Teenagers diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at more risk of dropping out of school or having a delayed high school graduation than students with other mental disorders

Next to its tarry opiate cousin, "hillbilly heroin" appears clean and trustworthy — pastel tablets neatly engraved with the dosage digits of modern medicine.

But oxycodone packs a painkilling wallop with a strong addictive force. It hooked Rush Limbaugh, and these days it has gained a firm foothold in the youth party scene — with grim consequences.

Despite some improvement, Arizona continues to rank in the bottom half of states when it comes to indicators of children's well-being. The latest Kids Count Data Book puts Arizona 39th among the states in areas such as school dropouts, teen pregnancy and childhood deaths.

Using a train-the-trainer program that enlists healthcare providers to train their colleagues, the National Environmental Education Foundation recently launched an initiative designed to help pediatric healthcare professionals improve children’s health by “prescribing” outdoor activity

Dr. Charles Raison, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, offers thoughts today on new research on diagnosing bipolar disorder in children. Every Tuesday, he answers viewer questions on mental health on CNNHealth.com.

I get a lot of reader questions on bipolar disorder, particularly bipolar in children. In fact in May we had quite an interesting conversation about whether bipolar disorder can really be diagnosed in young children and the stress and guilt that parents feel in these situations.

With more than 1 million troops leaving active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan between 2002 and 2009, the need to help soldiers keeps growing, and more private hospitals are tailoring their services to aid the troops.

Teens with sunnier outlooks also tend to be healthier, a new study finds.

University of South Florida researchers found that teens' positive emotions and moods, as well as their satisfaction with life, may be more important than either anxiety or depression levels for predicting physical health.

The study included more than 400 American students in grades 6 to 8 at a suburban middle school. The participants provided information about their physical health and feelings about a number of things.

Suicides among Army and Air National Guard and Reserve troops have spiked this year, and the military is at a loss to explain why.

Sixty-five members of the Guard and Reserve took their own lives during the first six months of 2010, compared with 42 for the same period in 2009. The grim tally is further evidence that suicides continue to plague the military even though it's stepped up prevention efforts through counseling and mental-health awareness programs.

"Suicides among military personnel and veterans are at an epidemic rate, and it's getting worse," said Tim Embree, a former Marine who served two tours in Iraq and is now a legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group.

To understand what a responsible level of alcohol use is, one needs to know the warning signs of problem drinking.

Recently the federal government moved to make disability benefits more accessible to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It's a welcome step, but it does not go far enough. The government should actively encourage private hospitals and other nonprofits to partner with the Veterans Administration (VA) in efforts to destigmatize this disorder, and to make adequate care more widely available in every community across the country.

Representatives from the Cottonwood Police and Sedona Police Departments, Camp Verde Marshal's Office and Yavapai County Sheriff's Office met July 8 with representatives from the Verde Valley Guidance Clinic and Mingus Center to discuss the potential impact of decreased funding available for the mentally ill.

Drug therapy and making a switch in schools- to one better prepared to work with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – are the most effective treatments for those with the condition, a Consumer Reports Health survey finds.

The analysis included parents of more than 900 children or adolescents under the age of 18 who had ADHD, which is characterized by excessive and prolonged inattentive behaviors, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The CDC estimates that 4.5 million children aged 5-17 in the U.S. had an ADHD diagnosis in 2006.

Poverty is perhaps the most important factor in whether inner-city heterosexuals are infected with the AIDS virus, according to the first government study of its kind.

The study, released Monday, suggests that HIV is epidemic in certain poverty-stricken urban neighborhoods. And, more significantly, poor heterosexuals in those neighborhoods were twice as likely to be infected as heterosexuals who lived in the same community but had more money

Does your husband or wife constantly forget chores and lose track of the calendar? Do you sometimes feel that instead of living with a spouse, you’re raising another child?

Your marriage may be suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

An A.D.H.D. marriage? It may sound like a punch line, but the idea that attention problems can take a toll on adult relationships is getting more attention from mental health experts. In a marriage, the common symptoms of the disorder — distraction, disorganization, forgetfulness — can easily be misinterpreted as laziness, selfishness, and a lack of love and concern.

