What are Teens Thinking? [1]
PsychTalk Radio, May 15, 2013
In this podcast, Scott Swartzwelder, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, discusses what makes the teen brain different from an adult's, and how parents can help teenagers develop into healthy adults.
Dr. Allen Frances on The Diane Rehm Show [2]
NPR, May 14, 2013
Professor Emeritus Dr. Frances discusses his opinion on the over-diagnosis and over-prescription of medications to treat mental illness.
Magnets Used To Treat Depression at Duke [3]
ABC Eyewitness News, May 7, 2013
Dr. Lisanby appeared on ABC News to talk about a form of magnetic brain stimulation, sTMS, currently being tested at Duke to treat major depression. "It's a really exciting time to be in the field because of this growth in new technologies that help us to interact with the brain in ways that were not possible 10 years ago."
Duke Researcher Brings Electricity, Magnetism to Depression Treatment [4]
North Carolina Health News, April 25, 2013
"The brain is an organ that responds to electricity,” said Sarah Lisbany, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Lisbany spoke to 50 people from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Wake County on Monday about ongoing studies and clinical opportunities at Duke.
Can Virtual Reality Treat Addiction? [5]
Popular Science, April 19, 2013
M. Zachary Rosenthal, PhD and his team are using psychology virtual reality software to mimic relapse environments so that patients trying to overcome addiction can learn how to resist their cravings.
Family history of Alzheimer’s associated with abnormal brain pathology [6]
Duke News and Communication, April 17, 2013
Close family members of people with Alzheimer’s disease are more than twice as likely as those without a family history to develop silent buildup of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.
The Psychology of Terror Can Be Resisted [7]
DukeToday, April 16, 2013
Duke's Timothy Strauman, Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, commented that tragedies like the explosions in Boston remind us that "the world is never going to be a completely safe and benign place...But we also know that we will continue to survive and thrive as a community and that we will not let our way of life be fundamentally altered."
How many beds are enough? [8]
News & Observer, March 31, 2013
NC has lost over 50% of state hospital beds and about 500 community psych beds from the twin forces of state cutbacks and behavioral health managed care pressures.
People with depression may not reap the full benefits of healthy behaviors [9]
Duke News & Communication, March 26, 2013
Depression may inhibit the anti-inflammatory effects typically associated with physical activity and light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.
Hospital emergency rooms are on front lines during mental health crisis [10]
Charlotte Observer, March 10, 2013
With an increasing number of mental health patients seeking care from the ER, Dr. Marvin Swartz, head of our Division of Social and Community Psychiatry, states that "hospitals have been left in a terrible squeeze.”
Mental Health Laws Failing, Experts Say [11]
The Leaf Chronicle, March 3, 2013
Federal law prevents people from legally purchasing guns if they have been judged “mentally defective” or if they have been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital. "That casts a wide but porous net — identifying lots of people with mental disorders who are not violent, while often missing the few who do pose a significant risk," says Duke Psychiatry's Jeffrey Swanson.
Effects of Bullying Last Into Adulthood, Study Finds [12]
New York Times, February 20, 2013
Exciting new research, the most comprehensive effort to date, on the long-term effects of bullying by some of our child and adolescent experts, Drs. Copeland, Angold, and Costello.
ADHD Story not the Norm [13]
News & Observer, February 16, 2013
Dr. Scott Kollins, Director of the Duke ADHD Program, contributed a Letter to the Editor in response to a Feb. 2 article in the NYT [14]depicting the sad story of Richard Fee, a 24-year old who was addicted to Adderall and ended up taking his own life. Dr. Kollins shares that this story does not reflect recommended routine care for people with ADHD.
Promising Depression Therapy [15]
New York Times, February 11, 2013
Dr. Lisanby discusses transcranial direct current stimulation, a milder and less expensive form of brain stimulation that recent studies show is a safe alternative for medication and psychotherapy-resistant depression.
