The goal of this initiative is to support the identification, validation and manipulation of neural circuits that underlie cognitive, emotional, and social processes impacted in mental illnesses. The initiative is focused on probing psychiatrically relevant behavior through studies in non-human primates. This initiative is intended to complement existing NIMH-funded preclinical investigation of circuits which have often focused on smaller brains.
Source: nimh

Principal Investigator and Chief of the Behavioral Endocrinology Branch, Dr. Peter Schmidt, Research Fellow Dr. Shau-Ming Wei, and Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Kathy Reding, discuss the typical pubertal transition, how puberty affects brain development, what changes parents might expect in their children, and what NIMH hopes to learn from the research.
Source: nimh

On Tuesday, May 21, 2019, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Working Group will host a workshop to discuss mental health issues that affect people on the autism spectrum, including anxiety, depression, suicide, self-injurious and aggressive behavior, and mental health services.
Source: nimh

In this Director’s Message, Dr. Gordon discusses research-based advances in the understanding and treatment of depression.
Source: nimh

In recognition of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, Dr. Peter Schmidt, Principal Investigator and Chief of the Behavioral Endocrinology Branch, and Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Kathy Reding, will join NIMH’s Facebook Live event to discuss how puberty affects brain development.
Source: nimh

This workshop is intended to foster discussion among experts in the field with the goal of identifying future research priorities in the area of child suicide risk.
Source: nimh

On May 2, 2019, Dr. Gregory Berns presents “Seven Years and One-Hundred MRI-Dogs: Awake Unrestrained fMRI in Dogs Reveals Common Neurobiology and Implications for Human Health and Disease” as part of the NIMH Director’s Innovation Speaker Series.
Source: nimh

The United States may lack the resources needed to meet increases in demand for suicide prevention services that occur after celebrity suicides, according to a recent study of crisis mental health services published in the journal Psychiatric Services.
Source: nimh

A study conducted by researchers at several universities, hospitals, and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that the Netflix show “13 Reasons Why” was associated with a 28.9% increase in suicide rates among U.S. youth ages 10-17 in the month (April 2017) following the shows release, after accounting for ongoing trends in suicide rates.
Source: nimh

The National Institutes of Health invites students ages 16 to 18 years old to participate in the “Speaking Up About Mental Health!” essay contest to explore ways to address the stigma and social barriers that adolescents from racial and ethnic minority populations may face when seeking mental health treatment.
Source: nimh