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More Mental Health Care Urged for Kids Who Self-Harm

Posted 2 days 10 hours ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, May 25 – Doctors have long known that some kids suffering severe emotional turmoil find relief in physical pain – cutting or burning or sticking themselves with pins to achieve a form of release. But researchers now are questioning whether enough is being done to reach out to these young people and help them before they do themselves irreparable damage. One study this year found that six of every 10 adolescents who went to an emergency room for treatment after harming themselves were released without receiving a mental health assessment or any follow-up mental health care. The findings were reported in the February issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. "Most young people who self-harm suffer from some underlying psychological disorder," said Jeffrey Bridge, a researcher with the Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice at Nationwide ... Read more

Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Anxiety and Stress, Psychiatric Disorders

Mental Illness Tied to Higher Rates of Physical Problems: Report

Posted 13 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, April 13 – Adults with mental illness are more likely to have certain types of chronic physical health problems than those without mental illness, according to a U.S. government report released this week. The report said adults aged 18 and older who had any type of mental illness in the past year had higher rates of high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. For instance, about 22 percent of adults with any type of mental illness in the past year had high blood pressure and nearly 16 percent had asthma. The rates in adults without mental illness were about 18 percent and 11 percent, respectively, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report said. People with major depression in the past year had higher rates of the following chronic health problems than those without major depression: high blood pressure (24 percent ... Read more

Related support groups: Depression, Psychiatric Disorders

'Co-Occurring' Disorders May Explain Change in Autism Diagnosis

Posted 23 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 23 – Many children with autism also have other developmental or psychiatric conditions, including learning disabilities, speech delays, attention or seizure disorders and anxiety. According to new research, some of those co-occurring conditions may explain why autism diagnoses often change as children get older. In a survey by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, more than one-third of parents with children between 6 and 17 years old reported that their child's diagnosis of autism had changed over time. "We don't know what changed the diagnosis. However, we want to deliver the message that it's important to look at the other coexisting conditions, evaluate them before you make a diagnosis, and also recognize these conditions vary by development age," said study author Li-Ching Lee, an associate scientist in the epidemiology and ... Read more

1 in 5 U.S. Adults Suffers Mental Ills: Report

Posted 19 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 19 – Nearly 46 million American adults have had a mental illness in the past year, a new government report shows. Almost 30 percent of those aged 18 to 25 experienced a mental illness, twice as many as those aged 50 and older at just over 14 percent. And more women than men suffered a mental illness in the last year (23 percent vs. nearly 17 percent), according to the report released Thursday from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). "We all know people who have had a depression or an anxiety disorder, maybe something more serious like a bipolar disorder, but this is a pretty big number," said Peter Delany, director of SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies. "This is only the second year where we have done this as a separate report and the findings were not significantly different from last year," Delany noted, so there are not enough ... Read more

Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Psychiatric Disorders, Alcohol Dependence

Even Today, the Stigma of Mental Illness Won't Fade

Posted 29 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Dec. 29 – People with a mental illness struggle with symptoms ranging from crushing depression and crippling anxiety to powerful delusions and hallucinations that force them to actively sort out the real from the imagined. And if that weren't enough, they also have to deal with the way the rest of the world perceives their inner struggle. Stigma associated with mental illness remains widespread in U.S. society, despite some progress made in demystifying these medical conditions, said Michael J. Fitzpatrick, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). "It's pervasive, but it's nuanced, too," Fitzpatrick said. "Most Americans understand that mental illnesses are treatable illnesses. I think people basically understand depression. Depression is talked about in the media and is considered a treatable disease. But when you reach psychosis and ... Read more

Related support groups: Anxiety, Depression, Psychiatric Disorders, Psychosis

Psych Episode Near Childbirth May Presage Bipolar Disorder

Posted 9 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Dec. 9 – New mothers who experience a psychiatric disorder within 30 days after giving birth have an increased risk of developing bipolar disorder, according to a new study. Researchers examined data from more than 120,000 Danish women born between 1950 and 1991 who had received first-time psychiatric care either as an outpatient or an inpatient for any type of psychiatric disorder other than bipolar disorder. Of those women, 2,870 had first-time psychiatric contact within a year of giving birth to their first child. During follow-up, more than 3,000 of the 120,000 women were diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Of those, 132 had first-time psychiatric contact within a year after giving birth. Fifteen years later, bipolar disorder had been diagnosed in nearly 14 percent of women with initial contact within 30 days after giving birth compared with less than 5 percent of women who ... Read more

Related support groups: Bipolar Disorder, Psychiatric Disorders

Meditation Can 'Turn Off' Regions of the Brain

Posted 22 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 22 – A new study finds that people skilled at meditation seem able to turn off areas of the brain associated with daydreaming and psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Learning more about how meditation works could help advance research into a number of diseases, according to lead author Dr. Judson Brewer, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University. He and his colleagues used functional MRI to assess brain activity in experienced and novice meditators as they performed three different meditation techniques. Regardless of the type of meditation, skilled meditators had decreased activity in the brain's default mode network, which has been linked to attention lapses and disorders such as anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and the buildup of beta amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers also found that ... Read more

Related support groups: Schizophrenia, Autism, Psychiatric Disorders

Suicide Checklist Spots People at Highest Risk

Posted 8 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 8 – The latest rating scale to determine a person's risk of committing suicide might be better than other such scales at spotting people in most urgent need of help, researchers report. The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) was developed eight years ago and is already used by clinicians, emergency responders and others. The new study, appearing online Nov. 8 in the American Journal of Psychiatry, backs its use with new evidence. Researchers who created the scale weighed its scientific validity against the Columbia Suicide History Form, on which the newer scale builds, and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, which is considered the gold standard of assessment tools, said study author Kelly Posner, director of the Center for Suicide Risk Assessment at Columbia University. A big difference, Posner said, is that the C-SSRS measures a wider range of potentially ... Read more

