By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – December 18, 2008 – School-based suicide screening can identify students at risk for suicide and other mental health problems not recognized by school professionals, new research suggests.
“School-based screening can be an integral component of a school’s mental health initiative and complement the work already being performed by school [...]
Archive for December, 2008
21 Dec
Suicide screening in schools yields results
21 Dec
Male Suicide
Men Sexually Abused In Childhood Ten Times More Likely To Contemplate Suicide
ScienceDaily (Dec. 19, 2008) — Sexual abuse in childhood increases the risk of suicide in men by up to ten times, say researchers from the University of Bath. A recent study of Australian men has found that those who were sexually abused as children [...]
19 Dec
Autism And Schizophrenia Share Common Origin, Review Suggests
ScienceDaily (Dec. 18, 2008) — Schizophrenia and autism probably share a common origin, hypothesises Dutch researcher Annemie Ploeger following an extensive literature study. The developmental psychologist demonstrated that both mental diseases have similar physical abnormalities which are formed during the first month of pregnancy.
Peculiar toes
Developmental psychologist Annemie Ploeger has investigated whether there is a connection [...]
19 Dec
Alzheimer’s Drugs Also Treat Behavioral, Psych Problems
Therapy effective at same dosage used to improve cognitive impairment, study says
By Robert Preidt
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 17 (HealthDay News) — Drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s patients’ cognitive symptoms are also a safe and effective therapy for behavioral and psychological symptoms such as aggression, wandering and paranoia, according to U.S. researchers.
They reviewed nine studies that examined [...]
18 Dec
Abused Women Seek More Infant Health Care, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Dec. 16, 2008) — Pregnant women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) before, during or after pregnancy often suffer adverse health effects, including depression, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and chronic mental illness. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that women who experience intimate partner violence are more likely to seek health care [...]
17 Dec
Dementia Deaths & Mortality Stats
Under-reported Dementia Deaths Raises Questions About Accuracy Of Mortality Statistics
ScienceDaily (Dec. 16, 2008) — Deaths due to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are underreported on death certificates, according to a study conducted by Hebrew SeniorLife’s Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), raising concerns about the accuracy of mortality statistics based on these documents.
According to the National Center [...]
17 Dec
New Psychotherapy and Eating Disorders
New Psychotherapy Has Potential To Treat Majority Of Cases Of Eating Disorders
ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2008) — Wellcome Trust researchers have developed a new form of psychotherapy that has been shown to have the potential to treat more than eight out of ten cases of eating disorders in adults, a study out today reports.
This new “enhanced” [...]
17 Dec
Stress and hair loss: Are they related?
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., answers:
Stress and hair loss can be related.
The most common type of stress-induced hair loss is telogen effluvium. In this condition, emotional or physical stress — related to a death in the family, pregnancy, severe weight loss or surgery, for example — pushes large numbers of growing hairs into a resting [...]
15 Dec
Smokers can sue over ‘light cigarettes’: US Supreme Court
WASHINGTON (AFP) – December 15, 2008 – The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled that smokers can sue Altria and other tobacco companies for allegedly deceptive marketing of “light” or “low tar” cigarettes.
The high court said such lawsuits are allowed under federal law in a 5-4 decision that will add weight to massive claims filed [...]
14 Dec
‘TIS THE SEASON
‘TIS THE HOLIDAY SEASON
I spent three Christmases in hospital; two I couldn’t even leave to go home for Christmas dinner. Difficult to accept for all concerned, but I was just too unwell and they felt I was a risk.
So, three or four others and me sat in a gloomy dining room and picked at our ‘turkey [...]
12 Dec
Just WALK Right In
Written by: ME
Medical Form:
Marital Status? How many years married? Exposure to hazardous materials? Blood transfusions?
Family history:
Stroke, tuberculosis, liver problems, heart attack, asthma, colon cancer, high blood pressure, nervous breakdown, diabetes, arthritis, alcoholism, kidney disease, migraine headaches
List of medications
Previous x-rays including: EKG, MRI, CAT scan. Where have you travelled in the past 2 years?
Drink: Alcohol? Coffee/Tea? Tobacco: [...]
11 Dec
Sweetened Beverage Consumption Increases Dramatically In U.S.
ScienceDaily (Dec. 11, 2008) — Over the past two decades, the number of adults consuming sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, fruit drinks and punches has increased dramatically, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Researchers examined changes over the past two decades in sugar-sweetened beverage [...]
