http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers from Rhode Island Hospital's department of psychiatry propose that the definition for major depressive disorder (MDD) should be shortened to include only the mood and cognitive symptoms that have been part of the definition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for the past 35 years. Their recommendation would exclude those symptoms that are currently part of the definition that may be associated with medical illness rather than depression. The proposal is based on a study that appears in the July 23 online first edition of the journal Psychological Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news167564596.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:00:07 EST news167564596 (PhysOrg.com) -- John Csernansky wants to take your measurements. Not the circumference of your chest, waist and hips. No, this doctor wants to stretch a tape measure around your hippocampus, thalamus and prefrontal cortex. http://www.physorg.com/news166355458.html Medicine & Health Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:10:01 EST news166355458 We've all been asked at routine visits to the doctor to record our family's history with medical problems like cancer, diabetes or heart disease. But when it comes to mental disorders, usually mum's the word. http://www.physorg.com/news166116982.html Medicine & Health Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:36:37 EST news166116982 Stressful life events are strongly associated with a person's risk for major depression, but a certain gene variation long thought to increase risk in conjunction with stressful life events actually may have no effect, according to researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, challenges a widely accepted approach to studying risk factors for depression. http://www.physorg.com/news164423457.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:50:03 EST news164423457 (AP) -- Got stress? Oh, yeah, college students say, what with roommates, GPAs, student loans and all the rest. But where's the line between feeling simply stressed and being truly depressed? http://www.physorg.com/news162108064.html Medicine & Health Thu, 21 May 2009 07:02:08 EST news162108064 Oregon Health & Science University researchers, along with scientists at Washington University in St. Louis, are uncovering new information about the mind by studying the brain while it is at rest. It is believed this research will one day provide new tools for diagnosing mental health disorders and monitoring the progress of treatments. The researchers' latest findings are published in the journal the Public Library of Science Computational Biology. http://www.physorg.com/news160920910.html Biology Thu, 07 May 2009 13:15:25 EST news160920910 The Hong Kong flu pandemic was responsible for more than 700,000 deaths worldwide in the late 1960s, with major disease outbreaks in Europe in the winter of 1969-1970. A number of studies have been conducted to determine if prenatal exposure to the influenza virus may result in mental disorders that affect a small portion of the population, but no studies have explored the possible effects of prenatal exposure on the mean intelligence in the general population. A new study found that early prenatal exposure to the Hong Kong flu may have interfered with fetal cerebral development and caused reduced intelligence in adulthood. The study is published in Annals of Neurology. http://www.physorg.com/news159024625.html Medicine & Health Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:31:00 EST news159024625 Contrary to common stereotypes, individuals with major mental disorders are more likely to become victims of violent crimes when they are experiencing an increase in symptoms than they are to commit crime, according to a new study by Brent Teasdale, an assistant professor of criminal justice at Georgia State University. http://www.physorg.com/news158929220.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:01:18 EST news158929220 Researchers have hypothesized that people with lower IQs may have a higher risk of adult mental disorders, but few studies have looked at the relationship between low childhood IQ and psychiatric disorders later in life. In a new, long-term study covering more than three decades, researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that children with lower IQs showed an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders as adults, including schizophrenia, depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Lower IQ was also associated with psychiatric disorders that were more persistent and an increased risk of having two or more diagnoses at age 32. http://www.physorg.com/news147359516.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:11:56 EST news147359516 Psychodynamic psychotherapy lasting for at least a year is effective and superior to shorter-term therapy for patients with complex mental disorders such as personality and chronic mental disorders, according to a meta-analysis published in the October 1 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news142012917.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:01:57 EST news142012917 Pregnancy alone does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of the most prevalent mental disorders, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, post-partum women may have a higher risk of major depressive disorder. http://www.physorg.com/news134666871.html Medicine & Health Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:27:51 EST news134666871