June 2010 - Mental Health Update - The Network of Care

Light therapy and PTSD

Light therapy could be used to help people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers from the University of South Carolina in Columbia carried out a small-scale study on 16 soldiers suffering from PTSD after coming back from the...

Published Tue, Jun 15 2010 4:25 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: PTSD, Light Therapy

Winter woes for bipolar sufferers

People with bipolar disorder often show variations in their moods throughout the seasons or at different times of the day. Researchers from the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki studied 122 people. 32 of them had bipolar disorder,...

Published Wed, Jun 09 2010 3:26 AM by Mental Health Update

Young men smart more from cupid's arrows

Contrary to the popular stereotype it could be young men who are more affected by the ups and downs of romance than young women. Researchers from Wake Forest University in North Carolina studied more than a 1,000 unmarried youngsters - aged between 18...

Published Wed, Jun 09 2010 2:56 AM by Mental Health Update

Social support and senior centres

Despite the negative aspects of old age - declining health and loss of loved ones - research has shown that forming and maintaining a good network of friends can have a positive effect on people's physical and emotional health. S.A. Fulbright from...

Published Tue, Jun 08 2010 2:12 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Depression, Social Support, Older People

Want to know the truth? Give someone a pencil.

An old-fashioned pencil might be a better way to work out whether people are telling the truth than a high-tech lie detector. Aldert Vrij from the University of Portsmouth got 31 people from the police and military to go on a mock mission to pick up a...

Published Mon, Jun 07 2010 3:21 AM by Mental Health Update

Smoking and mental health

Second-hand smoking has been associated with a range of physical health problems and new research now suggests that it might be linked to an increased risk of psychological problems too. Researchers from University College London studied 8,155 people...

Published Tue, Jun 08 2010 3:55 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Smoking

Newer antipsychotics no more effective

Atypical, or second-generation, antipsychotics have been used more and more over the last decade to treat schizophrenia in preference to older 'typical' drugs. But are they really any better? Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's...

Published Thu, Jun 03 2010 2:06 AM by Mental Health Update

Wake up - but there's no need to smell the coffee

A cup of coffee in the morning is no more effective than a placebo at sharpening up people's thought processes. Researchers from the University of Bristol studied 379 people who were deprived of caffeine for 16 hours before being given either caffeine...

Published Thu, Jun 03 2010 3:11 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Caffeine

NICE issues new alcohol guidelines

In the U.K. the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued guidelines aimed at dealing with the country's drink problem. The guidance recommends a minimum national price, per unit, of alcohol; a ban on all alcohol advertising in...

Published Wed, Jun 02 2010 2:35 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alcohol Problems

Insomnia and cognition

Researchers at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences have been looking into the effects of long-term insomnia on people's cognition. They compared a group of older adults with insomnia to a group of unaffected participants. The participants...

Published Wed, Jun 16 2010 2:55 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Sleep Disorders, Cognition

Alcohol and cannabis - the earlier they start the harder they fall

Alcohol and cannabis are the most commonly used substances among adults and teenagers in the U.S. and other developed countries. One survey showed that 41, 62 and 73% of Year 8, 10 and 12 students respectively had drunk alcohol with the figures for cannabis...

Published Fri, Jun 18 2010 6:28 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Substance Abuse, Cannabis, Alcohol Problems

IQ and suicide risk

Having a low IQ in early adulthood is linked to a higher risk of suicide - at least in men. Researchers from the Wellcome Trust studied 1.1 million men in Sweden who all took IQ tests when they did their national service. Over the next 24 years at least...

Published Fri, Jun 04 2010 5:44 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Suicide, IQ

Moving kids and mental troubles

Having a nomadic childhood can have negative long-term consequences for people's health and happiness. Researchers from the University of Virginia studied 7,108 American adults who were followed for ten years. The participants, who were between the...

Published Fri, Jun 04 2010 6:27 AM by Mental Health Update

Drink-driving college students

Drink-driving is a major public health problem and, in the U.S. at least, is particularly prevalent among college students. A study by researchers at the University of Maryland reveals the extent of the problem and shows that it gets worse when students...

Published Tue, Jun 01 2010 2:08 AM by Mental Health Update