Get Healthy!

Results for search "Mental Illness / Retardation".

Health News Results - 103

Smoking Plus Mental Illness Can Send Caffeine Intake Soaring

One group of Americans drinks more caffeinated beverages than all others.

That’s people who smoke cigarettes and also have serious mental illness, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to new research.

While Americans overall are drinking more caffeinated beverages than ever, this group consumes the highest amount and also has the highest risk of negative healt...

An Alzheimer's Drug Might Ease Hair-Pulling Disorder

TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2023 (HealthDay Now) -- A long-established Alzheimer’s drug can help people with a disorder that causes them to compulsively pull at their hair or pick at their skin, a new clinical trial has concluded.

Memantine considerably improved symptoms in 3 out of 5 patients with either trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) or excoriation (skin-picking) disorder, researchers...

Americans Getting More Comfortable Talking Over Mental Health With Doctors

Primary care doctors are no longer just in the physical health business: Americans are increasingly turning to them for mental health care, too, a new study finds.

Looking at Americans' primary care visits between 2006 and 2018, researchers found a 50% increase in the proportion of visits that addressed mental health concerns. That figure rose from just under 11% of visits, to 16% by the ...

Acts of Kindness Could Be Natural Antidepressants

People suffering from depression or anxiety may be able to help themselves by helping others -- even in small ways, researchers report.

In a recent study of 122 people with depression or anxiety symptoms, those who started fitting small acts of kindness into their day showed an improvement in their symptoms.

And when it came to boosting feelings of social connectedness, those kind g...

3-Week Program Effective in Helping to Ease Combat-Linked PTSD

A short but intensive approach to "talk therapy" can help many combat veterans overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new clinical trial has found.

The study tested "compressed" formats of a standard PTSD treatment called prolonged exposure therapy, in which patients learn to grad...

Who Will Respond Best to Ketamine for Severe Depression? New Study Takes a Look

Made infamous as the club drug Special K, ketamine is nowadays being seen as a wonder drug for some folks with hard-to-treat depression.

However, a new study finds that some types of patients are more likely to gain a rapid and significant benefit from ketamine than others.

Overall, while most patients did benef...

Long Stays Common for Kids Who Visit ERs in Mental Health Crisis

It's a scenario no parent would ever want to witness: Their child suffers a mental health crisis and is taken to the emergency room, only to have to wait 12 hours or more for the right medical care.

Sadly, it is what 1 in 5 of these young patients now face, new research finds.

"For kids with mental health conditions, long waits in the emergency department have been a compounding pr...

Pandemic Saw Big Rise in Deaths to Millennials From Multiple Causes

Americans aged 25 to 44 — so-called millennials — are dying at significantly higher rates from three leading killers than similarly aged people just 10 years ago, the latest government data shows.

Looking at data collected between 2000 and 2020, the new report from the U.S. National Center for He...

Feds Make Big Funding Push for More Mental Health Clinics

The federal government is pumping millions more dollars into an effort to expand the United States' network of community mental health centers.

Up to 15 states now can apply for $1 million grants to help plan new

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
  • |
  • October 18, 2022
  • |
  • Full Page
  • Americans Are Prioritizing Mental Health, With New 988 Hotline There to Help

    As the 988 crisis line debuts across the United States, a new Harris Poll shows that Americans are ready to make mental health and suicide prevention a top priority.

    Over eight in 10 adults now believe it's more important than ever to consider suicide prevention a national public health crisis, according to the poll spon...

    U.S. Suicide Rates Rose in 2021, Reversing 2 Years of Decline

    The suicide rate in the United States increased in 2021, following two years of decline, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    The number of suicides increased to 47,646 in 2021, up from 45,979 in 2020, according to researchers at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

    As a result, the U.S. suicide rate also increased ...

    Could a Folic Acid Prescription Help Prevent Suicide?

    More than 1 million Americans attempted suicide in 2020, and a new study is hinting at a potential way to reduce that risk: prescription folic acid.

    The study, of more than 800,000 Americans in a health care database, found that when people were on prescription folic acid, their likelihood of being treated for

  • Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
  • |
  • September 30, 2022
  • |
  • Full Page
  • New 988 Suicide Hotline Sees Increase in Calls for Help

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched a new suicide hotline using just the numbers 988 in July, and now new data shows calls climbed 45% compared to the same time last year.

