November 2009 - Mental Health Update

Diagnosing autism in the blink of an eye

Autism affects an estimated 1 in 150 children but there are still no objective medical tests to diagnose it. Researchers at the University of Missouri have been looking at the way children's pupils respond to light. Pupils dilate (widen) when it is...

Published Wed, Nov 11 2009 2:11 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Autism

Avatars and amiability

People who play online role-playing games often assume an avatar - a virtual body that may or may not look like them. New research from the University of Texas at Austin suggests that the avatars people choose to assume could actually effect their behaviour...

Published Wed, Nov 11 2009 1:55 AM by Mental Health Update

Homocysteine and Alzheimer's disease

Middle-aged women with high levels of homocysteine in their bloodstream could be at more risk of developing Alzheimer's. Homocysteine is an amino acid that is important for the body's metabolism but too much of it can damage blood vessels and...

Published Mon, Nov 09 2009 4:34 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alzheimer's Disease

Torture, head injuries and mental illness

Hardly surprisingly many people who have suffered torture develop mental-health problems later and new research suggests that head injuries experienced while being tortured might also contribute to the development of mental illness. Researchers from Harvard...

Published Mon, Nov 09 2009 3:58 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: PTSD, Neuroscience, Torture

Antidepressants and premature delivery

A study of over 3,000 women by researchers at the University of Washington, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University has found that using antidepressants during pregnancy could increase the risk of premature delivery. The study found that...

Published Mon, Nov 09 2009 2:51 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Antidepressants

Is it depression or is it Alzheimer's? Why multi-tasking could hold the answer

The early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can often be mistaken for those of depression. As a result of this many people with early Alzheimer's often go undiagnosed and miss out on treatment. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh compared...

Published Mon, Nov 09 2009 2:38 AM by Mental Health Update

10 Common myths about bipolar disorder

Adrienne Carlson has compiled a list of 10 common myths about bipolar disorder with lots of useful information aimed at combating some of the stigma around the condition. The myths are: Bipolar disorder is merely mood swings Manic episodes are characterized...

Published Fri, Nov 06 2009 1:51 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Bipolar Disorder

How long is a piece of string? And what does it tell us about body image in eating disorders?

A distorted body image is thought to play a part in anorexia and bulimia. Researchers from the Medical University in Berlin compared 129 teenage girls with eating disorders to a control group of 354 girls of a similar age. The two groups were asked to...

Published Thu, Nov 05 2009 8:29 AM by Mental Health Update

Acceptance and commitment therapy and eating disorders

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a new approach that combines traditional cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) with an emphasis on mindfulness (non-judgemental living in the present) and an acceptance of events and factors that cannot be changed...

Published Thu, Nov 05 2009 8:06 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Eating Disorders

Social support and PTSD in children

Children are often exposed to traumatic events such as illness or car accidents. It is thought that 40% of children exposed to trauma go on to develop acute stress disorder which can be a precursor to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Current theories...

Published Thu, Nov 05 2009 7:33 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Depression, PTSD, Social Support

Caregivers, sleep and stress

In the U.K. nearly seven million people provide help for a sick, disabled or elderly person and in the U.S. more than 44 million people have been identified as caregivers. Researchers from the University of Birmingham looked into the links between the...

Published Thu, Nov 05 2009 7:02 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Service Users' Families

What service users think about ECT

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for major depression, mania and catatonia yet it is sometimes seen as authoritarian and inhumane, has a bad image and some patient groups oppose it. Researchers from the Royal College of Psychiatrists...

Published Thu, Nov 05 2009 4:05 AM by Mental Health Update

Yoga and mental health

Women with eating disorders may lack body awareness including having a reduced awareness of basic body signals such as hunger and fullness, energy levels and fatigue. They can also lack awareness of their moods so that instead of being recognised and...

Published Thu, Nov 05 2009 3:17 AM by Mental Health Update

Supported housing for eating disorders

Some people with eating disorders receive treatment as day patients at hospital. They spend 7-12 hours a day on site receiving supervised meals, group and individual psychotherapy and nutrition counselling. However, this good work can be undone if patients...

Published Thu, Nov 05 2009 2:27 AM by Mental Health Update