Harvard Mental Health Letter articles from March 2005

Harvard Mental Health Letter archives from March 2005

On the trail of schizophrenia.
March 1, 2005... Scientists are tracing its roots in the genome and the brain. Schizophrenia has presented a puzzle to psychiatry for more than a century, but it's possible that the pieces are beginning to fall into place. The most dramatic symptom of this...

Motivational interviewing.
March 1, 2005... An approach to counseling for behavior change attracts growing interest. In the 1990's, researchers sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism conducted Project MATCH, one of the largest clinical trials ever...

The nocebo response.
March 1, 2005... The pill may be inactive, but the side effects are real. About 20% of patients taking a sugar pill in controlled clinical trials of a drug spontaneously report uncomfortable side effects -- an even higher percentage if they are asked. These...

In Brief; Drug-free relapse prevention.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Depressed patients successfully treated with an antidepressant drug are often instructed to keep on taking the drug indefinitely. A study by Italian researchers suggests that may not always be necessary if patients receive a short course of...

Questions & Answers.
March 1, 2005... Q. Does sleep enhance learning and memory? Is there a price to pay for cutting down on the hours you sleep? A. Scientists have long known that getting a good night's sleep helps us learn and remember. Evidence is mounting that the sleeping...