Indigenous youth who use drugs are 13 times more likely to die than their non-Indigenous peers, and women face greater risk than young men, according to results of a new study. A team of researchers analyzed data on 610 young Indigenous people aged 14-30 years who used drugs in Vancouver and Prince George, BC, on […]
Tag: mental health
Strong link between depression and risk of early death for both men and women 
Association between depression and early death remains strong among men and has ramped up among women over the past two decades, results of a long-term community-based study suggest. Researchers examined 60 years of mental health data of over 3000 adults from a region in Atlantic Canada and linked the data to deaths in the Canadian […]
Risk of dying three times higher for schizophrenia patients than general population
An overview of 1.6 million deaths in Ontario over a 20-year period revealed that people with schizophrenia are three times more likely to die—and die younger—than the general population. New research revealed that the most vulnerable schizophrenia patients are female, younger and living in lower-income neighbourhoods. While the average life expectancy for people with schizophrenia […]
Let’s be clear about cannabis
Researchers must be more careful with the language they use when describing the relationship between cannabis use and schizophrenia to avoid causing misinformation and panic in the public, according to a Canadian researcher. In a Perspective the researcher writes the epidemiological evidence does not support the conclusion that cannabis use causes schizophrenia. Instead the author writes […]
Omega-3 may help to prevent psychotic disorders
Omega-3 may help reduce the risk of developing psychosis and psychiatric disorders, a study of 81 young people at high risk of developing schizophrenia shows. The participants were randomly split into two groups, one group received omega-3 daily for 12 weeks, while the other received a placebo. Seven years after the experiment, the researchers found […]
Genetics links creativity to psychosis
Creativity and psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, share genetic roots according to a new study. Researchers analyzed genetic data from over 150,000 Icelanders who were healthy, or had been diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. They found that the same genetic variants associated with increased risk of mental disorders also predicted whether […]
Refugees more likely to suffer from psychotic disorders
Refugees from East Africa and South Asia coming to Ontario have a significantly higher incidence of psychotic disorders than both other immigrants and the general population according to a new study. Researchers analyzed Ontario health records over a 10 year period and cross-referenced their findings with information from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The researchers believe […]
Healthy life, healthy mind
Healthy eating, exercising, and brain-training may be able to slow down cognitive decline in at risk individuals according to a new study. Researchers performed a randomised control trial of 1,260 people between 60 and 77 years old who were considered at risk for dementia. Individuals in the control group were given only regular health advice, […]
The origins of narcissism in children
A new study has shed light on the origins of narcissism in children and the role parents play in its development. A Dutch study of 565 children and their parents over two years found that children whose parents over-value them are more likely to suffer from narcissism. Until now the origins of narcissism were thought […]
Rent supplements help homeless people, but only part of solution
Offering supportive housing using rent supplements and case management services helped homeless adults with mental illness stay housed, a new study shows. However, these additional services did not improve their quality of life determined by a health questionnaire assessing mobility, pain, anxiety/depression and self-care. Researchers followed 1,198 homeless adults with mental illnesses in Vancouver, Winnipeg, […]
Can just a phone call a week help minimize postpartum depression?
A study of mothers in New Brunswick found that phone conversations with helpful peers can diminish postpartum depression (PPD). Researchers in New Brunswick provided peer support through weekly phone calls to 64 mothers suffering from moderate PPD for several months. At the beginning of the experiment all 64 of the mothers were moderately depressed, yet by […]
Suicide and looking for a job
While it has been known that there is a link between unemployment and suicide, a new study quantify this link with unemployment in regard of the recent economic crisis. A study looking at 63 countries over 11 years — including Canada — has found that unemployment might account for nine times as many suicidal deaths […]
Self-harm on the rise among girls in Canada
New statistics about hospitalizations due to intentional injuries in children and youth aged 10 to 17 – including both assault and self-harm – show that self-inflicted injuries have risen significantly in the last five years, especially among girls: Over the past 5 years, the rate of intentional self-harm–related hospitalizations in girls has increased by more than […]
Why anesthesia may cause memory problems
After surgery using a general anesthetic, up to a third of patients experience memory problems for months afterward and a new study helps explain why. Many anesthetics work by binding to specific receptors (GABA A receptors) in the brain and increasing the function of these receptors, leading to drowsiness and memory loss. The new study shows […]
This robot makes you feel like there’s someone behind you
A new study sheds light on the mechanisms underlying the “feeling of presence” phenomenon, where people feel like there is a presence with them in a room even though they are alone. Scientists usually attribute this feeling to medical conditions such epilepsy, stroke, migraine and tumors. Researchers have now devised a robot capable of giving […]
Exercise associated with fewer depressive symptoms
Regular exercise is associated with a reduction in the odds of depressive symptoms by up to 19 per cent, according to estimates in a new study. Researchers used data from the 1958 British Birth Cohort, which tracked about 11,000 people in the UK who were all born in the same week in 1958 through their lives. […]
