Research

Mental Health

African Woman using laptop at home at night
High-Dose Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) in ADHD Treatment Jane Pei-Chen Chang

In this study researchers conducted a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing the effects of high-dose eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 1.2 g) and placebo on cognitive function (continuous performance test) in 92 youth (age 6–18-years-old) with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Blood erythrocytes PUFAs were measured before and after treatment, to examine the effects of baseline endogenous EPA levels on treatment response and the effects of EPA treatment on PUFAs levels.

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Epigenetic Mechanisms of Depression Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD

Growing evidence supports the hypothesis that epigenetics is a key mechanism through which environmental exposures interact with an individual’s genetic constitution to determine risk for depression throughout life. Epigenetics, in its broadest meaning, refers to stable changes in gene expression that are mediated via altered chromatin structure without modification of DNA sequence. According to this hypothesis, severe stress triggers changes—in vulnerable individuals—in chromatin structure at particular genomic loci in the brain’s limbic regions, which drive sustained changes in gene expression that contribute to episodes of depression.

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Targeted Nutrient Therapy in Treatment of Mental Illness Richard Stuckey, MB.BS., DRCOG; William Walsh, PhD; Brett Lambert

In a pilot study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of targeted nutrient therapy, the clinical progress of 567 patients with a range
of mental illnesses receiving established medical treatment in conjunction with a targeted nutrient program were assessed by clinical outcome after 12 months.

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The Science and Pseudoscience of Women’s Mental Health Sharna Olfman, PhD

In this article, the interviewer speaks with Dr. Kelly Brogan, a leading voice in natural approaches to women’s mental health. With degrees from MIT and Weil Cornell Medical College, triple board certification in psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine and integrative holistic medicine, and direct experience practicing within the parameters of conventional psychiatry, Dr. Brogan is uniquely qualified to challenge the pseudoscience of the chemical imbalance theory and the drug regimens that it spawned. This conversation addressed Dr. Brogan’s grave concerns about the recent rollout of Zulresso (brexanolone), a drug specifically designed, and approved by the FDA for the treatment of Postpartum Depression.

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Open Dialogue: A New Approach to Mental Healthcare | Psychology Today Dr. Tom Stockmann, Psychiatrist

The development of Open Dialogue is linked to evidence of its superiority to normal treatment of acute psychosis. After 5 years (1992–1997) of Open Dialogue treatment in Lapland, 81 % of participants had no remaining psychotic symptoms and 81% had returned to full employment. Only 35 % had used antipsychotic drugs (Seikkula et al., 2006). Similar results emerged from Tornio between 2003 and 2005. In the UK, only 20% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia would be expected to be symptom free after 5 years, with close to 100% of all patients with psychosis receiving antipsychotics.

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