Columbia scientists working to combat injury-related depression, substance abuse and suicide due to unremitting, persistent pain may have discovered a new way of treating that pain: a powerful analgesic dubbed N60 that leads to neither tolerance nor addiction. Pain is a perception in the brain triggered by signals sent along nerves in the peripheral nervous [...] Read more »

A new series of studies analyzing drug-related hospital emergency department visits throughout the country during 2008 reveals a substantial percentage of these visits involve suicide attempts. According to these studies conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) more than one in every twelve (8…

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Rubicon winner Dalila Pinto discovered a copying error in the DNA of trial subjects who suffered from autism or a similar condition. Some segments of their DNA were copied either once too often or missed out of the copying process. This is a highly promising result from the world’s largest investigation into autism. The top [...] Read more »

Scientists are making progress towards a better understanding of the neuropathology associated with debilitating psychiatric illnesses like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. New research, published by Cell Press in the July 15 issue of the journal Neuron, reveals mechanisms that connect a known psychiatric risk gene to disruptions in brain cell proliferation and migration during development…

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NPR: The Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new rule Monday that aims to make it easier for troops who return from battle to get the PTSD support they need. “Veterans will no longer have to prove that a certain attack, bomb explosion or event in a combat zone triggered post-traumatic stress. It’s a change [...] Read more »

Today, The Department of Veterans Affairs is scheduled to announce it will ease requirements for service members to qualify for post traumatic stress disorder benefits. The change was announced Saturday by President Barack Obama in his weekly address…

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Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase IIa U.S. clinical trial of its product candidate SPN812 for the treatment of ADHD in adults. The trial is a proof-of-concept, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy adults aged 18 to 64, inclusive, with ADHD. Supernus expects to enroll 50 subjects in the study at 5 [...] Read more »

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, Nasdaq: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Daytrana® (methylphenidate transdermal system) for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adolescents aged 13 to 17 years…

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The Government has outlined proposals to overhaul the structure of the NHS including transferring the responsibility for commissioning to GPs (1). Commenting on the changes, Mind’s Chief Executive Paul Farmer said: The litmus test of the new look NHS will be whether it meets the needs of people with mental health problems…

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Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius visited Grand Isle Beach and New Orleans, Louisiana as part the Department’s ongoing efforts to to address the public health and mental health aspects of the Gulf oil spill. She was joined by HHS officials Dr. James Galloway, health liaison to the National Incident Command, and Dr…

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