Spouse Most Likely Source of Elder Abuse
Elderly people may be at increased risk of abuse if they’re cared for by a spouse, especially if the spouse is coping with his or her own physical or mental health problems, according to a new study.
“Caregiving is stressful, and it breaks down the people that are providing the […]

Study: Caesarians Do Not Stop Postnatal Depression
Having a planned caesarian section does not reduce a woman’s risk of suffering from postnatal depression, doctors said Friday.
New mothers are as likely to experience depression after giving birth whether they go through labor and a natural delivery or an elective caesarian.
“The method of delivery does not influence […]

I’m pleased to announce the publication of the March 2005 issue of The Psych Central Report. It covers articles about ending the patient-therapist relationship, strategies for beating procrastination, and attachment relationships, as well as the usual community, site and news highlights. We hope you enjoy it!

What Is eHealth: A Systematic Review of Published Definitions
The term eHealth is widely used by many individuals, academic institutions, professional bodies, and funding organizations. It has become an accepted neologism despite the lack of an agreed-upon clear or precise definition. We believe that communication among the many individuals and organizations that use the term could […]

Bipolar Disorder More Common Among Urban Poor -Study
Bipolar disorder may often go undiagnosed and untreated in the urban poor, with one in 10 found to have the mental illness in a study of one New York clinic published on Tuesday.
The 13-month study at the clinic serving low-income patients found that few reported being diagnosed or […]

Yale Researchers to Study Soldiers, Stress
Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division will help Yale University researchers who are studying how prolonged periods of stress affect the brain.
The study will help scientists understand the underlying biology of post-traumatic stress disorder, said Maj. Paul Morrissey, chief of the behavioral health department at Fort Drum, located […]

Ongoing Care Eases Depression, Saves Money
Taking a continuous-care approach to treating people with depression leads to improved outcomes and saves on costs, according to a new report.
In fact, Dr. Kathryn Rost from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora, told Reuters Health that “health plans interested in improving the treatment they provide for depression […]

A Host of Anxiety Drugs, Begat by Valium (NY Times, free reg. req’d)
Among famous inventors, Leo H. Sternbach may not immediately leap to mind.
But this May in Akron, Ohio, Dr. Sternbach, who is 96, will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He holds more than 240 patents, but perhaps his most famous […]

‘Gonzo’ Godfather Hunter S. Thompson Kills Himself
Hunter S. Thompson, a renegade journalist whose “gonzo” style threw out any pretense at objectivity and established the hard-living writer as a counter-culture icon, fatally shot himself at his Colorado home on Sunday night, police said. He was 67.
Another senseless death to suicide. Thinking about it yourself? Please check […]

Mental Health Courts Help Afflicted
When she was ordered to prison for a methamphetamine conviction, the sentencing judge — Moss — offered her an alternative. If Reese would successfully complete mental health court, he said, she could avoid her prison sentence.
But graduating from mental health court was no easy task.

Report Questions Stress Disorder Efforts
Congressional investigators are questioning whether the Veterans Affairs Department can adequately help troops who may return from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The agency said that so far it has treated 6,400 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars for the disorder and that overall, its health care system has […]

Breakthrough in study of schizophrenia announced
Australian researchers announced a breakthrough in the search for the cause of schizophrenia, linking the impaired thought processes involved with the disorder to thinning grey matter in the brain.
Vaughan Carr of the Neuroscience Institute of Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders said the discovery could provide a better understanding of the genetic […]