just like Forrest Gump learned early on in his life, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get," so too did Indiana native Michael E. Webster, after his serving seven years in the Navy. What would play out for...

San Jose Muddy Buddy Competitor Wins Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover LR3.
February 9, 2009... Land Rover North America recently announced the winner of a 2008 Certified Pre-Owned LR3 from the Muddy Buddy Ride and Run Series, a competition of partner races held throughout the country. The lucky winner was notified last month during a...

Seagram's Gin Celebrates African American Male Achievement With the Pursuit of Excellence, Launching February 2009.
February 9, 2009... In the wake of an historic Presidential election and at a time when the nation observes the achievements and contributions of African Americans during Black History Month, the most significant economic and financial crisis in U.S. history...

Alzheimer's Association Calls for People to Speak Out Feb. 2.
February 9, 2009... First there were 7,000 purple postcards calling for a state AlzheimerEs plan, sent continuously over the past few months to Governor Deval Patrick. He has not yet responded. Now, the Alzheimer's Association is stepping up the campaign by...

The California Endowment Supports the Launch of a New Foundation - Inspired by the Subject of the Upcoming Film "The Soloist".
February 9, 2009... The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, announced its commitment of a $95,820 grant to support start-up activities for the recently launched Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Foundation. Bearing the name of the gifted and...

Money Coaching Institute Offers Advice on Managing Employees' Stress in Financial Crisis.
February 9, 2009... Now more than ever, money issues are a leading stressor in people's lives. Burdened by debt and steeped in financial chaos, employees are bringing their financial issues to work at unprecedented rates and at great cost to their productivity....

Bruce E. Mosler, President and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield Elected to CASA* Board.
February 9, 2009... The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University announced that Bruce E. Mosler has been elected to its board of directors (see also The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at). Mosler,...

Zinc supplements during pregnancy may counteract damage from early alcohol exposure.
February 16, 2009... Animal research has shown that binge drinking u even just once u during early pregnancy can cause numerous problems for the fetus, including early postnatal death. Fetal zinc deficiency may explain some of the birth defects and...

Reports outline anxiety disorders study findings from C. Favilla and colleagues.
February 16, 2009... According to recent research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, "Current research in the field of anxiety disorders is largely receptor-centric, leaving intracellular pathways largely unexplored. G alpha s, the G-protein which stimulates...

Research from University of Melbourne provides new data about anxiety disorders.
February 16, 2009... According to recent research published in the journal Current Opinion in Psychiatry, "Purpose of review To review recent findings on the relationship between neurotic disorders (specifically depression, anxiety and somatization) and function...

Research on anxiety disorders published by I. Okajima et al.
February 16, 2009... "Safety behaviour plays an important role in the maintenance of social anxiety disorder ( SAD). SAD patients engage in various safety behaviours in social situations in order to decrease the risk of negative evaluations from others,"...

Researchers from University of Pittsburgh provide details of new studies and findings in the area of anxiety disorders.(Report)
February 16, 2009... According to a study from the United States, "Previous research suggested that panic disorder with agoraphobia is associated with abnormalities on vestibular and balance function tests. The purpose of this study was to further examine...

Incisive Media's ClickZ, Legal Times, Texas Lawyer and the American Lawyer Named as Finalists in Neal Journalism Award Competition.
February 16, 2009... Incisive Media announced that four of its publications, ClickZ, Legal Times, Texas Lawyer and The American Lawyer, have received seven finalist nominations in six print and online categories of the 2008 Jesse H. Neal National Business...

New bipolar disorder research reported from College of Medicine.
February 16, 2009... Fresh data on bipolar disorder are presented in the report 'Characterizing impulsivity in mania.' According to recent research published in the journal Bipolar Disorders, "To determine whether specific aspects of impulsivity (response...

New mental illness findings from Boston University published.
February 16, 2009... "Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been gaining interest among individuals with serious mental illnesses. Yet, very little is known about how CAM may be beneficial to mental health," investigators in the United States report (see...

