A study shows that mentally-disabled adults are at significant risk of being victimized by violence compared to those without disabilities, according to researchers based in Liverpool John Moores University in United Kingdom. Though experts had known that the situation of mentally-ill individuals makes them vulnerable to violent actions by others, this is the first study that confirms the extent of this risk among mentally-disabled persons.
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Filed under Autism, Bipolar Disorder, Dementia, Down Syndrome, Major Depression, Mental Illness, Schizophrenia by on Mar 21st, 2012. Comment. 
Though lithium is touted as the most effective long-term treatment for swinging bouts of depression and mania in bipolar disorder, the medication is still marred by safety concerns. Lithium salts are long used to stabilize mood in people with bipolar disorder, mainly for mania, but it has narrow dosage limits which makes it easy to overdose the drug. It is marked as pregnancy category D, meaning it heightens risk of having congenital defects (mainly cardiac) to the fetus.
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Filed under Bipolar Disorder, Mental Illness by on Feb 28th, 2012. Comment.
A recent study shows that the atypical antipsychotic Risperidone is more effective in addressing childhood-onset mania compared to lithium and divalproex sodium, the common choice of drugs used for it. In addition, trials show that Risperidone is more tolerated by children. The study involved 279 children aged 6 to 15 years old with bipolar I disorder, which is primarily consists of manic episodes.
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Filed under Bipolar Disorder, Mental Illness by on Feb 9th, 2012. 1 Comment.
People with mood disorders and anxiety disorders are found to be at risk of getting addicted to non-prescribed opioids, said by the U.S Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) according to the statistics from National Epidemiological Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). The statistics made good distinction between prescribed and non-prescribed opioids.
Read more on People Suffering from Mood Disorders at Risk of Getting Hooked to Opioids…
Filed under Bipolar Disorder, Drug Abuse, Mental Illness by on Jan 28th, 2012. Comment.
