http://www.recurrentdepression.com/ 2012-02-09T17:08:00+04:00 http://www.recurrentdepression.com/site/more/1169/ Children who display multiple psychosomatic symptoms, such as regular aches and pains and sleep and appetite problems, are more than twice as likely to be experiencing physical abuse at home than children who do not display symptoms, according to a study in the March edition of Acta Paediatrica. Swedish researchers who studied 2,510 children aged 10, 12 and 15 from 44 schools found a strong association between reported physical abuse and three or more psychosomatic symptoms. The association was highest in children who were physically abused and also witnessed intimate partner violence (IPV). However, there was no significant association between IPV on its own and multiple symptoms. “The children were asked if they had experienced any of the following symptoms at least twice in the last month: stomach ache, headache, sleeplessness, dizziness, back pain and loss of appetite” explains co-author Professor Staffan Janson from the Division of Public Health Sciences at Karlstad University, Sweden.  Psychiatry and Mental Health News alexo 2012-02-09T17:08:00+04:00 http://www.recurrentdepression.com/site/more/1168/ Researchers at Zucker Hillside Hospital’s Recognition and Prevention (RAP) Program who have worked with teenagers at risk for serious mental illness for the past decade are now studying the effectiveness of Omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil) for treating psychiatric symptoms. This new study is a National Institute of Mental Health-funded randomized double-blind trial that was designed to test whether Omega-3 fatty acids improve clinical symptoms, and help adolescents and young adults (ages 12 to 25) who are at elevated risk for severe psychiatric disorders function better in school, work and other social environments. “Of the 300 adolescents who have participated in the RAP Program, most have shown substantial improvement,” noted Barbara Cornblatt, Ph.D., director of the Recognition and Prevention (RAP) Program and investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. “If this study continues to show success, Omega 3 could offer a natural alternative to the range of medications and therapies now offered to RAP participants. Ultimately, the goal of the RAP Program is to intervene and prevent illness before symptoms get worse.” Omega 3 fatty acids are critical for normal brain function and they have been increasingly studied as potential treatments for medical and psychiatric disorders. The RAP Program study will randomly assign participants to either Omega 3 supplementation or to a placebo, and will compare the groups on key measures of symptoms and functioning after six months. Participants in both groups will be monitored closely on a monthly basis and compensation will be provided. All supplements are offered free of charge. Psychiatry and Mental Health News alexo 2012-02-08T21:37:00+04:00 http://www.recurrentdepression.com/site/more/1163/ Emerging research suggests immigrating during early childhood is linked to a higher risk of developing a psychotic disorder. The study supports recent findings that linked psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and certain types of international immigration. Investigators believe the research suggests the mental health of young children can be adversely affected by traumatic social upheaval. Sadly, children who immigrated when under the age of five had a twofold higher risk of such disorders than those who immigrated at age 10-14 years, and a threefold higher risk than those who immigrated as adults. Psychiatry and Mental Health News alexo 2012-02-06T15:41:00+04:00 http://www.recurrentdepression.com/site/more/1164/ Teenagers who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or similar psychotic disorders sometimes show a greater decrease in gray matter volume compared to healthy teens, according to new research. The new study also found that adolescents with schizophrenia showed an increase in cerebrospinal fluid in the frontal lobe of their brain. “Progressive loss of brain gray matter has been reported in childhood-onset schizophrenia,” the authors note in the new study. “However, it is uncertain whether these changes are shared by pediatric patients with different psychoses.” The study was conducted by Celso Arango, M.D., Ph.D., of the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain, and colleagues, and was designed to examine the progression of brain changes in first-episode early-onset psychosis in teens. The research also wanted to look at the relationship to diagnosis and prognosis after two years. Psychiatry and Mental Health News alexo 2012-02-06T15:41:00+04:00 http://www.recurrentdepression.com/site/more/1167/ The symptoms of the bizarre illness known as Morgellons are enough to make your skin crawl. For patients who say they are suffering from the condition, that sensation is all too real. Sufferers report feeling that bugs are crawling all over their skin or just