10 Dec
Some people may be predisposed to PTSD
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) – December 09, 2008 – A study of identical twins — one with combat experience and one without — suggests both genetic and environmental factors contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), U.S. researchers said Tuesday.
The 10-year study aimed to determine whether the often-debilitating anxiety disorder arises from an inherent vulnerability or [...]
10 Dec
Hypersomnia: What causes it?
Mayo Clinic general health specialist Kenneth Berge, M.D,:
Hypersomnia is characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness or prolonged nighttime sleep. People with hypersomnia are compelled to nap repeatedly during the day, often at inappropriate times, despite getting adequate sleep. Hypersomnia has many potential causes, including:
Sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy or sleep apnea
Central autonomic [...]
9 Dec
Dry mouth in older adults: Causes and treatments
Mayo Clinic geriatrician Paul Takahashi, M.D:
Dry mouth is common in older adults. Mouth dryness may have many causes. As you get older, your salivary glands may secrete less saliva. Thirst and your perception of thirst also can change with aging. Thirst receptors in your brain become less responsive to your body’s need for fluids. [...]
8 Dec
Brain-boosting drugs: Why not?, experts say
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) – December 08, 2008 – Healthy people are increasingly turning to brain-enhancing drugs like Ritalin to boost their performance in school or at work, researchers said on Monday.
And while some expressed alarm over the trend, others embraced the idea, provided the drugs are proven safe.
”In the United States, stimulant medications are [...]
7 Dec
Herbal treatment for anxiety: Is it effective?
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hal-Flavin, M.D. answers:
Several herbal remedies have been studied as a treatment for anxiety, including kava, passion flower, valerian and theanine.
The most popular herbal treatment for anxiety is kava. Numerous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of kava in reducing anxiety, with effects observed after as few as one to two doses. However, [...]
6 Dec
Easing The Stress Of Trauma – PTSD
ScienceDaily (Dec. 5, 2008) — Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects as many as one in five of all Americans who survive a harrowing experience like rape, assault, war or terrorism. It has emotionally paralyzed survivors of 9/11 and broken up survivors’ families.
There is no broadly accepted treatment that can lower the chance of developing the [...]
6 Dec
Coerced Medication Used In Psychiatric Care Despite Lack Of Clinical Evidence
ScienceDaily (Dec. 5, 2008) — Researchers are calling for more studies into the practice of forcing psychiatric patients to take medication, after a research review showed that there have been very few rigorous investigations of the procedure.
The review, published in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing, suggests that patients receiving coerced medication (CM) are more [...]
5 Dec
Genes Determine Whether Sugar Pills Work
ScienceDaily (Dec. 4, 2008) — It is a well-known fact in drug trials that individuals can respond just as well to placebos, sugar pills, as to the active drug. On the other hand, it is difficult to explain why only certain people get better from placebos. A team of researchers from Uppsala University and Gothenburg [...]
5 Dec
Aggressive drug marketing may endanger people
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Wednesday, December 3, 2008 – Quicker drug approvals and sophisticated marketing campaigns may be putting more patients at risk of dangerous side-effects but the same techniques might be put to use to protect them, a researcher argued on Tuesday.
New U.S. Food and Drug Administration procedures have [...]
4 Dec
Medications and Pregnancy
Common drugs that may not be safe for baby
– Diana Kohnle
(HealthDay News) — You may take certain over-the-counter supplements and medications without thinking twice. But when you’re pregnant, even drugs that you can buy without a prescription can affect the developing fetus.
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these safety guidelines about medications and pregnancy:
Don’t [...]
4 Dec
DOG-EARED MAGS & THE WAITING ROOM
Written by: ME
Continuing my saga of waiting for doctors……
The wait in a doctor’s waiting room can on occasion be short and sweet, rarely happening to me, or, you can bring camping gear to set up for the day. You recognize you are in a dilemma when, after driving two hours and upon arriving, the receptionist slides the [...]
3 Dec
Possible link between epilepsy drug and autism
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – December 1, 2008 – Children whose mothers used sodium valproate to treat epilepsy during pregnancy may be at increased risk of having autism spectrum disorders, according to the preliminary findings of an ongoing UK study reported in issue of Neurology.
“The potential risk for autism in this study was substantial for [...]
What you thought...