October 2009 - Mental Health Update

Bullying in the classroom - more Lord of the Flies than sweetness and light

Researchers from the University of Granada in Spain have been looking at what children themselves think about bullying, bullies and their victims and have come up with some surprising results. They studied 1,237 children between 11 and 16. 7.3% were victims...

Published Fri, Oct 30 2009 4:44 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Bullying

Servicemen and mental-health problems - not just PTSD

A study of more than 800 servicemen and women by researchers at King's College London has found high levels of mental illness and not just post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from which one in 20 were found to be suffering. One in five was found...

Published Fri, Oct 30 2009 4:23 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: PTSD

Figures show extent of prescribing to children

Information obtained by the U.K. Conservative Party under freedom-of-information legislation has revealed the extent of drug prescribing to children for mental-health conditions. They found that in 2007 420,000 prescriptions were issued for ADHD (attention...

Published Fri, Oct 30 2009 4:07 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Antidepressants, ADHD, Antipsychotics

Healthy diet cuts depression risk

Previous research has shown that a Mediterranean diet - high in fruit, vegetables and fish and low in meat and dairy products - has been linked to a reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers from University College London studied 3,486...

Published Fri, Oct 30 2009 3:08 AM by Mental Health Update

Grey matter and OCD - reviewing the evidence

There has been a lot of research recently using brain scanning to look at differences in the brains of people with mental-health problems. Because brain scanning is an expensive and time-consuming business studies are often quite small meaning that samples...

Published Fri, Oct 30 2009 2:43 AM by Mental Health Update

Teenagers, genes and intoxication

Researchers from Brown University in Rhode Island have been looking into the links between variations in the OPRM1 gene and alcohol misuse in teenagers. Their study of 187 teenagers with an average age of 15 found that 51.9% of youngsters with an alcohol...

Published Thu, Oct 29 2009 9:28 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Child Psychology, Alcohol Problems

Depression, neuroses and aches and pains

Researchers at the University of Iowa have been looking into the links between neuroticism, depression and the experience of physical health problems. Previous research has shown that neurotic people - who often feel irritable, sad, anxious or fearful...

Published Thu, Oct 29 2009 8:42 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Service Users' Health, Depression

ADHD and crime

Children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) are more likely to become criminals as they get older. Researchers from Yale School of Public Health studied more than 10,000 people and found that children with ADHD were twice as likely to...

Published Thu, Oct 29 2009 8:17 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: ADHD

Genes, environment and self-control: looking more closely at nature and nurture

Most scientists now accept that the nature/nurture debate is not a case of either/or but of genes and environment working together in a complex pattern to influence people's mental health. Researchers from the University of Iowa looked into one example...

Published Thu, Oct 29 2009 6:51 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Child Development, Child Psychology

Anxiety and birthweight

The list of drinks and substances that pregnant women have to worry about can seem endless and now researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre have added another factor to the list: anxiety itself. The researchers studied a sample of...

Published Wed, Oct 28 2009 7:45 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Anxiety Disorders

Depressed mums in U.S. fail to get adequate help

Depression in mothers can have a major impact on the entire family, especially on the health and wellbeing of children, and treating depression in mothers can improve the long-term health of their families. However, a study of 2,130 mothers by researchers...

Published Wed, Oct 28 2009 7:22 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Depression

Antipsychotics and weight gain in children

In the U.S. antipsychotic drugs are often prescribed for children and adolescents. However, new research from the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York suggests that they may - as they do in adults - lead to weight gain making more children...

Published Wed, Oct 28 2009 4:41 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Antipsychotics - side effects

Deep brain stimulation and Tourette's

Deep brain stimulation has been used to treat people with depression and now new research from Birmingham University in the U.K. suggests that it might also be helpful for people with Tourette's syndrome too. People with Tourette's have uncontrolled...

Published Wed, Oct 28 2009 4:17 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Tourette's Syndrome, Deep-Brain Stimulation

Diabetes and Alzheimer's

Diabetes has been found to increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease but it is unclear what effect it has on people who already have the condition. Researchers from the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research in Toulouse followed...

Published Wed, Oct 28 2009 3:54 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes

The psychology of torture

Researchers at Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences have been conducting (pain-free) research into the psychology of torture. In the study one of the research team was 'tortured' (although in reality she was acting) by having her hand submerged...

Published Wed, Oct 28 2009 3:36 AM by Mental Health Update