They found that the prevalence of all common mental disorders was 27.2%, and PTSD symptoms, 4.8%. There were no substantial differences in the prevalence of PTSD symptoms between US and UK troops deployed to Iraq, which had been previously found. In UK troops, the most common diagnoses were alcohol abuse (18.0%) and depression/anxiety (13.5%).

Because Medicaid is the nation's primary payer for mental health services, changes in Medicaid policies-even those policies that are not specifically related to mental health services-can have significant effects on public mental health systems, according to research reported in the November issue of Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association. Some of these effects may not be intended or fully understood. Author Jeffrey A. Buck, Ph.D.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on the treatment and management of depression in adults with chronic physical health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Serious health concerns can have a big impact on an individual's psychological wellbeing, with depression being approximately two to three times more common in people with a chronic physical health problem than in people who have good physical health.

Gay people are often asked by the curious: When did you first realize you were gay ?” In my case, I remember undressing my Superman doll--and being terribly disappointed at the result--as well as being motivated to befriend the more attractive boys in third grade. But hormonally speaking, it wasn’t until I was about fourteen that I first looked in the mirror and thought to myself, ah, that’s what I am all right, it all makes perfect sense now.

It wasn’t much of a mystery. After all, lust isn’t exactly a subtle thing. Back then I derived as much pleasure from making out with my “girlfriend” as I might have from scraping the plaque from my dog’s teeth. In contrast, barely touching legs with a boy I had a crush on sparked an electric, ineffable ecstasy. In the locker room after high school gym class, I forced myself to picture naked girls in my head (particularly my girlfriend) as a sort of cognitive cold shower, a pre-emptive strike against an otherwise embarrassing physical response. I could go on but you get the idea: whether or not we like, hide or accept what we are, our true identities--gay, straight, bisexual --consciously dawn on each of us at some point in adolescence. We all have a natural “orientation” towards sexual contact with others, and for the most part we’re just hopeless pawns, impotent onlookers, to our body’s desires.

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US researchers found that many children and teenagers treated with second generation antipsychotic drugs put on a significant amount of weight and also experienced a worsening of cholesterol and triglyceride levels and other metabolic measures. The study was the work of Dr Christoph U.

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Emphysema and cystic fibrosis patients who need new lungs are faced with a life-threatening problem: more than 80 percent of donated lungs can’t be used--they’re inflamed and barely functional. But a new approach, detailed this week in the new journal Science Translational Medicine , describes a novel gene therapy that can repair these damaged lungs--and make them available for transplant.

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The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on the treatment and management of depression in adults with chronic physical health problems. Chronic physical health problems such as cancer, heart disease or diabetes can have a serious impact on an individual's psychological wellbeing. Depression is approximately two to three times more common in patients with a chronic physical health problem than in people who have good physical health.

Schoolchildren with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are substantially more likely to engage in many types of criminal activity such as burglary, theft and drug dealing as they grow older, a new study by the Yale School of Public Health has found. The research was published in The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics.

Mental Health America is applauding legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators to establish national centers of excellence for the treatment of depression and bipolar disorders. The centers will create a national network to help diagnose people in need and improve access to evidence-based, quality care. The bill, called the "ENHANCED Act" was introduced by U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.

CNS Response, Inc. (OTCBB: CNSO) announced that the company will present top-line results from its multi-site clinical trial next week at the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress. "Referenced-EEG (rEEG®) Efficacy Compared to Star*D for Patients with Depression Treatment Failure: First Look at Final Results," will be presented by Charles DeBattista, M.D. on Monday, November 2nd, at 3:45 to 6:45 p.m.