Number of Alzheimer's patients could triple by 2050 [16]
CBS This Morning, February 7, 2013
Dr. Doraiswamy said that the expectation is based on three things: more people getting tested, better diagnosis, and an increase in life expectancy.
Electrical Stimulation Plus Drug Fights Depression: Study Finds [17]
US News, February 6, 2013
Duke Psychiatry Chair, Dr. Lisanby shares that electrical brain stimulation techniques "offer great promise for people with depression, because we know, unfortunately, medications aren't always effective, and psychotherapy isn't always effective, so having effective alternatives is important."
Duke study shows magnet therapy can help depression [18]
WRAL-TV, February 5, 2013
Dr. Lisanby and Dr. Krystal were featured in a short television segment on their translational research using a new form of magnetic therapy to treat depression. The new magentic coil used in their clinical study was recently approved by the FDA and now offers a broader spectrum of treatment options for depression.
Mysteries of the Mind: Researchers take aim at schizophrenia's thinking problems [19]
Post-Gazette, January 28, 2013
The cognitive challenges people with schizophrenia face are the result of fundamental wiring and biochemical problems in their brains that scientists are still trying to unravel, and they are the biggest obstacle to being able to live a somewhat normal life, shares Richard Keefe, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.
Yoga and the Mind: Can Yoga Reduce Symptoms of Major Psychiatric Disorders? [20]
Time, January 28, 2013
In order to explore the widely held belief that practicing yoga can relieve mental stress, a team of Duke researchers reviewed more than 100 studies on the effect of yoga and mental health
Durham mental health initiative strives to address treatment gaps [21]
News and Observer, January 19, 2013
Duke Psychiatry's Helen Egger, MD is heading a community effort that the News & Observer called an "ambitious new project...striving to make a lasting difference" in access to quality mental health care for children and young adults.
Gun Policy Summit Video Archive [22]
Johns Hopkins University, January 14-15, 2013
Duke Psychiatry's Jeff Swanson, PhD presented as an expert at a gun policy summit convened by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Gun Policy and Research and the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Putting Faith in Medicine [23]
Deseret News, January 12, 2013
There are "now close to 2,000 quantitative, original studies that show that religious involvement is related to better health," shares Harold Koenig, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and director of the Duke Center for Spirituality, Theology.
Marriage Might Lengthen Life [24]
Health Magazine and The Telegraph, January 11, 2013
Research conducted by Ilene Siegler, PhD, MPH, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, suggests that being single during midlife may raise the risk for premature death.
Mental Health Services Erode as States Slash Budgets [25]
Huffington Post, December 31, 2012
Dr. Marvin Swartz is cited in an article in the Huffington Post about the difficulties of accessing mental health services and the resulting implications for our criminal justice system.
Are Spiritual Communities Healthier? [26]
Huffington Post, December 28, 2012
A recent study by Duke Psychiatry's Dr. Harold Koenig revealed that older people who regularly attend religious services have elevated levels of a protein that indicates positive immune function.
Mass Murders: Why Us? Why the U.S.? [27]
HealthDay, December 21, 2012
In regard to the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook elementary, Dr. Jeffrey Swanson, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, explains that "It's not one factor."
Better care for mentally ill won’t be enough, experts say [28]
The Buffalo News, December 15, 2012
Dr. Marvin Swartz is quoted in this article discussing the challenges of identfying the risk of violent attacks such as Friday's school shooting in Connecticut.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illness, fifth revision (DSM-V) [29]
WUNC Public Radio, December 13, 2012
Dr. Dan Blazer discusses changes in the newly released DSM-V. He touches on the implications for patients and their insurance coverage, and more broadly, how this will impact the field of psychiatry.
Alzheimer's Diagnosis: More Tests Improve Chance Of Early Detection [30]
Huffington Post, December 11, 2012
Duke research has demonstrated that employing more types of diagnostic tests is correlated with a reduction in the rate of misdiagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.