    "Our nation's transition to 988 moves us closer to better serving the crisis care needs of people across America," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a

  • By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
  • |
  • September 12, 2022
  • |
  • Full Page
  • Could You Spot the Signs of Suicide Risk?

    Recognizing the signs that someone is considering suicide could help save a life.

    "Emergency physicians see many people who are struggling silently with their mental health," said Dr. Gillian Schmitz, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

    "One...

    Mental Health Issues Can Plague Families of Kids With Type 1 Diabetes

    Kids with type 1 diabetes and their closest relatives are more likely to experience mental health issues than people without the disease, Swedish researchers report.

    “Many clinicians assume intuitively that diabetes in a child negatively affects the mental health of both the patient and the family members,” said study co-author Agnieszka Butwicka, an assistant professor at the Karolin...

    What Drives Doctors to Take Their Own Lives

    Doctor burnout and suicide are a growing concern, a new study finds.

    "We often overlook the physical health of our health care workers, but poor health can lead to difficulty performing tasks at work, which then leads to job stress and mental health issues," said corresponding author Dr. Kristen Kim, a resident in psychiatry at UC San Diego Health.

    About 1 in 15 doctors experience s...

    4 in 10 U.S. Adults Who Need Mental Health Care Can't Get It: Survey

    There is a "staggering" gap between the number of Americans who need care for anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions and those who can actually get it, a new survey shows.

    In all, 42% of U.S. adults who needed care in the previous 12 months did not get it because of costs and other barriers, according to the online survey from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Nea...

    Depression in Pregnancy Tied to Behavior Issues in Kids

    Children whose mothers had rising levels of depression during pregnancy appear to have an increased risk of behavioral problems, researchers say.

    "Our findings suggest that increases in mother's symptoms of depression from preconception to postpartum contribute to children's lower attention and behavioral control, which can raise the risk of problems across the life span," said study lead...

    Pandemic Has U.S. Hospitals Overwhelmed With Teens in Mental Crisis

    The COVID-19 pandemic and the isolation it imposed took a dramatic toll on kids' mental health, increasing the demand for services in an already overburdened system.

    As a result, many kids found themselves being "boarded" in emergency departments as they awaited care, according to a new study conducted at Boston Children's Hospital. The average wait was nearly five days without specialize...

    Various Mental Illnesses Share Same Genes: Study

    Many people who get a diagnosis for one mental illness may find they have additional psychiatric conditions, and new genetic research offers an explanation why.

    A number of mental illnesses share genetic similarities, researchers found. This discovery helps explain why multiple conditions are common among people with psychiatric disorders, the investigators pointed out in a new study.

    ...

    Depression, Anxiety Hit Minorities Hardest During Pandemic

    Americans' rates of depression and anxiety spiked during the first year of the pandemic, but the increases were much more pronounced among Black, Hispanic and Asian people than among white people, new research shows.

    From April 2020 to April 2021, the overall incidence of depression or

  • By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
  • |
  • May 12, 2022
  • |
  • Full Page
  • It's Getting Tougher to Find Spanish-Language Mental Health Services in U.S.

    Mental health has become a hot topic during the pandemic, but some groups have been burdened by having too few services available even before the challenges of these past two years.

    A new study found that while the Hispanic population in the United States grew by almost 5% between 2014 and 2019, Spanish-language mental health services dropped by about 18% during that same time.

    "

    Mental Illness Linked to Higher Risk of Deadly Heart Issues

    People with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other severe mental illnesses are at increased risk of death from heart problems, a large research review finds.

    "Our systematic review and meta-analysis of over 100 studies has confirmed a strong association between severe mental illness and cardiovascular disease which became stronger in the 1990s and 2000s," said study author Amanda Lambe...

    How the 'Magic Mushroom' Drug May Tweak the Brain to Ease Depression

    Psilocybin - the active component in "magic mushrooms" - may help rewire the brains of people with depression.

    Psychedelics including psilocybin have shown promise in treating many mental health disorders in recent years, and a new study is among the first to begin to unravel precisely how they work.

    "T...

    Suicides Involving Guns Have Key Differences, Study Shows

    People who die by suicide with a gun are challenging to assist beforehand, and different from those who kill themselves using other means, a new study finds.

    "Those who died using a firearm were more likely to have disclosed their suicidal thoughts to other people in the month preceding their death, but it is not clear who they spoke to," said lead study author Allie Bond. She is a doctor...

    Could Depression Make Dry Eye Worse?

    When people have both chronic dry eye and depression, their eye symptoms may be worse, a new study finds.