When an elderly Chicago couple were found buried alive in their debris-filled home recently, their plight became a public example of a poignant situation that faces millions of people: the inability to sort through and discard possessions, some of them truly just garbage.

Dozens of readers had questions for the Consults blog about the long-term effects of taking sleep medications. Here, Dr. Michael Thorpy and Shelby Freedman Harris of the Montefiore Medical Center Sleep Disorders Center respond.

As behavioral health advocates, our goal is pretty clear: help people suffering with a mental illness to recover and lead normal lives. Through proper therapy and medication, we've proudly achieved that goal time and again.

But on July 1, state lawmakers allowed yet another penny-wise, pound-foolish move to hurt Arizona's most vulnerable residents. With little public input or fanfare, Gov. Jan Brewer and the Legislature stripped away critical behavioral health medications for thousands of people and forced doctors to provide substandard and medically unsound treatments.

The stigma associated with mental illness is a tough one to battle. In most cases, the idea that a person with a mental illness is unstable, even possibly dangerous, is not true. For some, it's hard to see past that.

Alicia Brown, however, can see past the stereotype. As the director of Community Relations for Triple R Behavioral Health, a statewide organization that aims to help those suffering from mental illness, she sees all kinds.

When police arrested him for domestic violence, Iraq war veteran Parker Tibbetts knew it was time to get help.

For years after his 2004 homecoming, he tried to suppress his combat stress symptoms.

Healthcare professionals need to develop greater understanding of the specific needs of lesbian patients and adopt a more sensitive approach to the advice they give them, according to research in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing

Over the eight years that Mary Cusack has been raising her son, Nicky, she's become familiar with finger 'stims' -- the repetitive hand movements that Nicky and others with autism often display. If left unchecked, Nicky's stimming can interfere with everyday activities.

The Russian capital's shiny new metro station is called Dostoevskaya, after author Fyodor Dostoevsky. But that's not what's getting the buzz in the international press.

The Moscow station has grayscale mosaics depicting scenes from Dostoevsky's stories, which are characteristically dark and violent. One image shows the "Crime and Punishment" protagonist murdering two women with an ax, and another shows a man holding a gun to his head. The latter isn't the focal point of the station; it's one of several artistic renderings of Dostoevsky's fiction on the walls.

I have problem with a 30-year-old male in my family who is constantly in a state of high. He is prescribed Adderall by his doctor and his friends have told me he snorts it. His condition is escalating to the point of violence against relatives. I am very concerned because he has sole custody of a 9-year-old child. I have asked his doctor to cease prescribing Adderall to him but he continues. He stays awake for as long as five nights and his doctors tell us that is physically impossible. The doctors see him occasionally and we see him daily. I know he is going to end up dead or in jail. I'm so afraid of what is happening to him.

Mental illness can take years off a person’s life, but perhaps not as many as previously thought.

Recent research shows that serious and persistent mental illness can result in patients losing up to four years of life compared to individuals without mental illness.

The Obama administration on Wednesday will unveil new rules specifying which preventive health services will be free to consumers under the new health law.

Cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies, as well as obesity prevention services, immunizations, blood pressure screenings and tobacco cessation services are among those that will be available to consumers without a copayment or other direct costs for consumers on new health plans after Sept. 23.

PITY the military or academic brat. Research suggests that an array of adult woes could be rooted in the early dislocation of moving house. Psychologists, sociologists and epidemiologists have long recognized that children who move often tend to perform worse in school and have more behavioral problems than those with a firmly rooted picket fence. Now, in an article last month, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology tracks the damage into adulthood.

Several states are preparing to make deep cuts to Medicaid as a federal stalemate over funding for the poor drags on—even as states face mandates to expand the program under the new health-care law.

U.S. government researchers found that adding the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) to alcohol treatment and behavioral therapy worked better than the latter two alone in reducing anger and aggression among alcoholic men with a history of violence toward their partners.

The clinical trial was small -- only 24 men completed the study -- and lasted only three months, but the findings lay the groundwork for larger trials, according to Dr. David T. George and colleagues at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

When the sun dips below the Rocky Mountains and the streets of Denver go dark, Lokki, his girlfriend Magic and their friend Tripp head home.

They climb in between the rafters of a highway overpass, crouching as they sit under the concrete structure that rumbles with every car that crosses overhead.

