Sane News

Brain Imaging Machine Can Diagnose Post-Traumatic Stress
A brain mapping technology from the 1960s might have a new use in the 21st century: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is able to accurately identify post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in about 90 percent of people with the condition, according to a study published in the Journal of Neural Engineering and reported by CNET. The machine could substantially increase the likelihood of figuring out whether returning soldiers might need treatment.

January 26, 2010

National Mental Health Director Defends Its Conflict of Interest Policy
The director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Thomas Insel, MD, defended the agency against criticism it hasn’t done enough to combat conflicts of interest in researchers receiving NIMH funding. Insel posted the comments on his blog January 22.

January 21, 2010

Men’s and Women’s Stress Responses Not Created Equal
Men’s and women’s brains process stress differently, and that relates to gender differences in chronic disease such as depression, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders

Psychological Recovery for Haitians and Rescuers Won’t Be Quick or Easy
Psychological recovery from the humanitarian disaster in Haiti will take much longer than other types of recovery, according to experts interviewed by the Voice of America and ABC News. Many residents of Haiti and those who have traveled to the country to aid in recovery efforts are expected to suffer extreme psychological hardship in the wake of the 7.0-magnitute earthquake that struck the island January 12.

January 15, 2010

Mental Health Issues Growing Among High School and College Students
More high school and college students are reporting struggles with anxiety and depression today than in previous years, according to a study to be published in a future issue of Clinical Psychology Review and reported by Yahoo News.

January 14, 2010

Black Men Overly Diagnosed as Schizophrenic
Black men, particularly civil rights activists, have historically received an incorrect diagnosis of schizophrenia at five times the rate of any other group of people, according to a new book by Jonathan Metzl, MD, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry and women’s studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

January 07, 2010

Antidepressants Might Benefit Only Severe Depression
Antidepressants might benefit only people with more severe depression, according to a new study published January 6 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and reported by The New York Times.

January 06, 2010

Depression Treatment Reaches Few
Only about half of people with major depression receive treatment for the disorder and one fifth receive treatment consistent with current practice guidelines, according to a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry and reported by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH). What’s more, African Americans and Mexican Americans were the least likely to receive treatment.

January 05, 2010

HIV Experts: Transgender Identity Is a Medical Condition, Not a Mental Illness
Transgender identity should be classified as a medical condition and not a mental illness, according to HIV experts as reported by Pink News. The issue was raised at the second International Experts’ Meeting on HIV Prevention for MSM, WSW [men who have sex with men, and women who have sex with women] and Transgenders in Amsterdam last November.

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