Mental Health Research News

November 20, 2024

Top Headlines

Researchers Use Artificial Intelligence to Diagnose Depression

Nov. 20, 2024 — Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses. As many as 280 million people worldwide are affected by this disease, which is why researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that helps to identify depression based on ...

Creativity Camp Improves Adolescent Mental Health, Well-Being

Nov. 19, 2024 — A research team found that Creativity Camp, a two-week arts intervention delivered as a day camp, had a positive impact on mental health and well-being in adolescents with ...

Multiple Sclerosis Drug May Help With Poor Working Memory

Nov. 18, 2024 — Fampridine is currently used to improve walking ability in multiple sclerosis. A new study shows that it could also help individuals with reduced working memory, as seen in mental health conditions like schizophrenia or ...

Stress Makes Mice's Memories Less Specific

Nov. 15, 2024 — Stress is a double-edged sword when it comes to memory: stressful or otherwise emotional events are usually more memorable, but stress can also make it harder for us to retrieve memories. Now, neuroscientists report that acute stress prevents mice ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:48pm EST

How Stress Is Fundamentally Changing Our Memories

Nov. 15, 2024 — In a new study, researchers identify the biological processes behind stress-induced aversive memory generalization and highlight an intervention which could help restore appropriate memory ...

PTSD Patients Can Benefit Just as Much from Intensive Outpatient Programs as from Inpatient Clinics, New Study Shows

Nov. 14, 2024 — Post-traumatic stress disorder comes in many forms and affects each person differently. Some patients benefit more from residential, in-treatment ...

Fear of Another Heart Attack May Be a Major Source of Ongoing Stress for Survivors

Nov. 11, 2024 — Fear of another heart attack was a significant ongoing contributor to how heart attack survivors perceive their health, according to a study. While ...

Patients May Become Unnecessarily Depressed by Common Heart Medicine

Nov. 11, 2024 — All patients who have had a heart attack are typically treated using beta blockers. According to a recent study, this drug is unlikely to be needed for those heart patients who have a normal pumping ...

'Emotional Contagion' a Factor in Seniors' Mental Health

Nov. 11, 2024 — A new study finds that seniors who tend to mirror other people's feelings are more likely to show signs of being anxious or depressed ...

Gut Microbes Play a Key Role in Regulating Stress Responsiveness Throughout the Day, Research Finds

Nov. 5, 2024 — New research from reveals that the gut microbiome regulates the body's diurnal (day-night) rhythms in stress hormones. Depletion of gut microbiota ...

Sleeping for 2: Insomnia Therapy Reduces Postpartum Depression, Study Shows

Oct. 31, 2024 — CBT for insomnia significantly reduces postpartum depression symptoms, directly and indirectly, by improving mood and alleviating insomnia throughout ...

The Couples Who Cope Together, Stay Together

Oct. 29, 2024 — A new study has lifted the lid on how couples living with rheumatoid arthritis cope with the debilitating disease finding that those who cope with problems together had less psychological distress ...

Magnetic Field Applied to Both Sides of Brain Shows Rapid Improvement for Depression

Oct. 28, 2024 — A type of therapy that involves applying a magnetic field to both sides of the brain has been shown to be effective at rapidly treating depression in ...

Depression: Dysfunction of Neurons in the Amygdala May Be Behind Negative Perceptions of the Environment

Oct. 25, 2024 — One of the characteristics of depression is a tendency to perceive sensory stimuli and everyday situations in an excessively negative way. But the ...

Depression Rates in LGBTQIA+ Students Are Three Times Higher Than Their Peers, New Research Suggests

Nov. 13, 2024 — New findings uncover an alarming rise in depression rates among all higher education students in the United States, but especially among sexual and gender ...

Professional Ice Hockey: Depressive Symptoms and Burnout Linked to More Concussions

Oct. 25, 2024 — Elite ice hockey players with a history of concussion report heightened mental health symptoms, according to a new ...

At-Home Brain Stimulation for Depression Is Safe and Effective, According to Researchers

Oct. 21, 2024 — A device that delivers direct stimulation to the brain was found to be a safe and effective means of treating depression at home, according to a new ...