New mental retardation study findings have been reported by M. Kim and colleagues.(Report)
February 16, 2009... "The fragile X mental retardation protein FMRP is an RNA binding protein that associates with a large collection of mRNAs. Since FMRP was previously shown to be a nucleocytoplasmic shuttling protein, we examined the hypothesis that FMRP binds...

New quality of life study results from B. Roberts et al described.(Survey)
February 16, 2009... According to recent research published in the journal Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, "The SF-8 is a health-related quality of life instrument that could provide a useful means of assessing general physical and mental health amongst...

Research reports from Y.T. Xiang and co-authors provide new insights into schizophrenia.(Report)
February 16, 2009... "This study aimed to determine the prevalence and the sociodemographic and clinical correlates of insomnia in Chinese schizophrenia outpatients and its impact on patients' quality of life (QOL). Two hundred fifty-five clinically stable...

Singapore Management University reports research in suicide.
February 16, 2009... According to a study from Singapore, Singapore, "This article examines how suicides influence suicide risks of others within two interaction domains: the family and the workplace. A distinction is made between dyad-based social-interaction...

Study results from C.J. Perry and colleagues update understanding of suicide.(Report)
February 16, 2009... "Long-term data about recovery from suicidal and self-destructive phenomena are limited. We examined these phenomena in a naturalistic, follow-along study of 226 adults with treatment-refractory disorders admitted at the Austen Riggs Center,"...

Investigators at University of Maryland have published new data on life sciences.(Report)
February 16, 2009... A report, ''Knowing what makes them tick': motivating cognitively impaired older adults to participate in restorative care,' is newly published data in International Journal of Nursing Practice. "Nursing home residents with dementia represent...

New data from N. Drury et al illuminate research in mental health.(Clinical report)
February 16, 2009... Current study results from the report, 'Crisis engagement in mental health: a New Zealand Maori contribution,' have been published. "The active engagement of clients in mental health services offers far greater chances of successful outcomes....

New schizophrenia study findings recently were reported by researchers at University College, Department of Biology.(Report)
February 16, 2009... New research, 'Evidence for a role of the NOS1AP (CAPON) gene in schizophrenia and its clinical dimensions: an association study in a South American population isolate,' is the subject of a report. According to a study from London, the United...

Chronic drinking causes more liver injury than acute or binge drinking.
February 16, 2009... Alcohol consumption can cause liver damage. Recent rodent findings have shown that the pattern of drinking can determine the degree of liver damage. Chronic drinking causes more injury to the liver than acute or binge drinking (see also...

CalHFA, California Department of Mental Health Announce Opening of Three Housing Options for Californians with Mental Illness.
February 16, 2009... The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) and the California Department of Mental Health announce the completion of three innovative housing complexes with dedicated units that will serve Californians with mental illness and their families...

Dakim Recommends Six New Year Resolutions to Stay Cognitively Fit.
February 16, 2009... The most common New Year resolutions revolve around being healthier, but are usually focused on physical appearance: lose weight, tone up, exercise more, and eat less junk food. A growing collection of research is finding an intimate...

Retired High School Teacher Earns $5K in Six Months Writing One Hour/Day for Helium.
February 16, 2009... Helium (www.Helium.com), the worldEs largest writing community, announced record member earnings. Among those sharing in the pool of thousands of dollars is a former teacher from South Georgia. In just six months, recently retired high school...

February is National Boost Self-esteem Month.
February 16, 2009... In today's economy many people are afraid of change. Thousands of Americans have had their self-esteem splintered recently by layoffs or foreclosures. The recession and negative headlines have elevated the national anxiety level to an all time...

Walden University's M.S. in Mental Health Counseling Program Receives CACREP Accreditation.
February 16, 2009... Walden University's M.S. in Mental Health Counseling program is now accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), an independent accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher...

Lenders Negative on TARP Impact.
February 16, 2009... Lenders across the nation weighed in on the most important factors that will assist in US Economic Recovery. They also do not believe the Troubled Asset Relief Program (oTARPo) will have a meaningful impact on lending, according to the results...