Long-term exposure to a common stress hormone may leave a lasting mark on the genome and influence how genes that control mood and behavior are expressed, a mouse study led by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. The finding, published in the September issue of Endocrinology, could eventually lead to new ways to explain and treat depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses...
9 Vote(s)
September 19, 2010
July 14, 2010
Autism And Wealth
We live in societies where some people are richer than others - though the extent of wealth inequality varies greatly around the world.In general, it's sad but true that poor people suffer more diseases. Within a given country almost all physical and mental illnesses are more common amongst the poor, although this isn't always true between countries.So if a certain disease is more common in rich
17 Vote(s)
17 Vote(s)
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June 25, 2010
Psychiatrist Calls For More Research Into Combination Treatments
Better treatment for people with bipolar disease and other mental illnesses is likely to come from properly tested combinations of existing therapies, according to leading psychiatry researcher Professor John Geddes...
11 Vote(s)
11 Vote(s)
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February 11, 2010
The draft of the new ‘psychiatric bible’ is published
The draft version of the American Psychiatric Association's DSM 5, the psychiatric 'bible' that defines the revised criteria for diagnosing mental illness, has finally been published. It's a masterpiece of compromise - intended to be largely backwardly compatible, so most psychiatrists could just get on diagnosing the few major mental illnesses that all clinicians recognise in the same way they a
9 Vote(s)
9 Vote(s)
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January 31, 2010
Is Depression Undertreated?
Neuroskeptic readers will be familiar with the idea that too many people are being treated for mental illness. But not everyone agrees. Many people argue that common mental illnesses, such as depression, are undertreated. Take, for example, a paper just out in the esteemed Archives of General Psychiatry: Depression Care in the United States: Too Little for Too Few.The authors looked at the result
6 Vote(s)
6 Vote(s)
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January 12, 2010
The temperance pill
New Scientist has an excellent article looking at current attempts to develop a pill that will treat alcoholism or help people reduce their cravings for booze.It's a really well-rounded piece that captures the problems with the 'cure in a pill' method as well as the neuroscience behind attempts to alter the chemistry of craving and addiction.Apart from drugs to treat associated mental illnesses,
6 Vote(s)
6 Vote(s)
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Hunting dodo birds to extinction: A published discussion on whether certain treatments are better than others for particular mental illnesses
by Michael D. Anestis, M.S. Looking at this title, you might think "here we go again...Anestis is writing about the dodo bird hypothesis in yet another article. Move on!" Fair enough. Still, because so many people continue to believe in...
5 Vote(s)
5 Vote(s)
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December 16, 2009
Stress Now, Mental Illness Later
Routinely, I enjoy crapping on the common biological explanations of various mental illnesses (e.g., monoamine hypothesis). However, this does not mean that I do not believe in the importance biology plays in the development of mental illness.To say that a specific mental illness is the result of a "chemical imbalance" or one "bad gene" is ridiculous. The problem with biological explanations of m
19 Vote(s)
19 Vote(s)
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December 15, 2009
Schizoid personality disorder: Does it truly qualify as a mental illness?
by Michael D. Anestis, M.S. In the early weeks of each semester, as I am teaching Abnormal Psychology to undergraduates, I almost invariably encounter at least one student who raises concerns that our system of classifying mental illnesses simply places...
17 Vote(s)
17 Vote(s)
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October 6, 2009
American Psychiatric Association Honors Texas Congressman With Highest Award In Advocacy
The American Psychiatric Association presented Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, with the Jacob K. Javits Award for Public Service in recognition of his dedication and hard work on behalf of all of those who live with mental illnesses. Rep.
11 Vote(s)
11 Vote(s)
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