    Researchers said the exact nature of the link is not clear: Does depression affect the severity of dry eye disease? Or do particularly troublesome eye symptoms feed ...

    Odds for Mental Illness Rise in Kids After Concussion

    Kids who've suffered a concussion are at heightened risk of mental health issues in the aftermath, a large new study suggests.

    The researchers found that compared with their peers, children and teenagers with a past concussion were 39% more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition - including anxiety disorders, depression and behavioral disorders. They were also at greater ri...

    Heart Risks Double for People With Bipolar, Schizophrenia

    People with serious mental illness have up to double the risk of heart disease, and should have their heart health monitored from a young age, a new study finds.

    Specifically, those mental health issues are bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

    "Previous research has indicated that people diagnosed with a serious mental illness die 10-20 years earlier than t...

    Apps: They Help Manage Health Conditions, But Few Use Them, Poll Finds

    Health and fitness apps are growing in popularity, but not among the people who might benefit most from them - seniors and people with chronic health conditions.

    Nearly two out of three American adults are living with a chronic health problem like heart disease, diabetes or asthma, a new HealthDay/Harris Poll survey found.

  • |
  • March 7, 2022
  • |
  • Full Page
  • Biden Plan Will Tackle Mental Health Crisis in America

    President Joe Biden has announced a new plan to expand mental health and drug abuse treatment that would devote millions to suicide prevention, mental health services for youth and community clinics providing 24/7 crisis care.

    Health insurers would also have to cover three mental health visits a year at no added cost to patients under the plan, which was introduced during Biden's State of...

    More Years Playing Hockey, Higher Odds for CTE Linked to Head Injury

    Researchers already know that repeated hits to the head on the football field are linked to a degenerative brain disease, as seen in a number of retired NFL stars. Now, experts have turned their attention to ice hockey, another high-contact sport.

    When studying whether the hits, year after year, can also be linked to

    Mental Health Woes Can Rise in Year After COVID Recovery

    COVID-19 can take a heavy toll on the body, but new research shows that patients are also 60% more likely to suffer lingering mental and emotional woes in the year following their infection.

    These problems included anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, opioid use disorder, illicit drug and alcohol use disorders, sleep disturbances, and problems thinking and concentrating.

    "If afte...

    Breakup, Then Breakdown: Men Can Crumble Mentally When Romance Ends

    There's some bad news for lovelorn men this Valentine's Day.

    A new study has found that men are at an increased risk of mental illness after the breakdown of any romantic relationship. And, it found, stereotypes of masculinity may be partially to blame.

    Researchers sought to understand the types of mental health challenges men face after a breakup with an eye to preventing or blunti...

    Depression Levels High Among People With Spinal Cord Injuries

    Adults with spinal cord injuries have a high risk of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues -- and chronic pain is a major factor, according to a new study.

    Researchers analyzed private insurance claims from more than 9,000 U.S. adults with a traumatic spinal cord injury and more than 1 million people without injuries.

    Their study found that mental health disorders ...

    1 in 3 Adults With COVID Develops Other Health Issues Later: Study

    Nearly one-third of older COVID-19 survivors develop new health problems in the months after their infection, a new study finds.

    Those conditions involve a number of major organs and systems, including the heart, kidneys, lungs and liver, as well as mental health problems.

    With roughly 400 million people infected with the coronavirus worldwide, "the number of survivors with [new con...

    As Winter Olympics Nears, America's Athletes May Be More Stressed Than Ever

    With America's best skiers, skaters and snowboarders now heading to the Winter Olympics, a team of mental health professionals will be in Beijing to help them perform under the double strain of intense competition and a pandemic.

    One of those professionals is Dr. David Baron, provost of Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif. He'll enter the Olympic Village in Beijing as t...

    Conservatorships Keep the Homeless in Psychiatric Wards Too Long: Study

    Homelessness is difficult enough, but when it's compounded by serious mental health issues the result can be an inability to function at even the most basic level.

    Sometimes that leads to round-the-clock involuntary hospitalization, and when that happens a state-appointed psychiatric conservator can take over, making critical health care decisions for a person deemed mentally unstable.

    Heat Waves Bring Health Crises to the Homeless

    Add heat waves to the many health threats facing homeless people.

    Last year, the United States had 580,000 homeless people -- 28% of them in California, where seven in 10 live outdoors. That's nearly nine times more than in any other state.

    "The same weather that makes living unsheltered possible in California also exposes people experiencing homelessness to a higher risk of a wide ...

