Study finds racial disparity for antidepressants
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(CBS News) If you're Caucasian, you're more likely to get a prescription for antidepressants than your Hispanic and African-American counterparts, new research shows.
A study published in last month's International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine said that Caucasians were 1.52 times more likely to receive antidepressant medication over Hispanic and African-American patients also being treated for major depressive disorders.
Continue »Study: Depression blood test for teens effective
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(CBS News) Researchers are hopeful that diagnosing depression may soon be as easy as diagnosing high cholesterol. A new study describes a blood test that that distinguished depression among teenagers.
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Developed by a scientist at Northwestern School of Medicine in Chicago, the new blood test aims to replace the current method of diagnosing depression, which is asking patients to recall their symptoms. The researchers say the new test might be able to distinguish between certain types of depression, raising hope for more personalized treatments.
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Study: Emergency dispatchers may suffer from PTSD
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According to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Traumatic Stress, even though emergency dispatchers didn't know the victims or were there when the event happened, they still could experience symptoms that lead to the psychological disorders.
Continue »Study links autism to too many brain cells
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PICTURES - Is it autism? Facial features that show disorder
For the small study, scientists examined the brains of seven autistic children and six children without autism, all of whom had died by drowning or other causes between the ages of two and 16. The researchers found that the autistic kids had 67 percent more brain cells (neurons) in the prefrontal cortex. That's the brain region just behind the forehead.
Continue »Developmental disability affecting more U.S. kids
Developmental disability study shows increase in number of children with autism, ADHD, and related problems.
/ istockphoto(CBS) Developmental disability is on the rise in the U.S. Between 1997 and 2008, the number of school-age children diagnosed with autism, ADHD, or another developmental disability rose by about 17 percent, a new study showed.
That means roughly 15 percent of kids - nearly 10 million - have such a disability.
Continue »Autism therapies: What works, what doesn't
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(CBS) Parents of kids with autism may be disappointed to learn that there are a couple of big problems with the drugs and behavioral therapies approaches often used to treat the developmental disorder.
Many simply don't work, and those that do can cause major side effects, according to new research.
Continue »Study: Memory problems likely after hospital stay
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(CBS News) At one point or another, there's a good chance an older adult over 65 might wind up in the hospital. A new study suggests those adults could wind up with a new set of memory problems following their visit.
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The study tracked nearly 1,900 seniors for 12 years and found those who were hospitalized experienced double the decline in memory and cognitive skills, compared with adults the same age who weren't hospitalized.
Continue »Electroconvulsive therapy for severe depression?
Dr. Stanley Burns
(CBS News) Historical images of electric shock therapy can appear frightening -- the sight of a patient strapped to a table wearing a head strap that's certain to send volts of electricity shooting through their heads.
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But contrary to popular belief, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) hasn't gone away since the time of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and is still used to treat mental health issues such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. A new study says ECT could help severely depressed patients more than antidepressants and other treatment options.
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Synthetic marijuana sending more teens to hospital, study finds
K2, a brand of synthetic marijuana
/ AP Photo/Kelley McCall, File(CBS News) Synthetic marijuana is sending more kids and teens to the emergency room than ever before, according to the authors of a new study. Making matters even worse, emergency room doctors might not recognize the symptoms from these relatively new drugs, and may not realize some of these teens need immediate medical attention.
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Synthetic marijuana is a mix of plants and chemicals that's sometimes sold as "potpourri" under the brand names K2, Spice and Blaze. According to the study, published in the March 19 issue of Pediatrics, The American Association of Poison Control Centers received 4,500 calls involving problems from synthetic marijuana between 2010 to 2011.
Continue »Study: Moms of autistic kids earn 56% less money
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(CBS News) When a child in the family has autism, parents and siblings often devote extra time and financial resources to ensure the best possible outcomes for the child's future. A new study puts a number on the financial toll the disorder takes on families each year.
On average, family earnings when a child has autism are 28 percent lower than those of a child without a health limitation, the study found - nearly $18,000 less money for the family per year.
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Autism risk for siblings unexpectedly high
"Our results suggest a significant economic burden for families of children with ASD, especially for mothers," study co-author Dr. Zuleyha Cidav, a postdoctoral mental health researcher at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, said in a university written statement.
Study: Mom's meth use changes child's behavior
Methamphetamine
/ (CBS)(CBS/AP) Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug that wreaks havoc on the nervous system, causing brain changes that could cause anxiety, mood problems, and violent behavior.
PICTURES: Meth mouth: Inside look at icky problem (15 GRAPHIC IMAGES)
A new study says pregnant moms who use meth can pass some of these behavioral problems onto their kids.
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Addiction-prone vets more likely to get pain pills
Participants in a parade to honor Iraq War veterans make their way along a downtown street on Jan. 28, 2012, in St. Louis.
/ AP Photo/Jeff RobersonThese vets are at high risk for drug and alcohol abuse, but they're two times more likely to get prescriptions for addictive painkillers than vets with only physical pain, according to the study, billed as the first national examination of the problem. Iraq and Afghanistan vets with PTSD who already had substance abuse problems were four times more likely to get these drugs than vets without mental health problems, according to the study.
Subsequent suicides, other self-inflicted injuries, and drug and alcohol overdoses were all more common in vets with PTSD who got these drugs. These consequences were rare but still troubling, the study authors said.
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ADHD overdiagnosed for youngest kids in class: Study
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(CBS News) Children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder may be diagnosed because of problems paying attention, family history, or as new research suggests, because they're younger than their classmates.
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A Canadian study has shown that the youngest children in class are far more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and treated with medication. But that doesn't mean the children necessarily have the disorder, according to the study's authors.
Continue »Overeating may double odds of memory loss in elderly
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(CBS) Can stuffing your mouth clog your brain? A new study suggests overeating may double the risk for memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older.
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The study - to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in April - involved over 1,200 dementia-free people between ages 70 and 89. Of those, 163 people had MCI. Participants filled out a questionnaire about the amount of calories they consumed daily.
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Electric shocks to brain may boost memory: Study
UCLA, Fried Lab
(CBS) Ever wish you could give your memory a jolt? A new study shows it may be possible.
Alzheimer's disease: 7 things that raise your risk
The study recorded brain activity in seven epilepsy patients who had already had electrodes implanted in their brains to monitor the origin of their seizures. These patients played a video game in which they had to learn the location of stores in a virtual city. UCLA neuroscientists found that participants remembered the locations better after they received mild zaps of electricity in their brains.
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