mental health

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Trail of Warning Signs Led to Soldier's Suicide

Questions raised about rising suicide rates in the US military

(Newser) - Staff Sgt. David Senft died not in the heat of battle, but alone and despondent in Afghanistan with a single gunshot to the head, an unsent text message typed into his phone that said, "I don't know what to say, I'm sorry." The US Army deployed Senft to...

Feds: Firm Used Dementia Patients in $200M Scam

Health center charged with Medicare fraud

(Newser) - Federal authorities charged the nation's largest community mental health center today, alleging the Miami-based company billed Medicare $200 million in a scam that preyed on patients with severe dementia and altered their clinical files so the company could charge for more services. Prosecutors alleged that American Therapeutic Corp. paid the...

Key Depression Gene Identified

May pave way for new drugs, scientists say

(Newser) - American scientists have identified a gene that appears to play a key role in the onset of depression , a finding which may help researchers develop new treatments. A team from Yale University found that a gene called MPK-1 is twice as active in those who suffer from depression. The gene...

'Mama's Boys' Have Better Mental Health

Boys who stay close with mom avoid unhealthy stereotypes

(Newser) - Being what Time describes as a "mama's boy" is good for you, a new study suggests. An Arizona State professor followed 426 boys through middle school to find out when and to what extent they embraced stereotypically male qualities like emotional reserve and physical toughness. He found that boys...

Can a Robot Seal Really Take Care of Grandma?

Paro raises ethical concerns

(Newser) - Is Paro—the adorable robotic seal designed to comfort the elderly—the best thing to happen to solitary seniors since the Clapper, or a tasteless substitute for human attention? Manufactured in Japan and recently cleared in the US as a Class 2 medical device, the $6,000 robot is intended...

Postpartum Depression Affects Dads, Too

About 1 in 10 show symptoms, says new study

(Newser) - Postpartum depression doesn't just hit new moms. A new study suggests that 1 in 10 fathers—about half the rate for women—are afflicted, reports Live Science . Generally, it's most common when the baby is 3 to 6 months old, and the symptoms manifest themselves differently in guys, who become...

Mental, Not Physical, Illness Hospitalizes Most US Troops

As mental illness increases, cost of care skyrockets

(Newser) - For the first time on record, more US troops were hospitalized for mental illness last year than for any other reason, according to new data from the Pentagon. The year saw 17,538 mental health hospitalizations, which narrowly topped childbirth (17,354) and far outstripped injuries or battle wounds (11,...

Outdoor Workouts Improve Mental Health

Exercise in fresh air boosts mood; for greater benefits, just add water

(Newser) - Moving your workout outdoors improves overall mental health, and the benefits kick in within the first 5 minutes, researchers say. To get the greatest mood boost from exercise in fresh air, work out near a body of water, British scientists advise. In an analysis of 10 studies involving 1,250...

Ranking America's Most Stressful Schools

These colleges might just drive you to suicide

(Newser) - This month, lots of high school overachievers will be anxiously awaiting acceptances from the halls of Ivy—even as concerns mount that these schools might not be great for your mental health. Cornell University, for example, had two suicides in as many days last month. So the Daily Beast decided...

Brit DJ Plays 'Jump' for Suicidal Woman on Bridge

She survives leap, but host is unrepentant

(Newser) - Mental health charities are blasting UK Radio DJ Steve Penk for playing Van Halen’s “Jump” for a suicidal woman police were trying to talk off a bridge. The woman had caused traffic on the four-lane bridge to come to a dead halt, and one frustrated driver called Penk...

Mental Health Problems Jump Among Young
Mental Health Problems
Jump Among Young
STUDY SAYS

Mental Health Problems Jump Among Young

Researchers think influence of pop culture is to blame for anxiety, etc.

(Newser) - Today's high school and college students are five times more likely to suffer from mental health issues than their counterparts who lived during the Great Depression. A study of responses to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory administered between 1938 and 2007 shows a fivefold increase in categories like anxiety and...

Group Urges Docs to Prescribe Meditation

 Group Urges 
 Docs to 
 Prescribe 
 Meditation 

better than antidepressants

Group Urges Docs to Prescribe Meditation

'Mindfulness' effective in preventing relapse

(Newser) - The best prescription for recurrent depression isn't pills or talk therapy, it's "mindfulness"—a combination of meditation, yoga, and breathing techniques that empties the mind of negative thoughts. So claims a UK mental health organization so impressed by its effectiveness in combating chronic depression that they're urging doctors...

20 Mins of Exercise a Week Keeps Shrink at Bay

Far less clear is how much exercise is best for physical health

(Newser) - If the goal of your exercise program is better mental health, a new study shows that even 20 minutes a week of sports, gardening, or housecleaning may be enough to boost your mood. But if you want to improve your cardiovascular fitness, lose weight, or reduce your risk of life-threatening...

Poll Lays Bare Jobless Toll on Families

Parents are panicked and ashamed, kids are anxious as savings go

(Newser) - Unemployment is taking an alarming toll on the mental health and family life of American workers, a New York Times / CBS poll finds. Some 86% say unemployment has caused a life crisis. Almost half say they've suffered from anxiety and depression, they've argued more with their family and friends...

Army Shrinks&mdash;Minus 5&mdash; Deployed to Afghanistan
 Army Shrinks—Minus 5—
 Deployed to Afghanistan 
Fort Hood survivors

Army Shrinks—Minus 5— Deployed to Afghanistan

Psych specialists lost five in shooting by fellow psychiatrist

(Newser) - The unit of psychiatric specialists who were among those fired on by rogue psychiatrist Nadal Malik Hasan Nov. 5th, seeing five comrades killed and 17 wounded, left for Afghanistan yesterday, right on schedule, reports the Washington Post. "This promises to be the most challenging year of our lives, though...

Soldier's Family Pushes for Suicide Condolences

Facing record suicide rate, Army confronts the stigma

(Newser) - The longstanding policy that allows the president to send letters of condolence only to the families of soldiers killed in combat or accidents is part of a military culture that stigmatizes suicide, says the family of recent Army suicide victim Chancellor Keesling. The Keeslings' effort to change that policy comes...

Speed Shrinking Offers Quicker Fixes

... And promotes shrinks' books, in 180-second encounters

(Newser) - Freud must be shuddering in his grave, but that doesn't bother Susan Shapiro, the author of Speed Shrinking and the cheerful organizer of speed-dating-style therapy sessions for New Yorkers. On a recent evening, 200 talk-therapy-seekers stood in line at a lecture hall for their turn to spill their problems and...

Morale Down in Afghanistan: Army

One in six soldiers suffers from a psychological disorder

(Newser) - Morale is down and psychological problems rampant among troops in Afghanistan, who face a shortage of mental health professionals to help them deal with the stress of war. Only 5.7% of soldiers described their unit's moral as high or very high, down from 10.2% in 2007 and 10....

Elizabeth Smart to Testify on Sanity of Her Kidnapper

Will detail his behavior during 9-month captivity

(Newser) - Elizabeth Smart is ready to testify against the homeless street preacher who abducted her at knifepoint seven years ago. At a hearing Thursday to determine if Brian David Mitchell is fit to stand trial, Smart will tell the court how he acted over her nine-month captivity. The prosecutor thinks she’...

7 Personality Traits That Hurt Your Body

Something for the cynical and anxious to feel cynical and anxious about

(Newser) - Scientists probing the mind-body connection are finding ever more evidence of the ways temperament affects a person's health. Some personality traits can boost your health; others can weaken your immune system, give you job burnout or even send you to an early grave, Live Science reports. These include:
  • Cynicism: Suspicious
...

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