A recent review of clinical evidence published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings by National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers suggests that complementary health techniques have a legitimate place in a physician’s pain relief toolkit—welcome news as health care professionals and agencies grapple with the crisis of opioid abuse. Researchers led by Richard [...]
Cambridge researchers believe Facebook status updates, “likes” and even photos, could help professionals better understand mental health disorders. Investigators believe that with the right ethical safeguards, social networks may even be used in the future to provide support and interventions — particularly among young people. Over a billion people worldwide [...]
New research offers a glimpse into the addicted brain, finding that the drugs appear to blunt a person’s natural parenting instincts. Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania scanned the brains of 47 men and women before and after they underwent treatment for opioid dependence. While [...]
By James Knickman, PhD, Ranga Krishnan, MB, ChB, and Harold Pincus, MD The United States needs to do more to help improve the outcomes of people with mental health disorders, substance use disorders, or both. In 2014, approximately 18% of US adults experienced some form of mental health disorder and 8% had a substance use disorder.1 Mental [...]
Original Investigation ABSTRACT Importance Despite recent increased use of antidepressants in the United States, concerns persist that many adults with depression do not receive treatment, whereas others receive treatments that do not match their level of illness severity. Objective To characterize the treatment of adult depression in the United States. [...]
Older people tend to be happier than younger people, and their happiness increases with age, according to psychiatric researchers who studied 1,546 people aged 21 to 99. Though the older group reported more cognitive and physical decline, this group was associated with more satisfaction, happiness and well-being, and less anxiety, [...]
By Evdokia Anagnostou, MD1; Michael G. Aman, PhD; Benjamin L. Handen, PhD, et al. ABSTRACT Importance Atypical antipsychotic medications are indicated for the treatment of irritability and agitation symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Unfortunately, these medications are associated with weight gain and metabolic complications that are especially [...]
EDITORIAL By Christopher J. McDougle, MD In this issue of JAMA Psychiatry, Anagnostou et al1 present results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of metformin for weight management in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) treated with an atypical antipsychotic medication. Metformin was significantly more efficacious than the placebo [...]
BACKGROUND Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a treatment that focuses on helping patients to better manage their emotions, and develop skills to cope with problems and negative feelings. A primary aim is to lead the patient to stop or reduce behavior that is harmful. DBT was initially created for people [...]
Writing in the JULY/AUGUST 2016 ISSUE of The Atlantic, Moises Velasquez-Manoff describes a 13-year-old boy named Sasha who was admitted to a hospital with what could only be described as complete madness. Until a clever neurologist put two and two together and determined that the boy's delusional behavior was an [...]