Good Physical Fitness from Childhood Protects Mental Health

Oct. 15, 2024 — A recent study found that good physical fitness from childhood to adolescence is linked to better mental health in adolescence. These results are significant and timely, as mental health problems are ...

Survey Finds 25% of Adults Suspect They Have Undiagnosed ADHD

Oct. 14, 2024 — Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder -- also known as ADHD -- is typically thought of as a childhood condition. But more adults are realizing that their struggles with attention, focus and ...

New Research Identifies Key Mental Health Risk Factors for Children After Trauma

Oct. 10, 2024 — A new study has shed light on why some children and adolescents develop mental health disorders like PTSD, anxiety, or depression after experiencing a traumatic ...

Neurons Look Different in Children With Autism, Research Finds

Oct. 9, 2024 — There is new evidence that the cells responsible for communication in the brain may be structured differently in children with autism. Researchers discovered that in some areas of the brain neuron ...

Mental Health App Could Help Prevent Depression in Young People at High Risk

Oct. 8, 2024 — A cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) app has been found to significantly prevent increases in depression in young people who are at high risk -- and could be implemented as a cost effective public ...

Pervasiveness of Inflammation-Inducing Foods in American Diet

Oct. 1, 2024 — Almost six in 10 Americans have pro-inflammatory diets, increasing the risk of health problems including heart disease and cancer, according to a new study that used a tool designed to examine ...

Digital Biomarkers Shedding Light on Seasonality in Mood Disorders

Sep. 25, 2024 — Wrist-based activity sensors worn by individuals with depression and those without over the course of two weeks provided evidence for the relationship between daily sunlight exposure and physical ...

Managing Stress Could Be the Key to Helping Highly Impulsive People Act Rashly When Bored

Sep. 25, 2024 — Research has explored the relationship between high impulsivity and boredom, in an effort to find out what drives rash and sometimes unhealthy ...

Specially Designed Video Games May Benefit Mental Health of Children and Teenagers

Sep. 24, 2024 — Scientists conclude that some video games created as mental health interventions can be helpful -- if modest -- tools in improving the mental well-being of children and teens with anxiety, depression ...

Common Brain Network Detected Among Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury Could Protect Against PTSD

Sep. 24, 2024 — Researchers analyzed 193 patients from the Vietnam Head Injury Study with penetrating traumatic brain injury to determine if the location of shrapnel damage to their brains influenced risk of ...

New Research Identifies Critical Gaps in Mental Health Care for Adults With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

Sep. 23, 2024 — New research finds that adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have high rates of comorbid mental and substance use disorders and significant social and economic disadvantages, and only 26% ...

Study of Former NFL Players Finds 1 in 3 Believe They Have CTE

Sep. 23, 2024 — A study of nearly 2,000 former NFL players shows one-third believe that they have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Those individuals were more likely to report cognitive symptoms, and 25% of ...

Social Media Posts May Provide Early Warning of PTSD Problems

Sep. 23, 2024 — Scientists have analyzed millions of tweets to identify COVID-19 survivors living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) -- demonstrating the effectiveness of using social media data as a tool ...

PTSD Symptoms Can Be Reduced Through Treatment Including a Video Game

Sep. 20, 2024 — A single treatment session, which includes the video game Tetris, can reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This has been shown in a new study carried out with healthcare ...

Mental Health Concerns Are a Huge Part of Primary Care Practice

Sep. 19, 2024 — An examination of millions of patient visits to primary care physicians shows that mental health concerns are second only to musculoskeletal complaints in everyday care. One in nine patients was ...

Ultra-Low-Dose Ketamine Can Curb Opioid Withdrawal

Sep. 17, 2024 — A pilot study showed that a small amount of ketamine can reduce or eliminate the withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting ...

Beyond Labels: A New Framework for Neurodiversity and Mental Health

Sep. 16, 2024 — A news study challenges the traditional approach to diagnosing neurodivergent conditions (also known as 'neurodevelopmental disorders' in the medical literature), such as autism, ADHD, and ...