Mental Health

Cellular Models for Mood Disorders Principal Investigator: Fernando Goes, M.D. (IRB NA_00044928) Enrollment is now closed. For more information about participation in future studies, please call 410-614-1017. In the past scientists have had almost no access to living brain tissue. This has slowed research of brain disorders like bipolar disorder and major depression since we have not been able to study the nerve cells that are likely to play an important role in disease. Now, new technologies may help us gain a "proxy", or a window into the brain from tissue that is much more easily accessible. Scientists at Johns Hopkins are able to isolate nerve cells from the superficial lining of the nose (the nasal epithelium) and to transform skin cells into living neurons. These nerve cells (or neurons) were studied to detect molecular abnormalities that may be associated with severe mood disorders. These cells were also studied with medications that are currently used to tre...

Antonio Rodriguez/AdobeStock SPECIAL REPORT: WOMEN'S MENTAL HEALTH "She would never hurt her baby." These are words commonly uttered by the partners and family members of women presenting to our facilities with postpartum psychosis (PPP) symptoms. In their reluctance to accept the presence of a mental illness and its related risks, and in their desire to get their loved one out of a psychiatric facility and back home with her baby, partners and family members of patients with PPP often minimize the severity of symptoms they have observed and place themselves at odds with the inpatient psychiatric team seeking to hold and treat the patient. Their reasons for doing so are myriad, but often rooted in a lack of understanding of the course of PPP episodes and the potential for devastating outcomes of not providing treatment. At Connections Health Solutions psychiatric crisis centers in Arizona, where I serve as medical director, we typically have at least 1 patient with PPP. B...

When I was pregnant with my son and loading up on articles and podcasts about new parenthood and mental health, I came across only fleeting references to psychosis. Postpartum psychosis happens with one or two of every 1,000 births, and symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, agitation, severe insomnia, and extreme mood changes. The gist was "it's very rare, so don't worry about it" – supremely unhelpful advice when you end up becoming that one in a thousand. Particularly when, like me, you have no personal or family history of serious mental health conditions and no reason to believe you'll be the unlucky one. My symptoms set in almost immediately. When Wells was four days old, I was washing bottles in the kitchen when my husband, Dane, came in and told me Wells was awake and ready to eat. I flew into a rage. I was breastfeeding at the time, and I accused Dane of minimizing my humanity and treating me like nothing more than a milk machine. As ...

Source: Andrea Piacquido/Pixabay Self-destruction, rage reactions, push–pull interactive style, "manipulative." Tends to be female. That about sums up borderline personality disorder (BPD), right? From a popular viewpoint, sure. In reality, however, jumping to BPD conclusions based on a couple of signs, especially if it's a "difficult woman," is premature. To be clear, BPD as a feminine diagnosis is a relic. The gender gap seems much less than once thought (e.g., Sansone & Sansone, 2011; Bayes & Parker, 2017). First, as noted in "A Symptom Is Part of a Pattern," concluding any diagnosis based on one chief symptom is poor practice. Symptoms must be contextualized and observed within a pattern, and that pattern must be sustained. Second, although the traits/characteristics in the first sentence are perhaps the most dramatic and seem to clinch the diagnosis, those working with BPD know there...

"I feel like, to have both, it's very painful," said Sally (a pseudonym), who explained that her bipolar disorder was triggered by taking antidepressants, whereas her borderline personality disorder resulted from being physically abused as a child. "You can really fully recover from borderline, but for sure, bipolar, I never see going away." Borderline personality disorder is such a problematic diagnosis that critics argue that it should be abandoned altogether, and not just because it is stigmatized. It pathologizes victims of trauma (especially women), its heterogeneous symptoms are not personality traits, and they overlap considerably with several other disorders, including bipolar. Nonetheless, most psychiatrists have converged on the view that it is possible for a person to simultaneously have bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, a phenomenon referred to in shorthand as "borderpolar," although this is not an official DSM dia...

Rudzhan/AdobeStock PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS Today, the third and last phase of the Pittsburgh trial begins. Last Thursday, the jury quickly decided that it can move forward to consider the death penalty. Diagnostic Expertise So far, the main witnesses have been psychiatrists and other related medical specialists. As usual, experts that were chosen by either side gave different options about the perpetrator's mental health and how that may have influenced his crime. Much focused on whether a given psychiatric diagnosis included delusional thinking, which could have impaired his "intent." All combined, several diagnoses were presented: -Schizophrenia -Schizoid personality disorder -Epilepsy -Adjustment disorder In addition, sub threshold symptoms and a history of other disorders became apparent: major trauma, substance abuse, and clinical depression, among them. The depth of any treatment was not apparent to me. While someone could conclude from these diverse opi...

Some natural remedies may help provide relief from bipolar disorder symptoms when used with traditional treatments. Some people with bipolar disorder have reported that using alternative treatments provides relief from symptoms. Scientific evidence supports many of the benefits in treating depression, but the effectiveness in treating bipolar disorder requires more research. Always check with a doctor before starting any alternative treatments. Supplements and therapies may interact with your medication and cause unintended side effects. Alternative treatments shouldn't replace traditional treatments or medications. Some people have reported feeling increased benefits when combining the two. 1. Fish oil Fish oil and fish are common sources of two of the three main types of omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) These fatty acids may affect the chemicals in your brain associated with mood disorders. Bipolar disorder seems less common in countrie...

A new study on people suffering from schizophrenia reported that participants infected with Toxoplasma gondii showed worse verbal memory, learning and social cognition, compared to participants not infected with this parasite. However, cognitive training exercises had similar effects on both groups and there were no differences in severity of schizophrenia symptoms. The study was published in Schizophrenia . Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that invades neural tissue. It is known to infect all warm-blooded mammals. Toxoplasma gondii is found in raw and undercooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables, contaminated water, dust, soil, dirty cat-litter boxes, and outdoor places where cat feces can be found. Infection with this parasite is listed as one of the factors increasing risk of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder affecting approximately 1% of the world population. Symptoms of schizophrenia include delusions, hallucinations, disorgani...

View gallery Sinead O'Connor was an Irish singer who was diagnosed with various mental health disorders. The late musician had been struggling with her mental health for decades. Sadly, Sinead died on Jul. 26, 2023, at the age of 56. Sinead O'Connor was an iconic singer and songwriter who died at the age of 56 on Jul. 26, 2023. At the time of her passing, her family released a statement announcing the somber news. "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and ha...

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Abstract Objective Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with premature mortality. All-cause and specific mortality risks in this population remain unclear, and more studies are still needed to further understand this issue and guide individual and public strategies to prevent mortality in bipolar disorder Thus, a systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies assessing mortality risk in people with BD versus the general population was conducted. The primary outcome was all‐cause mortality, whilst secondary outcomes were mortality due to suicide, natural, unnatural, and specific‐causes mortality. Results Fifty-seven studies were included (BD; n  = 678,353). All‐cause mortality was increased in people with BD (RR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.89–2.16, k = 39). Specific‐cause mortality was highest for suicide (RR = 11.69, 95% CI: 9.22–14.81, k = 25). Risk of death due to unnatural causes (RR = 7.29, 95% CI: 6.41–8.28, k = 17) and natural causes (RR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.75–2.06, k = 17) were also increase...