October 2009 - Mental Health Update

Mercury and autism. Is there a link? Probably not ...

Mercury has been linked to the development of autism. Researchers at the University of California, Davis studied 452 children between the ages of 2 and 5, 249 of whom had been diagnosed with autism. The children's blood mercury levels were measured...

Published Tue, Oct 20 2009 5:06 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Autism

Lead, learning and literacy

Exposure to lead in childhood can significantly reduce children's scores in end-of-year reading tests. Researchers from Duke University and North Carolina Central University looked into the links between levels of lead in children's bloodstreams...

Published Tue, Oct 20 2009 4:41 AM by Mental Health Update

Topping up with Omega-3 - does it work for depression?

Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis have been investigating the effectiveness of taking Omega-3 as well as antidepressants in a study of people with depression and heart disease. 122 people took part in the study...

Published Wed, Oct 21 2009 2:21 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Antidepressants, Omega-3, Sertraline, Depression - medication

Mental health and bladder problems

Depression, anxiety and sexual trauma have all been found to be risk factors for urinary-tract problems such as incontinence and an overactive bladder. Researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine looked into this further in...

Published Wed, Oct 21 2009 3:06 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Service Users' Health

Green space and mental health

People who live near parks and green spaces are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. A Dutch study of 345,143 people compared information from medical records with a land-use database and found that those living near more green spaces had...

Published Wed, Oct 21 2009 2:46 AM by Mental Health Update

Diabetes, ketoacidosis and memory problems

Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when the body lacks insulin and burns fat for energy instead of sugar. This can lead to nausea, vomiting and fatigue and a feeling of mental sluggishness. There is anecdotal evidence of children with diabetes having memory...

Published Wed, Oct 21 2009 3:43 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Diabetes, Memory Problems

Birth problems not prematurity linked to autism

Being born prematurely has been linked to an increased risk of autism but this could be due to complications in pregnancy and in and around birth rather than prematurity itself. A study of 7,296 children by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm...

Published Wed, Oct 21 2009 3:23 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Autism

Finding the best therapy for SAD

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of severe depression that occurs in autumn and winter. Two of the most popular forms of therapy for it are cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and light therapy in which sufferers sit in front of a light box that...

Published Wed, Oct 21 2009 5:12 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Seasonal Affective Disorder

Community Treatment Orders more common than expected

In the U.K. Compulsory Treatment Orders alllow people who have been discharged from hospital to have conditions placed on their treatment in the community so that, for instance, they can be returned to hospital if they do not take their medication. The...

Published Wed, Oct 21 2009 6:52 AM by Mental Health Update

Trying a new approach to antidepressants

It is estimated that only 30-40% of people with depression get better after eight weeks of treatment with an antidepressant. Doctors don't always know which one will work. They can take a while to work while they are absorbed by the body and some...

Published Thu, Oct 22 2009 2:02 AM by Mental Health Update

Brain structure and PTSD

Brain scans of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have shown abnormalities in parts of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex, the amygdala and the hippocampus but it is not known whether these abnormalities have developed because...

Published Thu, Oct 22 2009 3:21 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: PTSD, Neuroscience

Bullying over time

Girls who are bullied between the ages of six and nine are much more likely to be still being bullied in Year 6. Researchers from Warwick University studied 432 children from 17 primary schools in Hertfordshire and North London. Researchers asked the...

Published Thu, Oct 22 2009 4:07 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Bullying, Child Psychology

Long-lasting naltrexone for heroin addicts

A drug called naltrexone is used to treat heroin addicts as it blocks the receptors heroin uses to generate its effect. Unfortunately the effectiveness of naltrexone can be limited as people often forget to take it orally. One way round this problem is...

Published Thu, Oct 22 2009 3:41 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Naltrexone, Heroin

Women quicker off the mark than men at reading emotions

Women are better than men at distinguishing between different emotions, especially between fear and disgust. 46 people - half men and half women - were shown a variety of different ways of depicting emotions by researchers at the University of Montreal...

Published Thu, Oct 22 2009 6:22 AM by Mental Health Update

Antidepressants: the same number of patients taking more drugs

The recent rise in the number of prescriptions for antidepressants is due to the same number of people being prescribed more drugs rather than an increase in the number of people receiving them. A team of researchers from the University of Southampton...

Published Thu, Oct 22 2009 5:44 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Antidepressants