under it. They have fatigue and painful sores. They also say that they’ve pulled “fibers” and other solid materials like “specks, granules, dots, worms, sand, eggs, fuzz balls and larvae” through their skin, leaving lesions, according to new research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The new study - a $600,000 project launched in 2008 in response to a massive swell of interest and inquiries about the condition from lawmakers and patients - sought to determine how common Morgellons is. Perhaps more importantly for sufferers, the study also looked for a medical cause. The result: there is none. Psychiatry and Mental Health News alexo 2012-02-06T09:19:01+04:00 http://www.recurrentdepression.com/site/more/1165/ Abnormal sequences of DNA known as rare copy number variants (CNVs) may play a role in the risk for early-onset bipolar disorder, according to new research from an international team of scientists. The variants, also known as CNVs, are alterations in which there are too few or too many copies of sections of DNA. Researchers have known that spontaneously occurring or de novo CNVs, which are genetic mutations not inherited from parents, increase the risk for some neuropsychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia or autism. But their role was unclear in bipolar disorder, according to principal investigator Jonathan Sebat, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California San Diego’s Institute of Genomic Medicine. Sebat and his colleagues found that de novo CNVs contribute “significant” genetic risk in about 5 percent of early-onset bipolar disorder, which appears in childhood or early adulthood. Psychiatry and Mental Health News alexo 2012-02-05T15:42:00+04:00 http://www.recurrentdepression.com/site/more/1162/ Delusions are strong false beliefs that persist despite evidence to the contrary. While delusions are associated with neurological or mental illness, they are not tied to any particular disease although they often aid in the diagnosis of schizophrenia, manic episodes of bipolar disorder, and psychotic depression. New research finds that brain activity increases during delusional thinking, a finding that may allow new interventions and retraining for people with the disorder. The study, found in the journal Biological Psychiatry, compared brain activity as statements were read to a group of individuals with schizophrenia and to a group without schizophrenia. Psychiatry and Mental Health News alexo 2012-02-05T15:40:00+04:00 http://www.recurrentdepression.com/site/more/1161/ A Canadian study suggests a genetic variation can increase the risk of medical complications among children receiving antipsychotic medications. Investigators discovered the genetic variation can cause a six-fold greater risk for children to develop metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of symptoms that increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. The study showed susceptible children displayed an increased risk to develop high blood pressure and elevated fasting blood sugar levels (a precursor to diabetes). Psychiatry and Mental Health News alexo 2012-02-04T15:40:00+04:00 http://www.recurrentdepression.com/site/more/1160/ In a bitter skirmish over the definition of depression, a new report contends that a proposed change to the diagnosis would characterize grieving as a disorder and greatly increase the number of people treated for it. The criteria for depression are being reviewed by the American Psychiatric Association, which is finishing work on the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or D.S.M., the first since 1994. The manual is the standard reference for the field, shaping treatment and insurance decisions, and its revisions will affect the lives of millions of people for years to come. In coming months, as the manual is finalized, outside experts will intensify scrutiny of its finer points, many of which are deeply contentious in the field. A controversy erupted last week over the proposed tightening of the definition of autism, possibly sharply reducing the number of people who receive the diagnosis. Psychiatrists say current efforts to revise the manual are shaping up as the most contentious ever.  Psychiatry and Mental Health News alexo 2012-02-03T15:37:00+04:00 http://www.recurrentdepression.com/site/more/1166/ People over 100 years old may say they feel “helpless” and “worthless” because they can’t do the things they used to, but that doesn’t mean they’re not in good spirits suggests a new study. The researchers say their findings indicate that people around 100 years old may see life differently than people 20 or 40 years their junior and traditional tests for depression may not be effective in the extremely old. “We’re saying look at more of the components that make up depression,” said Peter Martin, a gerontology researcher at Iowa State University and one of the study’s authors. “Some may be more relevant to centenarians than others.” Psychiatry and Mental Health News alexo 2012-02-02T17:11:01+04:00