Leading Stories

December 1st, 2010

Telemedicine protocol helpful to depressed elderly people

By Ami Albernaz

A telemedicine-based protocol for treating depression among homebound elders has shown promise in a preliminary study, pointing the way for more rigorous research.

The...

December 1st, 2010

Unit uses softness to connect with kids

By Jennifer E Chase

A Massachusetts-based child inpatient psychiatric unit is breaking from the traditional use of restrictions and seclusion for managing troubled patients with a much softer...

December 1st, 2010

Q&A: Strengthening emotional well-being is primary goal

By Catherine Robertson Souter

Mental health is not just the absence of mental illness. Mental health is about being resilient, having strong relationships with others and yourself and carrying a sense of...

December 1st, 2010

Study examines potential of psychedelic drugs to relieve distress

By Ami Albernaz

Psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin, which largely fell out of favor among researchers in the early 1970s, have re-emerged in studies of severe depression and...

November 1st, 2010

Giving thanks enhances quality of life, strengthens connections

By Phyllis Hanlon

Bing Crosby was on to something when he sang “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep” to Rosemary Clooney in the movie “White Christmas.” Clinical...

November 1st, 2010

Escalating prescription drug abuse of concern

By Ami Albernaz

For the past decade or so, substance abuse counselors, law enforcement and families have been faced with a particularly pernicious problem: the skyrocketing abuse of...

November 1st, 2010

Practices started to better control abuses

By Ami Albernaz

Between 2002 and 2007, more Americans died of opiate-related overdoses than were killed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In Massachusetts alone during those years, 78 soldiers...

November 1st, 2010

Fewer dollars challenge Maine’s mental health services

By Phyllis Hanlon

The news is not good, but not as bad as it could be, according to Brenda M. Harvey, commissioner of Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Over...

November 1st, 2010

Work ‘addiction’ on the rise?

By Ami Albernaz

We all know someone we could classify as a workaholic – maybe that person works 70-hour weeks or never seems to take a vacation. Now, the topic of work addiction –...

November 1st, 2010

Study: Are insomnia medications effective for children?

By Ami Albernaz

Despite uncertainty about the safety and efficacy of insomnia medication for children, a new survey finds that child psychiatrists endorse using medication in at least...