Asian-American immigrants who came to the United States before they were 25 years old have poorer mental health than their compatriots who came to this country when they were 25 or older, according to data from the first national mental health survey of Asian-Americans.

The study is noteworthy because it shows that using traditional measures of socio-economic status – number of years of school and household income – to predict health outcomes is not accurate for individuals who immigrate when they are children or young adults, according to Janxin Leu, a University of Washington assistant professor of psychology and lead author of the study. [continue reading…]

Allison Abbot reports in Nature on whether the difficulty in finding the genes responsible for mental illness reflect the complexity of the genetics or the poor definitions of psychiatric disorders?

Researchers are convinced that variations in DISC1 and many other genes can scramble the intricate and as yet inscrutable processes by which brain circuits develop and function, and that this scrambling leaves some people at greater risk of psychiatric problems than others. Even if one or more risk genes are present, external stress or some other event may decide whether and what symptoms are triggered.
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 Source: Nature

Statement of Michael J. Fitzpatrick
Executive Director NAMI
January 31, 2008

In recent weeks, a media circus and reckless speculation has surrounded events in the life of pop singer Britney Spears and her family.

Professional ethics require that mental health professionals who have not examined or treated individuals not presume to diagnose them.  A person’s treatment and recovery from any illness also is entitled to privacy—which in fact may be an important factor in recovery. [continue reading…]