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At a special briefing for Congressional staff, former Connecticut lieutenant governor Kevin Sullivan testified for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on the need for federal action to address the growing mental health crisis in states…

APA Deputy Medical Director Annelle Primm, M.D., testified before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing today on appropriate treatment for Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dr…

QR Pharma, Inc., a developer of novel drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD), announced that it was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,625,942, a “Method of Treating Down Syndrome” by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The ‘942 patent covers use of Posiphen and analogs to treat cognitive impairments associated with Down Syndrome (DS)…

Young adults who have used cannabis or marijuana for a longer period of time appear more likely to have hallucinations or delusions or to meet criteria for psychosis, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the May print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals…

Obesity appears to be associated with an increased risk of depression, and depression also appears associated with an increased risk of developing obesity, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals…

Offspring of two parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder appear more likely to develop the same illness or another psychiatric condition than those with only one parent with psychiatric illness, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals…

Mr. John Moloney, T.D, Minister of State with responsibility for Equality, Disability and Mental Health yesterday (1st March, 2010) outlined achievements in the mental health services. They include developments in the Child and Adolescent services, shorter episodes of inpatient care, the appointment of Executive Clinical Directors and the active involvement of service users…

Asuragen, Inc. announced the results of a collaborative study with scientists at the M.I.N.D. Institute at the University of California Davis evaluating a new PCR technology that reproducibly reports mutations associated with Fragile X syndrome (FXS)…

This Kaiser Health News story, written by Sandra Boodman and produced in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports on the impact of a law that went into effect Jan. 1. “Denise Camp was resigned to the double standard that had long applied to her medical bills, forcing her to skimp on other expenses so she could pay for mental health treatment” (Boodman, 3/2). Read entire article…

Commenting on the BBC’s “Why did you kill my dad?” programme, aired on Monday 1st March, Steve Shrubb, director of the Mental Health Network which represents the majority of NHS mental health organisations, said: “The death of Phillip Hendy as set out in this programme was a terrible tragedy for all involved…

Researchers at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute and School of Population Health have found young adults who use cannabis from an early age are three times more likely to suffer from psychotic symptoms…

House Democrats are preparing to introduce legislation on Medicare drug prices and an effort to tackle some individual health issues while Congress debates a comprehensive bill. Congress Daily: “Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and more than 50 House members will propose legislation today that directs Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices…

Vietnam era combat pilot and national board member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Clarence Jordan testified at a Senate hearing today calling for better outreach and coordination of mental health care by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)…

Illinois State Senator John Cullerton (D) received the 2010 State Legislator of the Year Award from the American Psychological Association Practice Organization (APAPO) in recognition of his legislative accomplishments to increase the availability of mental healthcare services and to promote greater public well being. Senator Cullerton was presented with the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C…

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) recently celebrated the third anniversary of the NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group, a free support group for adults living with mental illness. NAMI offers nearly 500 Connection support groups in 45 states…

Munich, Germany – Contrary to expectations, the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone is no better than placebo and can be counterproductive in treating substance use disorder in patients with schizophrenia, according to data released at the 18th European Congress of Psychiatry…

A one-page, 27-item questionnaire that is available free online is a valid and effective tool to help primary care doctors screen patients for four common psychiatric illnesses, a study led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers concludes. Results of the My Mood Monitor (M-3) checklist study are published in the March/April 2010 issue of Annals of Family Medicine…

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has issued the following statement on the death of John Patrick Bedell from his attack on Pentagon guards on March 4, 2010: “News reports indicate that Patrick Bedell struggled for some time with a severe mental illness,” said NAMI Executive Director Michael J. Fitzpatrick…

According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s® 2010 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, African-Americans are about two times more likely and Hispanics are about one and one-half times more likely than their white counterparts to have Alzheimer’s and other dementias…

A pilot project to support armed services personnel experiencing mental health problems as a result of their service will be extended across Wales, Health Minister Edwina Hart announced. The service, which has been trialled in the Cardiff and Vale and Cwm Taf Health Board areas, offered access to clinicians with expertise in veterans’ mental health to provide assessment and suitable treatment…

Beginning with the upcoming fifth edition, new versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) will be identified with Arabic rather than Roman numerals, marking a change in how future updates will be created, according to the American Psychiatric Association…

Mind today presents new evidence to illustrate the barriers people face when trying to make a complaint about counsellors and psychotherapists and urgently calls for independent statutory regulation to help protect clients from malpractice (1)…

Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) was honored last night by the American Psychological Association for his advocacy work and legislative accomplishments on mental health issues. The APA presented Kennedy with the 2010 Outstanding Leadership Award, given annually to a member of Congress who has prominently championed the goals of professional psychology…

Rhesus monkey babies born to mothers who had the flu while pregnant had smaller brains and showed other brain changes similar to those observed in human patients with schizophrenia, a study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found…

Mental illness can affect anyone, including celebrities and public leaders. The American Psychiatric Foundation’s ninth annual Conversations event, will feature sportscaster and former NFL star Terry Bradshaw, who will talk candidly about his personal story of living with mental illness…

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has echoed concerns raised in an intercollegiate statement from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal College of General Practitioners and the Faculty of Public Health – Significant Harm – the effects of administrative detention on the health of children, young people and their families…