Related support groups: Psychiatric Disorders

Many More Kids Hospitalized for Mental Illness: Study

Posted 15 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Aug. 15 – Short-stay hospitalizations of children with mental illnesses surged between 1996 and 2007, while psychiatric admissions among the elderly declined in that period, according to a new study examining changing patterns in psychiatric hospitalization in the United States. Admissions for children aged 5 to 13 surged 81 percent in that time period-- from 156 per 100,000 children in the general population each year to 283 per 100,000 children, the study found. Psychiatric admissions for teenagers aged 14 to 19 rose by nearly 42 percent. "A substantial increase in acute care psychiatric hospitalization rates and inpatient occupancy for children and adolescents, a moderate increase in the hospitalization rate of adults, and a steep decline for elderly individuals represent significant developments in mental health treatment in the United States with potentially strong ... Read more

Related support groups: Psychiatric Disorders

Preemies at Risk for Psychiatric Disorders as Teens, Study Contends

Posted 20 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, July 20 – Premature infants are at greater risk for certain psychiatric disorders as teenagers, including attention deficit hyperactivity and depression, a new study suggests. These mental health problems are the result of brain injuries affecting cortical development as well as neural connectivity, said the study authors, from Columbia University Medical Center. Although "preemies" are at risk for these injuries, the study also found that they can be detected through brain ultrasounds. This finding not only provides insight into the causes of psychiatric disorders, it could also help prevent them in the future, the scientists said. The researchers followed 400 premature infants who had abnormal brain ultrasounds at birth until they were 16 years old. As teens, the study participants were asked questions and given cognitive tests. The study found a link between brain ... Read more

Eating Disorders More Prevalent Than Thought Among American Teens

Posted 8 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 7 – Many American adolescents suffer from an eating disorder and struggle with related psychiatric disorders, including suicidal tendencies, new research reveals. "The prevalence of these disorders is higher than previously expected in this age range, and the patterns of [co-existing illnesses], role impairment and suicidality indicate that eating disorders represent a major public health concern," the researchers wrote. "This article aptly points out that we should not dismiss eating disorders as a public health problem simply because their prevalence is lower than some other major mental illnesses," said Mary Tantillo, director of the Western New York Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders and an associate professor of clinical nursing at the University of Rochester School of Nursing. "The magnitude of what happens because of eating disorders – severe mental ... Read more

Related support groups: Psychiatric Disorders, Bulimia, Anorexia nervosa

Even Tiny Tots May Develop Mental Health Problems

Posted 2 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, March 2 – Countering the belief that you have to be "older" to suffer from mental illness, a new report says there's actually no lowest-age limit. Infants and toddlers can be affected, but they often go without treatment that could prevent them from suffering long-term problems, according to the researchers. There's a "pervasive, but mistaken, impression that young children do not develop mental health problems and are immune to the effects of early adversity and trauma because they are inherently resilient and 'grow out of' behavioral problems and emotional difficulties," they wrote in the February issue of American Psychologist. The issue includes a series of articles about mental health in children under the age of 5. In fact, infants can develop mental health problems as they deal with their goals and emotions, the authors of another article wrote. "Infants make meaning ... Read more

Related support groups: Psychiatric Disorders

U.S. Sees Slowdown in Spending on Mental Health

Posted 5 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Feb. 4 – The amount of money spent on psychiatric drugs in the United States continues to grow but at a much slower rate than in previous years, a new federal government study has found. From 2004 to 2005, spending on psychiatric drugs rose 5.6 percent, compared with an increase of 27.3 percent between 1999 and 2000, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The agency's analysis of health-care costs from 1986 to 2005, the latest year comparable data is available, also found that spending on behavioral health accounts for a decreasing portion of overall health-care costs. Of the $1.85 trillion spent on all health-care services in the United States in 2005, behavioral health spending accounted for 7.3 percent ($135 billion). During the 20 years analyzed in the study, spending for mental health and substance abuse health care grew more slowly ... Read more

FDA Panel Recommends Testing of Electroshock Devices

Posted 31 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, Jan. 29 – An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided on Friday that electroconvulsive (also known as "electroshock") devices should be subject to the same tough testing as other medical devices entering the market. The much-awaited decision is the latest chapter in the decades-old controversy surrounding the psychiatric treatment, which some patients see as doing great harm, even as others hail it as a valuable treatment. The FDA doesn't have to follow its advisory committee's recommendation but usually does. The panel's decision was seen as a win for those worried about the potential harms of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). "It was the best possible outcome we could have gotten," Austin, Tex.-based clinical psychologist John Breeding, told the Washington Post . Breeding, a longtime opponent of the procedure, testified before the panel at a two-day ... Read more

Related support groups: Psychiatric Disorders

Severe Mental Health Disorders Untreated in Many U.S. Teens

Posted 22 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Jan. 21 – Among American teens, many with severe mental disorders never receive treatment, the results of a new study suggest. Researchers examined data from a nationally representative sample of 6,483 adolescents, aged 13 to 18, and found that only 36.2 percent of those with any mental disorder received treatment. While the severity of the disorder was significantly associated with the likelihood of receiving mental health treatment, only about half of the teens with severe mental disorders ever received such treatment, according to the report published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The disorders most likely to be treated were attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (59.8 percent) and behavior disorders, such as oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder (combined 45.4 percent), study author Kathleen ... Read more

Related support groups: Psychiatric Disorders

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Depression, Anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Psychosis, Borderline Personality Disorder, Autism, Mental Retardation, Paranoid Disorder, Agitation, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Neurosis, Body Dysmorphic Disorder