Category Archives: Mental Health

Schizophrenia patients are more likely to develop dementia and less likely to develop cancer, compared to people without the mental disorder. The researchers followed over 30,000 older adults for a decade and concluded that dementia rates were higher among people with schizophrenia. Study lead Hugh Hendrie said, “Individuals with serious mental illnesses including schizophrenia appear ...click here to read more

Decreased kidney function and reduced cognitive function have been found to be linked. The researchers examined longitudinal data, five years apart, from 590 people. The aim was to track the change in kidney function that has taken place over that time period and to see whether it was associated with a reduction in cognitive functioning. ...click here to read more

Dear Friends, The title of this week’s piece may throw you off a bit as you may be thinking to yourself, “You can’t possibly avoid stress!” For the most part, you aren’t that wrong. Stress is, essentially, an inevitable part of life. It affects all aspects of our life to some degree. But before I ...click here to read more

Fecal incontinence or urinary incontinence diagnosis is more likely in dementia patients. The researchers analyzed data from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database and extracted records for 54,816 people over the age of 60 who were diagnosed with dementia along with records for 205,795 patients without dementia. Men with dementia had had an annual rate ...click here to read more

Women with urinary incontinence are more likely to experience depression, including postpartum depression. For the study, researchers followed middle-aged women with incontinence and found they are more likely to develop depression, compared to middle-aged women without incontinence. Researcher Jodie Avery said, “Women with both incontinence and depression scored lower in all areas of quality of ...click here to read more

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are more common in schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse. In fact, the risk of developing a UTI during schizophrenic relapse is 29 times higher than for healthy individuals. The study looked at the rates of UTIs in 57 relapsed hospital patients, 40 stable outpatients, and 39 healthy controls. The findings showed that ...click here to read more

Vision problems raise the risk of unemployment, poverty, and mental health problems, according to a recent study. Researcher Mary Frances Cotch said, “Our focus has mostly been on severe visual loss and treating the eye diseases that cause it. This study is saying we probably shouldn’t wait until that time since people with mild visual ...click here to read more

Diabetes, epilepsy, and asthma may increase the risk of suicide and self-harm. For the study, the researchers compared different psychiatric and physical disorders in England. Along with diabetes, epilepsy, and asthma, other physical illnesses associated with a higher risk of suicide and self-harm included migraine, psoriasis, eczema, and inflammatory polyarthropathies. Authors Dr. Arvind Singhal and ...click here to read more

Pneumonia patients are more likely to suffer from depression and cognitive impairment, according to research. The study uncovered that pneumonia patients are twice as likely to develop cognitive impairment, while hospitalized older patients are at a higher risk for other health complications like a heart attack and stroke. Senior author Dr. Theodore J. Iwashyna said, ...click here to read more

Estrogen fluctuations associated with menopause raise the levels of and susceptibility to stress, while postmenopausal depression increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Estradiol (a form of estrogen) fluctuates during menopause transition, causing heightened emotional sensitivity to stress. When these hormonal changes overlap with a very stressful life event, the result is depressive mood. ...click here to read more

A new discovery has revealed that there could be a link between hypothyroidism during pregnancy and the risk of schizophrenia in offspring. According to a study conducted by experts at Columbia University Medical Center, The New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, low levels of thyroxine (hormone secreted by ...click here to read more

Arthritis patients have a higher prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts, according to recent research. The findings of the study revealed that one in 26 men with arthritis has attempted suicide, compared to only one in 50 men who do not have arthritis. Women who have arthritis also have a higher prevalence of suicide attempts, compared ...click here to read more

Multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya may provide a clue for possible new PTSD therapy. Based on the study conducted on mice, the researchers uncovered a new therapeutic approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Gilenya is a sphingosine-1-phosphate-receptor modulator, which is commonly used as a treatment for multiple sclerosis. The researchers found that fingolimod (a generic ...click here to read more

We all get stressed from time to time, and a little bit of stress isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But when you’re stressed day in and day out, all that extra cortisol can take a negative toll on your body. Numerous studies have pointed to the adverse impact of stress on health, from disrupting your sleep ...click here to read more