Mobile Technology Helps Health Providers Treat Spanish-Speaking Patients [31]
Huffington Post, December 3, 2012
A new mobile app, Polyglot Med Spanish, created by the Duke Area Health Education Center (AHEC), offers immediate audio translation of over 3,000 common medical words, phrases, and assessment questions in English and Spanish.
Are humans getting dumber? [32]
CBS News, November 24, 2012
Murali Doraiswamy, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, discusses a new theory that says humans are getting dumber due to dilution of the gene pool.
Baby Boomers face mental health care shortage [33]
CNN, November 23, 2012
"Somewhere between five and eight million people today are suffering from mental health or substance abuse problems. That number is going to increase significantly as the Baby Boomers age," Dr. Dan Blazer, of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, is quoted in an interview.
Apes have mid-life crises too [34]
ABC News, November 19, 2012
Redford Williams, M.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, said a study suggesting that apes also reach an emotional low-point at midlife means hope for humans. "Don't worry if you are having a mid-life slump. Don't feel too guilty. It has a biological basis."
Gratitude helps with health and happiness [35]
Reporter Herald, November 17, 2012
Research by P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, suggests that positive mental habits, such as being thankful, can improve both your physical and mental well-being.
Answers About Alzheimer's [36] - Part 2
New York Times, November 16, 2012
Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy continues to answer readers' questions related to Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss. Part 2 addresses diagnostic issues, the role played by genetics, causes and policy issues.
Answers About Alzheimer's [37] - Part 1
New York Times, November 15, 2012
New York Times' Ask the Expert column featured Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, who answered readers' questions related to Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss. He is a professor of psychiatry at Duke and an author of “The Alzheimer’s Action Plan.”
'Predrinking' nearly doubles booze consumption: Study [38]
U.S. News & World Report, November 8, 2012
Scott Swartzwelder, Ph.D., professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences, said the behavior of 'predrinking' -- consuming alcohol at home before drinking at a bar -- raises questions about the drinking age. "There's a reasonable hypothesis that if you can drink legally, you'll be less likely to pile drinks on in your dorm room before you go out" to places where you cannot drink legally, he said.
PTSD Linked to Smaller Part of Brain [39]
WUNC North Carolina Public Radio, November 6, 2012
Raj Morey, professor of psychiatry, recently uncovered an association between the size of the Amygdala and occurance of PTSD in combat veterans. "I think this is just one piece of that puzzle that we will try to create to kind of define what are all the factors that constitute a vulnerability." Morey says eventually, a knowledge of all those factors could make it possible to target treatment more effectively.
Quitting smoking: Why some stop alone, others need aid [40]
Richmond Times Dispatch, November 4, 2012
"You have those different categories of folks for whom different treatment works...It might be those folks could have quit sooner had they come in for help," says Swartzwelder, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences who studies addiction at Duke's Center for Smoking Cessation.
Antidepressants during pregnancy can be tricky [41]
CNN Health News, October 31, 2012
For years, pregnant women who suffer from depression have been told that it is safer for them and their unborn child to continue taking antidepressants during pregnancy. Now a new study is challenging that advice. However, Marla Wald, a psychiatrist at Duke University Medical Center who specializes in perinatal and women's mental health, warns: "you're going to run the risk of letting mom slide into postpartum depression when perhaps you could have prevented this if you'd started treatment earlier."
Lifelong smoking cuts women's lives by a decade [42]
ABC Nightly News, October 26, 2012
Jed Rose, PhD, Director of the Duke Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research and Medical Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, appeared on NBC Nightly News discussing how lifelong smoking impacts women's health.
Adult picky eaters will only consume three kinds of food [43]
Good Morning America, October 26, 2012
“We don’t quite understand what adult picky eating is…but what we do know is that there is a real biological struggle going on that’s not all in their heads,” said Nancy Zucker, director of the Center for Eating Disorders at Duke University Medical Center, who studies picky eaters.