It is where they will sleep tonight. It is where they say they can live safely after escaping from abusive homes.

"It's pretty hard," says Magic, 18, when asked about living on the streets. "But most of the time it's just life, you know. Life's not going to be easy."

A new study suggests African-American women’s beliefs about depression and depression care are consistently and systematically influenced by racism.

Researchers report success in helping psychotic patients improve their self-efficacy, thereby reducing stress and improving quality of life.

Self-efficacy, a tenet of positive psychology, is based on the belief that individuals can learn to take control of their behavior and that their own actions and decision influence the events that shape their life.

ANNUAL check-ups and company “wellness programmes” have become a familiar part of the corporate landscape. More than half of America’s larger companies offer advice on stopping smoking and fighting flab. More than a third have gyms. Some have rechristened their canteens as “nutrition centres”. IBM is among a growing band of companies that offer workers financial incentives (such as cheaper medical co-payments) to encourage them to lose weight and exercise regularly. AstraZeneca has installed treadmills in its offices so workers can exercise their legs, albeit gently, while holding meetings. PricewaterhouseCoopers provides massage and yoga sessions

Not every emergency room visit involves a physical problem. Out of 95 million visits made to emergency rooms by adults in the U.S. in 2007, 12 million, or 12.5%, had to do with mental disorders, a substance abuse problem, or both.

Anxiety disorders may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and death in people with heart disease, a new Dutch study suggests.

The research included over 1,000 people with stable coronary heart disease who were assessed for anxiety disorder at the start of the study and then followed for an average of 5.6 years.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled an innovative new online tool on July 1, 2010, which will help consumers take control of their health care by connecting them to new information and resources that will help them access quality, affordable health care coverage Called for by the Affordable Care Act, HealthCare.gov is the first Web site to provide consumers with both public and private health coverage options tailored specifically for their needs in a single, easy-to-use tool. This site has a central database of health coverage options, combining information about public programs, from Medicare to the new Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan, with information from more than 1,000 private insurance plans.

"HealthCare.gov helps consumers take control of their health care and make the choices that are right for them, by putting the power of information at their fingertips," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "For too long, the insurance market has been confusing and hard to navigate. HealthCare.gov makes it easy for consumers and small businesses to compare health insurance plans in both the public and the private sector and find other important health care information."

As the health care market transforms, so will HealthCare.gov. In October 2010, price estimates for health insurance plans will be available online and, moving forward, new information on preventing disease and illness and improving the quality of health care for all Americans also will be posted.

"People need to see what choices are offered, what options cost, and how coverage works in practice," said Karen Pollitz, Deputy Director for Consumer Support, Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. "Today, HealthCare.gov takes an important first step in that direction. In the coming months and years, we will add pricing and plan performance information so that consumers can see and understand and make meaningful choices about their health coverage."

This Fourth of July, the U.S. National Cancer Institute is drawing attention to the public health issue of women and smoking by encouraging American women to take a "Smokefree Pledge" to kick the habit.

The institute said that women are more aware than ever of the dangers of cigarettes, and three out of four female smokers say they would like to quit.

Suicide rates are rising for men and women between the ages of 45 and 54, but according to a report recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rates are highest for men. The problem is especially troublesome in Arizona, where the rate of death from suicide is almost 40 percent higher than the national average.

Telemedicine is allowing North Country HealthCare to expand its primary care services across a very large service area from Lake Havasu City on Arizona's California border to Springerville on the New Mexico border.

The technology makes it possible for patients to visit medical providers miles away via direct video conference links coupled with high tech instruments such as hand-held examination cameras or digital stethoscopes.

When it comes to treating eating disorders and addictions, the path to recovery may be even harder -- and less straightforward -- for children and teens than it is for adults, experts say.

Officials say there are 12,000 mental health patients in Arizona who do not qualify for the state's Medicaid program.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in state budget cuts will take effect Thursday, impacting services for people across Arizona.

Some of the hardest hit programs are in health services, all day kindergarten, state parks, state tourism, Dial-A-Ride transportation assistance, and mental illness assistance.

