Health News

Among Teens, Antipsychotics May Be Too Common
Mental illness consists of an array of complex and hard-to-pin-down disorders, but avoiding misdiagnosis can be crucial to treating it properly.
Increased Depression in Common Teen Disorders
Separately, ADHD and asthma each have been associated with mood disorders. Are patients with both ADHD and asthma at an even greater risk?
Mixing Mental Health and Substance Use
If you're treating a teen for mental health, it's important to understand the big picture. The big picture includes how much they drink, smoke or use marijuana.
Apples Don't Fall Far From the Personality Tree
The apple tree saying for families goes way back. Parents' traits often become their children's traits. And parents' mental health issues often become their children's too.
Kids These Days… and Their Rx
It's important to treat mental illness. But some people have concerns that children are over-treated with medications. Research evidence does show an increase in some psychiatric meds for kids.
Comparing Medications for Bipolar in Teens
Bipolar disorder in children and teens is difficult to treat. Many medications on the market have not been tested in young people. A new study compares the safety and effectiveness of three drugs for bipolar disorder. Three medications, lithium, an antipsychotic, and a drug specifically approved for mania, were given to children and teens with bipolar disorder.  After eight weeks of treatment, the antipsychotic Risperdal ( risperidone ) was most effective for symptoms of mania, but it also caused severe weight gain. Researchers recommend caution and close monitoring when using...
Risperidone Effective in Treating Childhood Mania
For children who suffer from manic, or bipolar, disorder there are many drug therapies available. But the side effects can be a problem, and until now no one has really studied which medication is the best for children.
Parents Make Kids More Stressed
The moods and behavior of parents affect their kids tremendously. And the children of bipolar parents are particularly sensitive.
Is Your Child Manic?
The National Institute of Mental Health has just given a grant of almost $8 million to further the study of children with symptoms of mania in order to better predict the onset of bipolar disorder.