April 2010 - Mental Health Update

Alcohol consumption in older people

Most studies into how people drink over their lifetimes have found that consumption peaks in early adulthood and declines later but little is known about individual's drinking patterns and what factors make people drink less or more as they age. Researchers...

Published Thu, Apr 22 2010 2:13 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alcohol Problems

Bullying: not just something to grow up and get over

Bullying is a feature of many children's lives but is often thought to be an inevitable phase of growing up, something that is down to bad luck, that passes with age and that has few long-term consequences. Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry...

Published Mon, Apr 19 2010 3:23 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Bullying

Experts - we know next to nothing about Alzheimer's

Over the years - and indeed on this blog - there have been quite a few stories linking different foods, habits and lifestyles to an increased or decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, a panel of experts set up by the National Institutes of...

Published Fri, Apr 30 2010 7:41 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alzheimer's Disease

Has the bubble burst for Omega-3s?

Following on from research showing that omega-3s might not improve cognition in older people http://mentalhealthupdate.blogspot.com/2010/04/omega-3s-not-miracle-solution-for-older.html a new study shows that they may not have much of an effect in children...

Published Fri, Apr 30 2010 7:08 AM by Mental Health Update

Autism and child development

Not everyone with autism develops at the same rate or in the same way during early childhood. Researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland collected data from 2,720 parents and found three different patterns of autism. Regression...

Published Wed, Apr 21 2010 3:48 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Autism, Asperger's Syndrome

New gene linked to Alzheimer's risk

Researchers from the University of Miami have identified a new gene associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. In a study of 5,376 people, 2,269 of whom had Alzheimer's disease, the researchers compared a stretch of genes...

Published Thu, Apr 22 2010 7:34 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alzheimer's Disease, Genetics

Smoking and depression go together like bacon and eggs

In the U.S. the National Center for Health Statistics has been analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to look into the links between depression and smoking. They found that 43% of adult smokers aged 20 and over have depression...

Published Thu, Apr 22 2010 7:10 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Depression, Smoking

Sleep, drugs and social networks

Previous research has pointed to a link between poor sleep in children and an increased risk of drug use. Now new research from the University of California, San Diego has confirmed this and also suggests that bad sleep can spread throughout social networks...

Published Wed, Apr 28 2010 2:50 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Substance Abuse, Sleep Disorders, Social Networks

Obesity, genes and Alzheimer's disease

FTO is a gene associated with obesity. People with one copy of it are on average 1.5kg heavier than average and people with two copies of it are 3kg heavier. The gene is carried by 46% of Western Europeans and researchers from California University now...

Published Tue, Apr 20 2010 4:06 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alzheimer's Disease, Obesity, Genetics

Girls with eating disorders slip through the cracks

People with eating problems who do not meet the criteria for a full-blown eating disorder are often classified as Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). This is sometimes seen as less serious but new research from Stanford University School...

Published Wed, Apr 14 2010 3:52 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Eating Disorders

Not-so-young and want a good night's sleep? Stick to a routine.

Sticking to a set routine could be the key to getting a good night's sleep for older adults. A team of researchers led by Anna Zisberg from the University of Haifa in Israel studied 96 Russian-speaking older adults living in retirement communities...

Published Fri, Apr 09 2010 6:15 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Sleep Disorders

Combination therapy more effective for depression

Between 50% and 75% of people show some improvement on first taking an antidepressant but only about a third completely recover after taking just one drug. Previous research has shown that a combination of drugs can have a better effect and a team of...

Published Thu, Apr 01 2010 5:32 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Antidepressants, Depression - medication, Venlafaxine, Bupropion, Mirtazapine, Fluoxetine

Heart disease risk factor affects cognition

C-reactive protein (CRP) is found in the blood and its levels rise in response to inflammation. High levels of CRP have been linked with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease and now researchers at the University of Muenster...

Published Thu, Apr 01 2010 8:01 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: C-reactive protein, Cognition

Diet and Alzheimer's disease - more research backs healthy diet

There has already been a lot of research into the links between diet and Alzheimer's disease and a new study by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York has added more weight to the evidence linking a healthy diet to a reduced...

Published Wed, Apr 14 2010 2:51 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alzheimer's Disease, Diet and Mental Health

Young drug users prefer being high to being healthy

Researchers from Liverpool John Moores University and IREFREA, a European body which researches drug use and its prevention, have been looking into 'recreational' drug use and its impact on people's happiness and well-being. They studied 1...

Published Mon, Apr 19 2010 2:18 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Substance Abuse