Weight gain as a side effect of antidepressants is very common and distressing. Patients may even stop their medication because they have gained so much weight. No one has a good explanation for how these drugs increase eating. Nonetheless, people report never feeling satisfied after a meal and continually craving carbohydrates. Sometimes they find themselves binging.

Some of the most vulnerable mentally ill patients in the state will soon have to get by with a lot less help.

"I feel like the state sent me a letter saying, 'We don't think you are worthy of recovery, have a nice life,'" said Tito Espinoza, who takes antipsychotic pills along with many others.

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Share Comments 86 I don't understand why anyone would go to a psychotherapist after witnessing how they are portrayed in the media. Especially the know-it-all shrinks who are sure they are right when you agree with them and are sure they are right when you disagree with them. (In the latter case, they would probably say you are using a "defense mechanism" that prevents you from recognizing the truth.) I just cringe when I hear that.

Everyone warns parents about the drama of the teen years—the self-righteous tears, slamming doors, inexplicable fashion choices, appalling romances.

But what happens when typical teen angst starts to look like something much darker and more troubling? How can parents tell if a moody teenager is simply normal—or is spinning out of control? This may be one of the most difficult dilemmas parents will ever face.

Given the inequality in healthcare in the United States, it's no surprise that some groups of people suffer far worse health outcomes than people with better resources. But if there is one group that has been especially overlooked in this equation, it's black and Latino boys. The major factor in their poor health, according to a new report by the California Endowment, is where they live. Growing up in poor and stressful neighborhoods with limited healthcare resources leads to poor health.

A nationwide report issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveals that from 1992 to 2007 there were significant changes in the patterns of substance abuse treatment admissions among pregnant teens both in terms of the kinds of substances involved and among different ethnic and racial groups.

IT BELONGS to every citizen to have in mind what the nation’s present wars are doing — not only to US troops, Iraqis and Afghans, and the faceless enemy, but to the American character. We have come to understand that the brutalities of combat can shatter participants psychologically as well as physically.

To many parents’ chagrin, researchers have found the mentoring they provide to their children does not influence whether their teen chooses to drink alcohol.

West Yavapai Guidance Clinic has provided high-quality treatment for thousands upon thousands of people for 44 years and knows all about what offering hope through effective treatment and recovery is all about.

As CEO of the largest nationally accredited agency for mental health, addiction, and crisis services in Yavapai County, I know well the tough choices lawmakers are making in Phoenix as a result of the state's budget crisis. I've been told that we just don't have the resources.

For Mary Calhoun Brown, the term "Asperger's" is crucial to conveying to schools that although her 15-year-old son has had social difficulties, he has a near-genius IQ and great speaking ability.

A study of the adverse effects of 4 second-generation antipsychotics in children and adolescents documented substantial weight gain during 11 weeks of treatment with each agent, with the increased abdominal fat that has been associated with development of metabolic syndrome in adults. Metabolic abnormalities emerged with 3 of the 4 agents, differing in type and severity with the agent and, in some cases, with the dose.

Feelings of unhappiness, decreased energy, insomnia and irritability are all symptoms of depression. And antidepressants can help relieve depression.

You have seen movies in which characters have acted violently. Many times, these characters also have a mental illness. Violence is one common stereotype of psychological disorders, along with rebellion and child-like behavior. In The Dark Knightand Me, Myself, and Irene, a character has multiple personality disorder, which is said to cause demonic or mean behavior. Harvey Dent develops a second, evil personality called Two-Face, while Charley Baileygates is known to lash out at random due to his other, less friendly, personality. In each character, mental illness is shown to bring out violence, instead of many other possible behaviors. As such, these movies add to the stigma that surrounds mental disorders.

The U.S. Health & Human Services Department's National Institutes of Health has discretionary grant opportunities to support research for the development of treatment for drug and other substance abuse and dependence among populations with pain. This funding opportunity uses the R03 award mechanism.

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On May 26, Schala Vera was taken to Chandler Regional Medical Center. Apparently, her mother feared the young child had been molested while living with relatives in another state. A social worker at the hospital had called Child Protective Services, reporting that the girl seemed uncomfortable around the mother's boyfriend.

Can traumatic brain injury cause a person to develop a mental health problem or trigger an underlying problem not yet discovered, which then causes the person to create a fantasy world while in a coma, which, when they awake they are adamant is real?