Depression affects women nearly twice as much as men, but unraveling the brain's blueprint that regulates this behavior, let alone identifying specific molecular differences between sexes, has proven difficult. Researchers, however, have found and flipped a switch in the brain, revealing a single circuit in mice that activates during stress and is controlled by testosterone.
Read moreThis research raises questions as to whether current diagnoses accurately reflect the underlying neurobiology of mental illness. The findings, just published in the leading peer-reviewed medical journal, JAMA Psychiatry, highlight the need for more individualised approaches to defining mental illness.
Read moreDepression, self-harm and suicidal ideation are more prominent in adults in their early twenties if they were bullied at home and at school, a study has found. Researchers stress that intervention is needed to educate people in bullying to reduce it.
Read moreNew research looks into the impact police stops have on the mental health of youth. Researchers reveal that youth experiencing intrusive police stops are at risk of heightened emotional distress. The researchers found that youth who were stopped more often by police officers were more likely to report emotional trauma.
Read moreWhen researchers or policymakers ask health related questions — which they do a lot — they often rely on self-reported rather than tested health data. Researchers looked into how reliable this type of data is for research and found that, depending on country or age, self-reported data could be highly biased.
Read moreA new study found that one in three young adults receive medication for opioid use disorder within 12 months of a non-fatal opioid overdose. The study shows which medications — buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone — are being taken, and how long after the overdose they receive the treatment.
Read moreNew research has found that maternal stress before and during pregnancy could affect a baby's brain development.
Read moreThe proportion of people aged over 65 on antidepressants has more than doubled in two decades — according to new research. Despite a rise in antidepressant use, there was little change in the number of older people diagnosed with depression. The findings are based on the Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies, conducted at two time points — between 1991 and 1993, and between 2008 and 2011.
Read moreMany admissions to the intensive care unit may be preventable, potentially decreasing health care costs and improving care, according to new research.
Read moreDeep brain stimulation (DBS) of an area in the brain called the subcallosal cingulate (SCC) provides a robust antidepressant effect that is sustained over a long period of time in patients with treatment-resistant depression — the most severely depressed patients who have not responded to other treatments.
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