Women who are raped, sexually assaulted, bashed by a partner or stalked are much more likely to develop mental health problems than women who do not experience gender-based violence, a study has found…
The Commonwealth Ombudsman yesterday launched an investigation into rising rates of self-harm among detainees of Australia’s immigration detention centres, after it emerged that 50 instances of cutting…
Brain function in people with schizophrenia improves after 20 minutes of being subjected to very mild, painless electrical current to the brain through electrodes on the scalp, a study found.
Flickr/lessherger
Around 20 minutes of tiny electric shocks to the scalp may improve brain function in schizophrenia patients, a study has found. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) involves passing a mild, painless…
Trauma and adversity during early development can embed neuro-vulnerability in children.
apdk/Flickr
The last Federal Government budget announcement revealed funds dedicated to “early intervention” mental health services for youth. But whether this intervention takes place in a timely manner for optimal…
Convicted killer Arthur Freeman is led away from the Supreme Court in Melbourne.
AAP
Arthur Freeman’s involvement in an altercation in Victoria’s Barwon prison this week has again highlighted the fraught issue of how we deal with offenders who commit crimes that many of us assume could…
Almost a third of professional musicians regularly take medication to manage their performance anxiety.
Flickr/kronik
“One of the most exhilarating experiences I know of is performing in public, especially when there is a magnificent piano under my fingers, great music in my head, and the feeling that there are no technical…
Research on mice has found that long-term exposure to air pollution can lead to physical changes in the brain, depression…
More studies are needed to conclude that early treatment provides long term benefits for sufferers of psychosis, a major literature review has found.
Flickr/Arturo Sotillo
Early intervention mental health policies may be gaining favour in Australia, Europe and the U.S. but there is limited evidence to show they help sufferers of psychosis in the longer term, a major literature…
Sadly, there’s no magic button to stop excessive gambling.
Mick Tsikas/AAPimage
GAMBLING IN AUSTRALIA – Why do some people develop gambling addictions while others can dabble for years at the pokies or the track without issue? The Productivity Commission’s 2010 report on gambling…
Premature or low birth weight babies are more likely to suffer from anxiety and mood disorders later in life, according to…
By observing how the brain lights up in stressful situations, scientists have found city-dwellers are more sensitive to stress than their country cousins.
Flickr
As if any further proof were needed that traffic jams and overcrowding make us anxious, scientists have concluded that city-dwellers are more sensitive to stress than country folk. Urban environments have…
There is an association between poor mental health and health risk factors for diabetes such as physical inactivity, poor diet, smoking and obesity, the report said.
Flickr
More than 40% of Australian adult diabetics also experience mental health problems, according to a report released by the government’s Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). More than 800,000…
Australia needs to reassess where it stands on mental health.
Flickr/knicolai
Even a cursory glance at Australia’s mental health system indicates shortcomings in the provision of a range of services to people with mental impairments. Since 1993, when the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity…
Are we treating normal sadness as a clinical disorder?
Gatis Gribusts
It’s normal to feel down in the dumps from time to time, so drawing a line between low moods and mental illness is understandably fraught. But are health professionals treating normal sadness as a clinical…
US psychiatrist Allen Frances is confusing the issues.
Julie70/Flickr
A controversy is brewing on the website Psychology Today and subsequently in The Australian newspaper. At the heart of the issue is US psychiatrist Dr Allen Frances’ comments on the Australian Federal…
Mentally ill Australians have a life expectancy 25 years lower than the rest of the population.
AAP
Almost half of all cigarettes smoked in Australia, the US and the UK are smoked by people with a mental illness. It’s a startling statistic and it paints a grim picture for the physical health of the one…
People with depression are less able to cope with stress.
OliviaGR
Having a “broken” or a “heavy” heart is a description often used by people who are feeling down or depressed. It turns out they’re not that far off the mark. People with depression are three to four times…
Keeping a journal or confiding in a friend can help overcome emotional issues.
“When people get sick or injured or want advice about their health, they want to see a doctor” Dr Andrew Pesce, AMA President. As a child psychiatrist, I work with general practitioners to enhance the…
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary