News tagged with psychiatric disorders

Origin of intelligence, mental illness linked to ancient genetic accident

Scientists have discovered for the first time how humans – and other mammals – have evolved to have intelligence.

Neuroscience created Dec 02, 2012 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (33) | comments 12 | with audio podcast

Toxoplasma gondii parasite may trigger suicide attempts

A parasite thought to be harmless and found in many people may actually be causing subtle changes in the brain, leading to suicide attempts.

Medical research created Aug 16, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (17) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Strong genetic selection against some psych disorders

(HealthDay)—Different evolutionary mechanisms likely support the persistence of various psychiatric disorders, according to a study published in the January issue of JAMA Psychiatry.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Jan 05, 2013 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (13) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

New study confirms that mom's love good for child's brain

School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Jan 30, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (11) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Maltreated children show same pattern of brain activity as combat soldiers

Children exposed to family violence show the same pattern of activity in their brains as soldiers exposed to combat, new research has shown.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Dec 05, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (9) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

Childhood trauma leaves mark on DNA of some victims

Abused children are at high risk of anxiety and mood disorders, as traumatic experience induces lasting changes to their gene regulation. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich have ...

Neuroscience created Dec 02, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Is this peptide a key to happiness?

(Medical Xpress)—What makes us happy? Family? Money? Love? How about a peptide? The neurochemical changes underlying human emotions and social behavior are largely unknown. Now though, for the first time in humans, scientists ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 07, 2013 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Survey suggests family history of psychiatric disorders shapes intellectual interests

A hallmark of the individual is the cultivation of personal interests, but for some people, their intellectual pursuits might actually be genetically predetermined. Survey results published by Princeton University researchers ...

Autism spectrum disorders created Jan 26, 2012 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (9) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

GABA link to impulsive males

(Medical Xpress) -- The reason why some men are more impulsive, act aggressively, drink and take drugs could lie in the fact that they have lower levels of a naturally occurring substance in a specific part ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Aug 11, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Schizophrenia genetic networks identified: Connection to autism found

Although schizophrenia is highly genetic in origin, the genes involved in the disorder have been difficult to identify. In the past few years, researchers have implicated several genes, but it is unclear how they act to produce ...

Neuroscience created Nov 11, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (8) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Scientists find molecular evidence of brain changes in depressed females

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered molecular-level changes in the brains of women with major depressive disorder that link two hypotheses of the biological mechanisms that lead ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Sep 16, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Bipolar disorder: Mind-body connection suggests new directions for treatment, research

A new study by motor control and psychology researchers at Indiana University suggests that postural control problems may be a core feature of bipolar disorder, not just a random symptom, and can provide insights both into ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 24, 2011 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Patients' own cells yield new insights into the biology of schizophrenia

After a century of studying the causes of schizophrenia-the most persistent disabling condition among adults-the cause of the disorder remains unknown. Now induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated ...

Medical research created Apr 13, 2011 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (5) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Changes in nerve cells may contribute to the development of mental illness

Reduced production of myelin, a type of protective nerve fiber that is lost in diseases like multiple sclerosis, may also play a role in the development of mental illness, according to researchers at the Graduate School of ...

Neuroscience created Nov 28, 2012 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (5) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Gene variation predicts rate of age-related decline in mental performance

A tiny difference in the coding pattern of a single gene significantly affects the rate at which men's intellectual function drops with advancing age, investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Veterans ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Oct 25, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Mental disorder

A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as part of normal development or culture. The recognition and understanding of mental disorders has changed over time and across cultures. Definitions, assessments, and classifications of mental disorders can vary, but guideline criteria listed in the ICD, DSM and other manuals are widely accepted by mental health professionals. Categories of diagnoses in these schemes may include dissociative disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, developmental disorders, personality disorders, ambulatory disorders and many other categories. In many cases there is no single accepted or consistent cause of mental disorders, although they are often explained in terms of a diathesis-stress model and biopsychosocial model. Mental disorders have been found to be common, with over a third of people in most countries reporting sufficient criteria at some point in their life. Services for mental disorders may be based in hospitals or in the community. Mental health professionals diagnose individuals using different methodologies, often relying on case history and interview. Psychotherapy and psychiatric medication are two major treatment options, as well as supportive interventions and self-help. Treatment may be involuntary where legislation allows. Several movements campaign for changes to services and attitudes.

For more information about Mental disorder, read the full article at Wikipedia.
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