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Press Releases and Science Updates
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- Consortium Moves Quickly to Study Resilience Following Hurricane Ike
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December 31, 2008
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Science Update
A consortium of research programs funded by NIMH to conduct post-disaster mental health research mobilized this year following hurricane Ike to study the factors that influence resilience after disasters.
- Virtual Reality, Psychotherapy, Show Promise in Treating PTSD Symptoms; Civilian Access to Care Remains a Concern
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May 7, 2008
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Science Update
Early data from an NIMH-sponsored double-blind study of 24 war veterans shows a marked reduction in acoustic startle ─ the reflex response to sudden loud sounds ─ in those treated with virtual reality exposure therapy combined with either d-cycloserine, an antibiotic that has been shown to facilitate the extinction of fear memories; pill placebo; or the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam (Xanax).
- Past Child Abuse Plus Variations in Gene Result in Potent PTSD Risk for Adults
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March 18, 2008
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Press Release
A traumatic event is much more likely to result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults who experienced trauma in childhood – but certain gene variations raise the risk considerably if the childhood trauma involved physical or sexual abuse, scientists have found.
- Mental Disorders Persist Among Hurricane Katrina Survivors
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January 24, 2008
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Science Update
More residents affected by Hurricane Katrina are enduring mental disorders than was initially determined a few months after the storm.
- Research-based Principles May Help Improve Mental Health Recovery Following Mass Trauma
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January 14, 2008
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Science Update
Experts on trauma-related research and medical practices from around the world recently identified five principles to guide mental health care efforts immediately or shortly after a mass trauma, such as a natural disaster or terrorist attack.
- Memory-sustaining Enzyme May Help Treat PTSD, Cognitive Decline
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November 2, 2007
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Science Update
Chemically blocking an enzyme in a specific area in the brain’s cortex, or outer mantle, erased a long-term memory of an aversive event that rats had learned, a study funded in part by NIMH has found.
- Internet-based PTSD Therapy May Help Overcome Barriers to Care
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November 1, 2007
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Science Update
NIMH-funded researchers recently completed a pilot study showing that an Internet-based, self-managed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, with effects that last after treatment has ended. This study supports further development of PTSD therapies that focus on self-management and innovative methods of providing care to large numbers of people who do not have access to mental health care or who may be reluctant to seek care due to stigma.
- Stress: Brain Yields Clues About Why Some Succumb While Others Prevail
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October 18, 2007
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Press Release
Results of a new study may one day help scientists learn how to enhance a naturally occurring mechanism in the brain that promotes resilience to psychological stress. Researchers funded by NIMH found that, in a mouse model, the ability to adapt to stress is driven by a distinctly different molecular mechanism than is the tendency to be overwhelmed by stress.
- Half of Adults With Anxiety Disorders Had Psychiatric Diagnoses in Youth
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February 7, 2007
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Science Update
About half of adults with an anxiety disorder had symptoms of some type of psychiatric illness by age 15, a NIMH-funded study shows.
- History of Childhood Abuse or Neglect Increases Risk of Major Depression
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January 3, 2007
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Science Update
People who were abused or neglected as children have increased risk of major depression, which often begins in childhood and has lingering effects as they mature, according to a study funded by NIMH.
