September 2010 - Mental Health Update

Young Black women self-harm more but get less help

Young Black women in the U.K. are significantly more likely to harm themselves than people from other ethnic groups but slightly less likely to receive specialist psychiatric assessment and access to follow-up services. Researchers from the Universities...

Published Fri, Sep 17 2010 3:01 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Self-Harm

Diaries take the trauma out of intensive care

On average 1 in 10 patients who stay more than two days in intensive care will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The fragmentary nature of people's memories, which might include isolated moments of clarity between delusions and hallucinations...

Published Fri, Sep 17 2010 2:30 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: PTSD

Fitter kids have better brains

Children who are fitter tend to have better-developed brains than out-of-shape ones. Researchers from the University of Illinois studied 49 children aged nine to ten. They measured their fitness on a treadmill, used an MRI scanner to measure the volume...

Published Fri, Sep 17 2010 2:11 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Child Development, Exercise and Mental Health

Researchers give thumbs up to acamprosate

People who are trying to give up drinking sometimes take drugs to stop them relapsing. Researchers from the University of Munich have been looking into the effectiveness of one of these drugs - acamprosate. They reviewed 24 trials involving 6,915 alcoholics...

Published Fri, Sep 17 2010 1:55 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alcohol Problems, Acamprosate

Brain scans show healing power of nature

Researchers from the universities of Bradford and Sheffield in the U.K. and the Institute of Medicine and Neuroscience at Julich, Germany, have been investigating the effects of tranquil, natural environments and stressful artificial ones on brain activity...

Published Thu, Sep 16 2010 6:14 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Neuroscience

Misery in the mountains

Living at high altitude could increase people's risk of committing suicide. Researchers from the University of Utah studied suicide rates in different US states. Those with the highest average altitudes - Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nevada...

Published Thu, Sep 16 2010 5:37 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Suicide

Heart disease and depression

There has long been known to be a link between heart disease and depression but new research from the University of Versailles and University College London shows what a deadly combination the two can be together. The researchers followed the health of...

Published Thu, Sep 16 2010 2:18 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Service Users' Health, Depression

Children with autism's progress over time

Children with autism have different cognitive skills and weaknesses to other children. They find it harder to assess other people's thoughts and feelings and have problems controlling their behaviour but can be better at noticing details. However...

Published Thu, Sep 16 2010 2:05 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Autism

Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease - shedding more light on the link

There has already been a lot of research linking type 2 diabetes with Alzheimer's disease but it can be difficult to assess which people with type 2 diabetes go on to develop Alzheimer's. Researchers from the University of Alberta studied 499...

Published Tue, Sep 14 2010 3:20 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes

Supervised injections help drug users

Sometimes people who inject drugs are provided with supervised facilities where they can do this on the basis that this allows them to use clean needles and brings them into contact with health professionals who may persuade them to seek treatment for...

Published Tue, Sep 14 2010 2:40 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Substance Abuse

Starving mothers and ageing brains

During the winter of 1944 German forces restricted food deliveries to the people of the northern Netherlands and by April 1945 it was estimated that 20,000 people had died from malnutrition. Scientists have been following babies who were conceived at...

Published Tue, Sep 14 2010 2:22 AM by Mental Health Update

Life is very short when you're lonely

Researchers from the universities of Utah and North Carolina have been reviewing the research into the effects of loneliness on people's health and have found that it can be as dangerous as smoking and alcohol and probably a lot less fun. The researchers...

Published Tue, Sep 14 2010 2:03 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Social Support, Social Networks

Shocking therapy for major depression

Electrical stimulation of one of the main nerves going into the brain could be an alternative to antidepressants for people suffering from major depression. Researchers from the University of California Los Angeles used a stimulator about the size of...

Published Mon, Sep 13 2010 7:21 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Depression

Psychological bullying and postnatal depression

Psychological bullying during pregnancy could be linked to an increased risk of postnatal depression. Researchers from the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Brazil studied 1,045 women who were interviewed while they were pregnant and after they had...

Published Mon, Sep 13 2010 6:59 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Postnatal Depression

Are men more likely to have senior moments?

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition in which people have problems with memory or thinking beyond that explained by the normal rate of ageing. It can lead on to Alzheimer's disease and a new study suggests that it could be more common among...

Published Mon, Sep 13 2010 3:54 AM by Mental Health Update

Filed under: Alzheimer's Disease