(ScienceDaily) – Aug. 29, 2008 — Addictions to medicines and drugs are thought to develop over a relatively long period of time. The process involves both structural and functional changes in brain nerve cells that are still poorly understood. However, a single drug or alcohol dose is sufficient to generate an initial stage of addiction.
Recent [...]
Archive for August, 2008
31 Aug
New Evidence On Addiction To Medicines: Diazepam Has Effect On Nerve Cells In The Brain Reward System
30 Aug
Americans Show Little Tolerance For Mental Illness Despite Growing Belief In Genetic Cause
(ScienceDaily) - Aug. 29, 2008 — A new study by University of Pennsylvania sociology professor Jason Schnittker shows that, while more Americans believe that mental illness has genetic causes, the nation is no more tolerant of the mentally ill than it was 10 years ago.
The study published online in the journal Social Science and Medicine uses [...]
28 Aug
Java Gives Caffeine-naive A Boost, Too
(ScienceDaily) - Aug. 27, 2008 — New research from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, shows that—for women—the caffeine advantage is indeed everything it’s cracked up to be. Females who don’t drink coffee can get just as much of a caffeine boost as those who sip it regularly, according to a study in the latest [...]
27 Aug
Acupuncture may ease chronic headaches
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – August 26, 2008 – Acupuncture may bring some added pain relief to people with chronic headaches, a new study suggests.
The study, the largest to date on using acupuncture to ease headaches, adds to a conflicting body of evidence: Some research has suggested that adding acupuncture to standard headache medication brings [...]
27 Aug
Scientists ID Pathway That Makes Antipsychotic Drugs Work
- TUESDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) — New findings that antipsychotic drugs may not work as scientists have assumed could lead to changes in how the drugs are developed and prescribed, say Duke University Medical Center researchers.
Antipsychotic drugs used to treat schizophrenia and other mental health problems target the D2 receptor inside cells. The Duke [...]
25 Aug
EMDR Therapy
Online source: www.webmd.com
EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a fairly new type of psychotherapy. It’s growing in popularity, particularly for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD often occurs after experiences such as military combat, physical assault, rape, or car accidents.
Although research continues, EMDR remains controversial among some healthcare professionals.
At [...]
24 Aug
Major life changes may lead to chronic headache
By Joene Hendry
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – August 22, 2008 – Major life changes may play a role in as many as a quarter of chronic daily headache cases that arise among otherwise healthy adult men and women, study findings suggest.
“Major life events may precipitate or co-occur with the development of chronic daily headaches,” Dr. [...]
24 Aug
Brain stimulation improves memory in Alzheimer’s
By Will Boggs, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – August 22, 2008 – Electrical stimulation of the brain may improve memory and recognition in elderly people who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, results of a study hint.
”Our preliminary data on Alzheimer’s disease patients are promising as we observed beneficial effects after a single session of transcranial direct [...]
23 Aug
Acute Maternal Stress During Pregnancy Linked To Development Of Schizophrenia
(ScienceDaily) – Aug. 21, 2008 — Pregnant women who endure the psychological stress of being in a war zone are more likely to give birth to a child who develops schizophrenia. New research supports a growing body of literature that attributes maternal exposure to severe stress during the early months of pregnancy to an increased [...]
22 Aug
Codeine Not Safe For All Breastfeeding Moms And Their Babies
(ScienceDaily) – Aug. 21, 2008 — Using pain treatments which contain codeine may be risky for some breastfeeding mothers, according to researchers at The University of Western Ontario, and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto.
Lead author Dr. Gideon Koren published research in the journal, Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics which suggests that the codeine [...]
21 Aug
New Reasons To Avoid Grapefruit And Other Juices When Taking Certain Drugs
(ScienceDaily) – Aug. 20, 2008 — Scientists and consumers have known for years that grapefruit juice can increase the absorption of certain drugs — with the potential for turning normal doses into toxic overdoses. Now, the researcher who first identified this interaction is reporting new evidence that grapefruit and other common fruit juices, including orange [...]
19 Aug
Bipolar Disorder And Gene Abnormalities: Sodium, Calcium Imbalances Linked To Manic Depressive Episodes
ScienceDaily) - Aug. 18, 2008 — The largest genetic analysis of its kind to date for bipolar disorder has implicated machinery involved in the balance of sodium and calcium in brain cells. Researchers supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, found an association between the disorder [...]
