Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

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.