Teens who smoke are more likely to quit if they can be convinced to participate in a cessation program that emphasizes the health risks of smoking, provides motivational encouragement and coping skills, and encourages a healthy overall lifestyle.
Bipolar disorder is often not recognized in children or is misdiagnosed as ADHD. Therapy along with a combination of medications can be effective, but there is often a lengthy dosage adjustment trial period, and there are numerous possible side effects.
The study of a protein in mice led to an unintentional discovery about a possible influence on the development of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Another potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease failed in a randomized trial to perform better than a placebo.
Lithium is one of the most effective treatments for bipolar disorder, but long-term lithium use may cause kidney problems. Kidney function of patients should be monitored through regular testing.
The onset of dementia can increase the risks of driving for older people. Older drivers, their family members, and doctors should be alert for patterns of behavior that indicate diminished capacity behind the wheel.
Young people with an opioid addiction who received a more prolonged treatment regimen during a study were less likely to relapse, but after the study’s end they were almost as likely to use again as the group receiving less intensive treatment.
Young children with obsessive-compulsive disorder may benefit from family-based cognitive behavioral therapy.
Elderly patients with dementia who were exposed to bright light for several hours each day showed a slight improvement in symptoms.
Researchers used rewards and enticements to demonstrate that smokers might be more likely to quit if they were offered something that they percieved as more valuable than the pleasure derived from smoking.