19 Aug
Mechanism Behind Cocaine Craving Identified
ScienceDaily — A possible future way to prevent relapses into drug dependence has been discovered by researchers at Linköping University and the German cancer research center DKFZ. The target is the dopamine-producing nerve cells in the midbrain.
Earlier research has shown that these cells become more excitable when a person takes drugs. To find out the functional [...]
16 Aug
Stroke Risk in Women Smokers Goes Up by Each Cigarette
There’s a nine-fold increase for two packs a day, study finds
THURSDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) — The risk of stroke for a young woman smoker is directly related to the number of cigarettes she smokes, a new study finds.
While smoking has been clearly established as increasing the risk of stroke, “there is not a lot [...]
15 Aug
Inhalant Abuse Can Be Deadly *Read*
I am reposting this article due to the program “Intervention”, which showed a young girl addicted to inhalants. Reading about it and actually seeing it on screen is a real eye opener. The young girl in the program did seek help, but her life was basically ruined due to this addiction.
Inhalant Abuse Can Be Deadly, [...]
15 Aug
Dissociative disorder often persists to adulthood
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – August 14, 2008 – Dissociative disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence frequently persists into adulthood and is often followed by other psychiatric disorders, according to a report published online in the journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health.
Dr. Thomas Jan from the University of Wuerzburg, Germany and colleagues [...]
13 Aug
ARE YOU EVEN TRYING TO GET BETTER?
Written by: Me
Dusting off some old journals, back from my days in hospital, I came across one stay where I “interviewed” informally some fellow patients, their experiences of living with mental illness. Although there were many more stories; I only chose these three:
These are examples of mental illness stigma and what society perceives.
~~~
*Denise in her [...]
12 Aug
Codependency
What is codependency? How do I know if I’m codependent?
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., answers:
The term “codependency” was coined more than 20 years ago by authors who studied the negative impact of drug and alcohol use on families. Since then, use of the term has been expanded to include a pattern of psychologically [...]
11 Aug
50,000 Celebration!
Thanks to everyone who visits this blog – I have made it to the 50,000+ view mark in a little over a year. This blog is as important to me, and by it’s readership, to others who are thirsty for information in the area of mental health. So keep on reading, and I will keep [...]
11 Aug
DEPRESSION: Signs and symptoms
These are just some of the signs and symptoms of DEPRESSION, but each person is different.
Persistent sad feelings or a mood, low, gloomy for no explanation. Crying spells.
A lack of interest in activities previously enjoyed, such as socializing with family and friends.
Thoughts of suicide or preoccupation with death.
Difficulty with sleep. Sleep behavior altering from difficulty [...]
11 Aug
What is Munchausen Syndrome?
Munchausen syndrome is a serious mental disorder in which someone pretends to be sick or deliberately causes illness or injury in order to fulfill deep emotional needs. People with Munchausen syndrome may make up symptoms, push for risky operations, or try to rig laboratory test results in their effort to win sympathy and concern. Today, [...]
10 Aug
Childhood stress tied to adult mental disorders
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – August 07, 2008 – Adults in treatment for severe mental disorders report greater levels of childhood stress than adults without psychiatric disorders, researchers from Germany found in a study they conducted.
A burgeoning number of studies suggest that adverse or traumatic experiences during childhood influence adult psychopathology, Dr. Brigitte Rockstroh, of [...]
9 Aug
Many people don’t get prescriptions filled
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – August 06, 2008 – One in three people who are prescribed medications may never get them filled, a new study in patients being treated for skin conditions has found.
Therefore, when a prescribed treatment fails doctors should consider that a patient may not have purchased the medication in the first place, [...]
9 Aug
Post-partum Suicide Attempt Risks Studied
(ScienceDaily) – Aug. 8, 2008 — Although maternal suicide after giving birth is a relatively rare occurrence, suicide attempts often have long-lasting effects on the family and the infant. Researchers have compared two populations of mothers and found that a history of psychiatric disorders or substance abuse was a strong predictor of post-partum suicide attempts.
Using [...]
5 Aug
Alzheimer’s Drug May Help Mild Memory Loss, Imaging Study Suggests
(ScienceDaily) - Aug. 3, 2008 — Alzheimer’s disease is the end result of gradual, progressive brain aging. Positron emission technology (PET) scans of patients’ brains typically reveal a decreased rate of metabolism, a hallmark of the disorder.
A small sample of adults with mild age-related memory loss was randomly assigned a daily placebo or Aricept, a drug [...]
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