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- State Survey Finds FDA “Black Box” Warning Correlates with Curtailed Antidepressant Prescriptions
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March 14, 2008
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Science Update
After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a “black box” warning on antidepressant medications, Nebraskan doctors began prescribing fewer antidepressant medications to children and teens and referring more patients to specialists, according to a state survey.
- Teens with Treatment-resistant Depression More Likely to Get Better with Switch to Combination Therapy
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February 26, 2008
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Press Release
Teens with difficult-to-treat depression who do not respond to a first antidepressant medication are more likely to get well if they switch to another antidepressant medication and add psychotherapy rather than just switching to another antidepressant.
- Cold, Unfeeling Traits Linked to Distinctive Brain Patterns in Kids with Severe Conduct Problems
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February 20, 2008
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Science Update
The callous, unemotional characteristics of some children and adolescents who bully or steal or have other severely disruptive behavior problems may have partial roots in a brain area called the amygdala.
- Gene Variants Protect Against Adult Depression Triggered by Childhood Stress
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February 4, 2008
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Press Release
Certain variations in a gene that helps regulate response to stress tend to protect adults who were abused in childhood from developing depression. Adults who had been abused but didn’t have the variations in the gene had twice the symptoms of moderate to severe depression, compared to those with the protective variations.
- Autism Risk Higher in People with Gene Variant
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January 10, 2008
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Press Release
Scientists have found a variation in a gene that may raise the risk of developing autism, especially when the variant is inherited from mothers rather than fathers.
- Scientists Can Predict Psychotic Illness in up to 80 Percent of High-Risk Youth
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January 7, 2008
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Press Release
Youth who are going to develop psychosis can be identified before their illness becomes full-blown 35 percent of the time if they meet widely accepted criteria for risk, but that figure rises to 65 to 80 percent if they have certain combinations of risk factors, the largest study of its kind has shown.
- Ethnicity Predicts How Gene Variations Affect Response to Schizophrenia Medications
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January 2, 2008
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Science Update
Different variations in the same gene influence how well different ethnic groups, and people within the same ethnic group, respond to various antipsychotic medications, report NIMH-funded researchers. If confirmed, their findings could one day help clinicians predict which medication is most likely to help a patient, based on his or her genetic makeup.
- Family-centered Intervention Effectively Reduces Risky Behavior Among Hispanic Youth
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December 20, 2007
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Science Update
A family-centered program that improves parent-child dynamics and family functioning is more effective at discouraging Hispanic youth from engaging in risky behavior than programs that target specific behaviors.
- IQ Boost From Breast Milk Linked to Gene-Environment Interaction
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December 17, 2007
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Science Update
A new study shows that the intellectual boost associated with breast milk is only attained if a child has inherited one of two versions of a specific gene. The NIMH funded research is among the first to provide evidence of a specific genetic-environment interaction involved in complex mental functioning.
- Behavioral Therapy Effectively Treats Children with Social Phobia
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December 17, 2007
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Science Update
A behavioral therapy designed to treat children diagnosed with social phobia helped them overcome more of their symptoms than the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac).
