Psychiatry
The sums on mental health care in SA are 'not pretty'
October 16th, 2019 Fewer than 1 in 10 people living with a mental health condition in South Africa receive the care they need and there are huge disparities between provinces in the allocation of mental health resources, write University of Cape Town researchers in...
Political events like Brexit can trigger psychosis
October 9th, 2019 Political events can take a serious toll on mental health, a doctor has warned, after treating a man with a brief episode of acute psychosis, triggered by the 2016 Referendum on Brexit – the process of the UK leaving the European Union (EU)....Antidepressants may reduce anxiety more than depressive symptoms
One of the most common antidepressants, sertraline, leads to an early reduction in anxiety symptoms, several weeks before any improvement in depressive symptoms, the largest-ever placebo-controlled trial of an antidepressant, not funded by the...Cheap, easily available dietary supplement may help with schizophrenia
A “freely available and relatively cheap” dietary supplement, sarcosine, may help with schizophrenia as part of a holistic approach complementing antipsychotic medication, according to an article in the British Journal of Psychiatry. In an...
Autism so over-diagnosed that term is becoming meaningless — study
August 28th, 2019 Autism is now so over-diagnosed, following the progressively lowering over 50 years of the diagnostic bar, that by 2029 there will be no objective difference between someone with the condition and the average non-autistic person, an international...High levels of oestrogen in the womb linked to autism
Scientist have identified a link between exposure to high levels of oestrogen sex hormones in the womb and the likelihood of developing autism. The discovery adds further evidence to support the prenatal sex steroid theory of autism first proposed...Unusual eating behaviours may be a diagnostic indicator for autism
Atypical eating behaviours may be a sign a child should be screened for autism, according to a study from Penn State College of Medicine. Research by Susan Mayes, professor of psychiatry, found that atypical eating behaviours were present in 70% of...
Psychiatric diagnoses 'scientifically worthless'
July 17th, 2019 A study has concluded that psychiatric diagnoses are scientifically worthless as tools to identify discrete mental health disorders. The study, led by researchers from the University of Liverpool, involved a detailed analysis of five key chapters of...Ecstasy shows promise as post-traumatic stress treatment
An international study involving researchers from University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus has shown that MDMA, also known as ecstasy, may be a valuable tool for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study demonstrated...
Physical exercise: A ‘fundamental’ psychiatric intervention
June 5th, 2019 When it comes to inpatient treatment of a range of mental health and mood disorders – from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia, suicidality and acute psychotic episodes – a study suggest that physical exercise is so effective at alleviating...
Consider non-surgical brain stimulation for major depression — trials review
April 3rd, 2019 Non-surgical brain stimulation techniques, such as electro-convulsive therapy and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, should be considered as alternative or add-on treatments for adults with major depressive episodes, concludes a study...
Clear link between anxiety and depression in 20s to memory loss in 50s
April 3rd, 2019 A large longitudinal study carried out by the University of Sussex found a clear link between episodes of depression and anxiety experienced by adults in their twenties, thirties and forties, with a decrease in memory function by the time they are...OCD symptoms reduced by targeted deep brain stimulation
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) at two areas of the brain significantly reduced OCD symptoms, with significantly improved cognitive flexibility from one area and a greater positive effect on depressed mood from the other. These were the findings from...Nutritional supplements won't stave off depression
A daily intake of nutritional supplements was no more effective than placebo at stave off the onset of depression, the international MoodFood trial has found. Instead, regular lifestyle coaching to help people improve their diets and eating...Origins of depression are the focus of huge gene study
Scientists have pinpointed 269 genes linked to the development of depression, found an ongoing international meta-analysis drawing on data involving more than 2m people. Hundreds of genes have been newly linked to depression, shedding light on...