    Americans' Stigma Against Depression May Finally Be Fading: Study

    Americans may be dropping some of the stigma they once had toward depression, but attitudes toward other mental health conditions still seem stuck in the past, a new study shows.

    The research, based on interviews with U.S. adults conducted over 22 years, found a mixed bag when it came to menta...

    Psychiatric Disorders and Type 2 Diabetes Often Go Together

    According to new research, people with psychiatric disorders often have to deal with another trouble: Higher rates of type 2 diabetes than the general population.

    "Increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes among individuals with a psychiatric disorder suggests that these conditions have a shared vulnerability," the Danish researchers said.

    In the study, the investigators searched four...

    Singer Selena Gomez to Launch Mental Health Platform

    A new mental health media platform meant to connect people with educational resources and reduce the stigma around mental illness is planned by pop star Selena Gomez and her partners.

    Wondermind is set to launch in February 2022 and will include mental health experts sharing their expertise, and daily exercises that people can do to strengthen their mental health, CNN reported.

    AHA News: Severe Mental Health Disorders May Increase Risk of Death in Men With Heart Failure

    Men with heart failure have worse long-term survival rates if they have severe depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, according to a new study that urges doctors to change the way they treat people with mental disorders.

    Previous research shows people with these conditions have an earlier onset of high blood pressure, diabetes and heart attack. But little was known about how heart...

    The Bigger the City, the Lower the Depression Rates?

    Americans living in big cities have relatively low rates of depression, despite the hustle and bustle -- or maybe because of it, a new study suggests.

    Researchers found that compared with smaller U.S. cities, big urban hubs generally had lower rates of depressionamong residents. And they think the pattern can be explained, in part, by the wide range of social interactions that busy cities...

    Severe COVID for People Under 45: Who's Most at Risk?

    Young people aren't immune from severe COVID-19, and a new study warns that some are more at risk than others.

    Folks under 45 have more than triple the risk for severe COVID-19 if they have cancer or heart disease, or blood, neurologic or endocrine disorders, according to Mayo Clinic researchers.

    "One of the surprising findings was that almost every single chronic condition category...

    Could Heavy Marijuana Use Be Driving Rise in Schizophrenia Cases?

    There's been a sharp rise in schizophrenia cases linked with marijuana use since the mid-1990s, a new Danish study finds.

    Prior research has suggested that marijuana -- particularly very heavy use -- is associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia. Although strict cause-and-effect can't be proven by the new study, many experts believe that heavy pot use might work in conjuncti...

    Body's 'Signals' May Feel Different in People With Anorexia, Depression

    The brain interprets physical signals differently in people with depression, anorexia and some other mental health disorders, new research shows.

    British scientists examined "interoception" -- the brain's ability to sense internal conditions in the body -- in 626 patients with mental health disorders and a control group of 610 people without mental illness.

    "Interoception is somethi...

    Many U.S. Mass Shooters Had Untreated Mental Illness: Study

    A new study finds that many mass shooters in America suffered from a mental illness that wasn't being treated when they committed their crime.

    "Without losing sight of the larger perspective that most who are violent are not mentally ill, and most of the mentally ill are not violent, our message is that mental health providers, lawyers and the public should be made aware that some unmedic...

    Other Health Woes Common When Meth Addiction Strikes

    Methamphetamine users are at increased risk for physical and mental health problems as well as other substance use disorders, new research shows.

    Meth is an illegal and highly addictive stimulant drug that can harm organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and neurological system, and injecting it can increase the risk of infectious diseases, the researchers noted.

    Their analysis of da...

    Tennis Star Naomi Osaka's 'Time Out' Highlights Common, Crippling Mental Health Issue

    On Tuesday, tennis star Naomi Osaka announced her withdrawal from the French Open. The reason: An ongoing battle with depression and anxiety.

    As the world's No. 2 woman's tennis player and a four-time Grand Slam tournament winner at the age of just 23, many fans may have been taken aback that someone so young and successful might nonetheless battle with mental health issues.

    Bu...

    Massive Gene Study Probes Origins of Depression

    Researchers who pinpointed 178 gene variants linked to major depression say their findings could improve diagnosis and treatment of a disorder that affects 1 in 5 people.

    The study draws on a huge database, analyzing the genetic and health records of 1.2 million people from three databanks in the United States, the U.K. and Finland, and another databank from the consumer genetics company ...

    Show All Health News Results