PC Richard Harwin from the Metropolitan Police in the London Borough of Hackney has just been highly commended as part of the Una Padel Award for outstanding work in the field of criminal justice. Mind nominated PC Harwin for this award in recognition of his active commitment to improving police practice towards people with mental health problems…

The recent shootings at the Ft. Hood, Texas army base, allegedly by an army psychiatrist, have placed much-needed focus on mental health care in the army. In an article published in the December issue of the journal CNS Spectrum, renowned psychopharmacology expert Stephen M. Stahl, MD, PhD, calls for increased mental health staffing at Fort Hood and other army bases…

Targacept, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRGT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs known as NNR TherapeuticsTM, announced that it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical proof of concept trial of TC-5619 in cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia…

Americans do not believe that they know much about depression , but are highly aware of the risks of not receiving care, according to a survey released in November by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). See full survey results at http://www.nami.org/depression, an interactive Web site that includes resources for people of diverse communities…

A nationwide study found that suicide rates for HIV patients in Switzerland decreased by more than half, after 1996 when the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was introduced. Despite the dramatic decrease, the suicide rate among HIV-infected individuals still significantly exceeded that of the general population…

Research by Binghamton University psychologist Brandon Gibb could provide new weapons for the fight against childhood depression. Working with colleagues around the country, he hopes to identify the causes of mental-health problems in kids and define trajectories of risk for depression…

Students who watch as their peers endure the verbal or physical abuses of another student could become as psychologically distressed, if not more so, by the events than the victims themselves, new research suggests…

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Roughly eight to 12 percent of marijuana users are considered “dependent” and, just like alcohol, the severity of symptoms increases with heavier use. A new study has found that use and misuse of alcohol and marijuana are influenced by a common set of genes…

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) praises a new report, Caregiving in the U.S. 2009, which offers a revealing portrait of the nearly one-in-three American adults who serve as a family caregiver. The study is based on interviews with 1,480 caregivers chosen at random and offers a national profile of people caring for adults, the elderly and children with special needs…

Professional first responders are prepared, equipped and trained to handle various emergency situations, from car accidents to terrorist attacks and other major disasters. Today, however, this great responsibility can be particularly burdensome on one’s emotions…

One quarter of Detroit-area Arab Americans reported personal or familial abuse because of race, ethnicity or religion since 9/11, leading to higher odds of adverse health effects, according to a new University of Michigan study. The study was published online in the American Journal of Public Health. Muslim Arabs also reported higher rates of abuse than Christians, said lead author Aasim I…

Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have made a major discovery in how the brain encodes memories. The finding, published in the December 24 issue of the journal Neuron, could eventually lead to the development of new drugs to aid memory…

A new study reports that repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan may adversely affect the mental health of these deployed soldiers. Researchers assessed the effects of prior military service in Iraq or Afghanistan on the health of New Jersey Army National Guard members preparing for deployment to Iraq…

St. John’s wort, or Perforate St. John’s wart, Tipton’s Weed or Klamath weed, is a medication that comes from a flowering plant called Hypericum perforatum. For a long time it is believed to have medicinal qualities, especially for the treatment of depression. Recent studies appear to conclude more favorably than unfavorably regarding St. John’s Wort’s efficacy in treating depression. St…

A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep found that adolescents with bedtimes that were set earlier by parents were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and to think about committing suicide, suggesting that earlier bedtimes could have a protective effect by lengthening sleep duration and increasing the likelihood of getting enough sleep…

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) praises a new report, Caregiving in the U.S. 2009, which offers a revealing portrait of the nearly one-in-three American adults who serve as a family caregiver. The study is based on interviews with 1,480 caregivers chosen at random and offers a national profile of people caring for adults, the elderly and children with special needs…

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Complete Response letter regarding the company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for Lyrica® (pregabalin) capsules CV as a monotherapy treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The FDA determined that the data contained in the NDA were insufficient to support approval…

Many U.S. adults with major depression do not receive treatment for depression or therapy based on treatment guidelines, and some racial and ethnic groups have even lower rates of adequate depression care, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals…

An increasing number of U.S. adults are being prescribed combinations of antidepressants and antipsychotic medications, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals…

A national survey of 15,762 households by UCLA/Wayne State University researchers found that only 21 percent of Americans suffering from clinical depression receive medical care consistent with American Psychiatric Association guidelines. Half receive no treatment at all. The majority of treated patients, nearly 45 percent, received psychotherapy with no medication…

Forty-one percent of college students with weight problems opened and read spam e-mail advertising weight loss products and 18.5 percent bought these weight loss products, according to a new study published in the January issue of the Southern Medical Journal. The research was conducted by Joshua Fogel, Ph.D…

Scientists have long eyed mutations in a gene known as DISC1 as a possible contributor to schizophrenia and mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder…

An analysis of randomized trials indicates that compared with placebo, the magnitude of benefit of antidepressant medications varies with the severity of depressive symptoms, and may provide little benefit for patients with mild or moderate depression, but appear to provide substantial benefit for patients with very severe depression, according to an article in the January 6 issue of JAMA…

Black men are over-diagnosed with schizophrenia at least five times higher than any other group – a trend that dates back to the 1960s, according to new University of Michigan research…