Beginning with the upcoming fifth edition, new versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) will be identified with Arabic rather than Roman numerals, marking a change in how future updates will be created, according to the American Psychiatric Association...

A pilot project to support armed services personnel experiencing mental health problems as a result of their service will be extended across Wales, Health Minister Edwina Hart announced. The service, which has been trialled in the Cardiff and Vale and Cwm Taf Health Board areas, offered access to clinicians with expertise in veterans' mental health to provide assessment and suitable treatment...

According to the Alzheimer's Association's® 2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, African-Americans are about two times more likely and Hispanics are about one and one-half times more likely than their white counterparts to have Alzheimer's and other dementias...

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has issued the following statement on the death of John Patrick Bedell from his attack on Pentagon guards on March 4, 2010: "News reports indicate that Patrick Bedell struggled for some time with a severe mental illness," said NAMI Executive Director Michael J. Fitzpatrick...

A one-page, 27-item questionnaire that is available free online is a valid and effective tool to help primary care doctors screen patients for four common psychiatric illnesses, a study led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers concludes. Results of the My Mood Monitor (M-3) checklist study are published in the March/April 2010 issue of Annals of Family Medicine...

Munich, Germany - Contrary to expectations, the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone is no better than placebo and can be counterproductive in treating substance use disorder in patients with schizophrenia, according to data released at the 18th European Congress of Psychiatry...

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) recently celebrated the third anniversary of the NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group, a free support group for adults living with mental illness. NAMI offers nearly 500 Connection support groups in 45 states...

Illinois State Senator John Cullerton (D) received the 2010 State Legislator of the Year Award from the American Psychological Association Practice Organization (APAPO) in recognition of his legislative accomplishments to increase the availability of mental healthcare services and to promote greater public well being. Senator Cullerton was presented with the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C...

Vietnam era combat pilot and national board member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Clarence Jordan testified at a Senate hearing today calling for better outreach and coordination of mental health care by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)...

House Democrats are preparing to introduce legislation on Medicare drug prices and an effort to tackle some individual health issues while Congress debates a comprehensive bill. Congress Daily: "Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and more than 50 House members will propose legislation today that directs Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices...

Researchers at UQ's Queensland Brain Institute and School of Population Health have found young adults who use cannabis from an early age are three times more likely to suffer from psychotic symptoms...

Commenting on the BBC's "Why did you kill my dad?" programme, aired on Monday 1st March, Steve Shrubb, director of the Mental Health Network which represents the majority of NHS mental health organisations, said: "The death of Phillip Hendy as set out in this programme was a terrible tragedy for all involved...

This Kaiser Health News story, written by Sandra Boodman and produced in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports on the impact of a law that went into effect Jan. 1. "Denise Camp was resigned to the double standard that had long applied to her medical bills, forcing her to skimp on other expenses so she could pay for mental health treatment" (Boodman, 3/2). Read entire article...

Asuragen, Inc. announced the results of a collaborative study with scientists at the M.I.N.D. Institute at the University of California Davis evaluating a new PCR technology that reproducibly reports mutations associated with Fragile X syndrome (FXS)...

Mr. John Moloney, T.D, Minister of State with responsibility for Equality, Disability and Mental Health yesterday (1st March, 2010) outlined achievements in the mental health services. They include developments in the Child and Adolescent services, shorter episodes of inpatient care, the appointment of Executive Clinical Directors and the active involvement of service users...

Offspring of two parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder appear more likely to develop the same illness or another psychiatric condition than those with only one parent with psychiatric illness, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals...

Obesity appears to be associated with an increased risk of depression, and depression also appears associated with an increased risk of developing obesity, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals...

Young adults who have used cannabis or marijuana for a longer period of time appear more likely to have hallucinations or delusions or to meet criteria for psychosis, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the May print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals...

QR Pharma, Inc., a developer of novel drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), announced that it was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,625,942, a "Method of Treating Down Syndrome" by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The '942 patent covers use of Posiphen and analogs to treat cognitive impairments associated with Down Syndrome (DS)...

APA Deputy Medical Director Annelle Primm, M.D., testified before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing today on appropriate treatment for Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dr...