Mental Illness
Unexpected Mental Illnesses Found in a Spectrum of a Rare Genetic Disorder
UC Davis MIND Institute researchers found an unexpected spectrum of mental illnesses in patients with a rare gene mutation. These patients had a “double hit” condition that combined features and symptoms of fragile X syndrome and premutation disorder, in addition to a range of psychiatric symptoms. The findings revealed the need for clinicians to consider the complexities of the co-existing conditions of patients with both psychological and fragile X associated disorders.
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Vets Walking Pets: Strolls with Shelter Dogs May Reduce PTSD Symptoms in Military Veterans
About 6 to 8 million dogs end up in shelters in the U.S. each year. Researchers worked with two no-kill shelters on a study examining the effects of walking with a shelter dog on psychological and physiological stress indicators in military veterans. Results confirm the importance of the human-animal bond and provide evidence that walking with a shelter dog may affect psychological and physiological stress indicators in veterans – with particular potential benefits for those with an increase in PTSD symptom severity.
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Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins Medicine
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every Tuesday throughout the duration of the outbreak.
Read moreRoth Leads $26.9 Million Project to Create Better Psychiatric Medications
Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a team of internationally acclaimed researchers led by UNC School of Medicine’s Bryan L. Roth, MD, PhD, aims to create new medications to effectively and rapidly treat depression, anxiety, and substance abuse without major side effects.
Read moreSurvey Finds Large Increase in Psychological Distress Reported Among U.S. Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A new survey conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health during the COVID-19 pandemic found a more-than-threefold increase in the percentage of U.S. adults who reported symptoms of psychological distress—from 3.9 percent in 2018 to 13.6 percent in April 2020.
Read moreSkills Training Opens ‘DOORS’ to Digital Mental Health for Patients with Serious Mental Illness
Digital technologies, especially smartphone apps, have great promise for increasing access to care for patients with serious mental illness such as schizophrenia. A new training program, called DOORS, can help patients get the full benefit of innovative digital mental health tools, reports a study in the March issue of Journal of Psychiatric Practice. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
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University of Utah researchers publish article posing powerful moral conflict between physician aid-in-dying and suicide prevention
Researchers at the University of Utah have published an article in the October edition of the American Journal of Bioethics posing the powerful moral conflict between physician aid-in-dying and suicide prevention. In the article, Brent Kious, assistant professor of psychiatry, and Margaret Battin, distinguished professor of philosophy, ask the question, if the practice of PAD for terminal illness is permissible, then should it be justifiable for those who suffer from psychiatric illness, since the suffering can be equally severe?
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From one student to another: How to navigate college while dealing with anxiety
The new school year is here. I’ll hold for your applause. All joking aside, the beginning of a new semester can be scary. For many students, including me, that fear manifests itself as anxiety, the most common mental illness in the U.S.
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Mental Illness Does Not Cause Racism, Society’s Ills
Paul Carrola, Ph.D., an assistant professor in The University of Texas at El Paso’s Department of Educational Psychology and Special Services, comments on the recent El Paso, Texas shooting He is a licensed professional counselor, national certified counselor and certified clinical mental health counselor. He coordinates UTEP’s Mental Health Counseling Program. His research interests include correctional counseling, counselor burnout and secondary trauma, and border related mental health issues.
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