Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Archive

March 28, 2019

Treatment resistance of mental disorders studied

With the aid of a four-year, $3.4 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) will apply new techniques to investigate treatment resistance of two devastating mental disorders — major depressive disorder, which befalls 15 percent of people at some point in their lives, and schizophrenia, which affects approximately 1 percent.

By Paul Govern
March 21, 2019

Telemedicine, School-Based Psychiatry programs increase access to care

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s School-Based Psychiatry Program is now offering telemedicine services for children and families who may have barriers to accessing appointments with a practitioner through traditional clinics.

By Kelsey Herbers
March 7, 2019

Brain aging occurs at accelerated rate in patients with psychosis

According to a new study by Vanderbilt researchers, normal brain aging patterns in patients with a psychotic disorder occur at an accelerated rate, impacting the patient’s cognitive functioning and suggesting treatment intervention in the early psychosis period may improve long-term outcomes.

By Kelsey Herbers
Art students from Father Ryan High School prep the cubes for VUMC patients by sanding and painting their surfaces.
March 7, 2019

Student project helps peers in psychiatric treatment

Mike Mitchell, visual arts instructor at Father Ryan High School, and Meg Benningfield, MD, MSCI, division director for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, have been close friends since their children enrolled in the same kindergarten six years ago.

By Kelsey Herbers
January 31, 2019

Study explores genetic risk for suicide attempt

Using data from the UK Biobank and Vanderbilt’s BioVU, a new study in the journal Molecular Psychiatry finds that approximately 4 percent of suicide attempt risk is captured by genotype data.

By Paul Govern
January 24, 2019

Study to track teen development in those with, without autism

A new study examining stress and arousal across pubertal development in youth with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is now enrolling participants, thanks to a $2.3 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

By Kelsey Herbers
December 13, 2018

VUMC Addiction Consultation Service sees rising demand

An Addiction Consultation Service, specialized training for physicians and changes in the language used in addiction cases are the first of many in a series of new clinical approaches being offered around addiction care as Vanderbilt University Medical Center — and the rest of the country — see an increased demand for such services.
By Kelsey Herbers
November 1, 2018

Heckers honored by National Alliance on Mental Illness

Stephan Heckers, MD, MSc, William P. and Henry B. Test Professor of Schizophrenia Research and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, was recently recognized by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) with a 2018 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award.
By Kelsey Herbers
September 20, 2018

Fibromyalgia: More doctor visits mean fewer suicide attempts

Fibromyalgia patients who regularly visit their physicians are much less likely to attempt suicide than those who do not, according to a new Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published in Arthritis Care & Research.
By Craig Boerner
September 6, 2018

Nicotine patch shows promise in treating late-life depression

A Vanderbilt University Medical Center pilot study of treating late-life depression in nonsmokers with transdermal nicotine (nicotine patch) has yielded some promising results, but the study’s author cautions that more study is needed.
By Nancy Humphrey
July 19, 2018

Awards bolster investigators’ bipolar disorders research

Two Vanderbilt University researchers have been awarded Blake A. Jenkins Discovery Awards in support of basic and/or translational research into bipolar disorder and related conditions with an emphasis on early detection, intervention and utilizing brain imaging.
By Nancy Humphrey
May 18, 2018

Shaping reward circuits

Using techniques to control and monitor the activities of individual neurons, Vanderbilt investigators are probing the brain’s reward circuitry.
By Leigh MacMillan
May 17, 2018

Bladder pain syndrome no laughing matter for comedian

Local comedian Ashley Corby, 35, overshares with her audience as part of her standup routine, including a 5-minute bit about “shady” rest areas she has visited due to interstitial cystitis (IC), a bladder pain syndrome affecting 3 million to 8 million people in the United States.
By Craig Boerner