Mental health Archives

Predicting psychosis risk to reduce its burden

September 13, 2023

Psychiatrist Matthew Hirschtritt discusses his project to identify patients who might have increased risk for psychosis, a serious mental health disorder.

Helping patients with addiction tackle their health needs

November 10, 2022

Teaching patients who are in addiction treatment to work with their primary care medical team on both mental and physical health concerns resulted in long-term benefits over 5 years, including more primary care use and fewer emergency department visits, Kaiser Permanente researchers have found.

Intervening with at-risk adolescents shows long-term benefits

September 27, 2022

A long-term Kaiser Permanente study following 1,851 adolescents who reported substance use or mood problems at a pediatric clinic found those who had access to a brief intervention and referral to treatment were less likely to have a related diagnosis 7 years later, in their 20s.

Pandemic stressors taking a toll on pregnant patients’ mental health

May 4, 2022

Pregnant patients surveyed by Kaiser Permanente researchers early in the COVID-19 pandemic reported more severe mental health symptoms when they were distressed about changes in prenatal care, childcare challenges, and food insecurity. A second study found disparities in how Black and Hispanic pregnant individuals experienced pandemic stressors compared with white patients.

Podcast: Friends, family, outdoors provide pandemic pregnancy support

May 4, 2022

A survey of Kaiser Permanente Northern California patients during the early months of the pandemic finds those who used certain coping mechanisms were less likely to have depression or anxiety symptoms.

New, innovative support for people with serious mental illness

April 20, 2022

An innovative telehealth program at Kaiser Permanente Northern California has added psychiatric clinical pharmacists to the care teams treating people with serious, persistent mental illness.

Online quiz can help parents assess if their teen has a substance use problem

February 1, 2022

An analysis by Kaiser Permanente researchers suggests there may be clues in a child’s medical history about their risk for a substance use problem. The investigators used that research and input from parents to develop a free online risk prediction tool that anyone can use.

Cannabis use by pregnant women increased during pandemic

September 27, 2021

A Kaiser Permanente analysis of more than 100,000 pregnancies in Northern California finds a 25% increase in the rate of cannabis use early in pregnancy after the pandemic began in spring 2020.

Teen suicidal thoughts and behaviors during pandemic vary by gender, diagnosis

September 1, 2021

The number of teens being seen at Kaiser Permanente Northern California emergency departments (ED) for suicidal thoughts and behaviors did not increase significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, though specific groups of teens may have sought care at higher rates during late 2020.

The findings were reported Sept. 1 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Study finds no link between autism and common antidepressant when used in pregnancy

June 8, 2021

Mothers with psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety were more likely to have a child with autism than mothers without such conditions, new research led by Kaiser Permanente investigators finds. But the analysis found no association between use of common antidepressants by pregnant women and likelihood of autism in their children.

Teens who stop taking ADHD medication at adulthood more prone to health, social problems

June 1, 2021

Teens diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often don’t take their medication regularly, and new Kaiser Permanente research finds the problem gets worse when they hit adulthood. The study also related non-adherence to ADHD medication with some negative health and social outcomes.

Mental health treatment rate rose early in pandemic

March 3, 2021

A detailed analysis of mental health treatment trends during the COVID-19 pandemic found a 7% increase in visits during the initial shelter-in-place period in 2020, compared with the same 3-month period in 2019.

Pediatrician screening of young people with substance use, mood problems can have long-term results

December 28, 2020

Adolescents who had access to a brief intervention and referral to treatment for substance use or mood problems at a pediatric clinic were less likely to have a related diagnosis 3 years later, new Kaiser Permanente research finds.

Gaining insight into medically complex patients

December 11, 2020

New Kaiser Permanente study aims to help providers improve the health of patients most likely to sustain high medical costs, frequently use the emergency department, or need to be hospitalized.

Depressed pregnant women more likely to eat poorer diets, Kaiser Permanente analysis finds

February 12, 2020

Pregnant women with depression were more likely to eat poor diets with a higher intake of empty calories and lower intake of greens, beans, and fruit, according to an analysis of 1,160 adult pregnant women who were treated at Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

Adult ADHD diagnoses rise sharply over a decade

November 1, 2019

The rate at which adults were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder doubled over ten years, increasing much faster than the diagnosis rate for children.

Behavioral health researchers seek new ways to problem-solve for patients

October 7, 2019

Kaiser Permanente clinicians and researchers with its Northern California Division of Research work closely together to identify ways creative thinking and research can improve behavioral care for patients.

New Guidelines for Perinatal Depression are Important, but Barriers Remain

February 12, 2019

New recommendations suggest that clinicians should provide or refer pregnant and postpartum women who are at increased risk of perinatal depression to counseling interventions. These recommendations are “an important step forward” wrote research scientists and doctors at Kaiser Permanente, in a JAMA Pediatrics editorial.

Primary Care is an Untapped Resource for Depression Screening

September 10, 2018

A new study has identified at-risk populations for which depression screening combined with hazardous alcohol use screening could catch depressive symptoms that might otherwise go untreated.

Making Mindfulness Feasible for Cancer Patients and Caregivers

July 10, 2018

Kaiser Permanente research scientist and yoga teacher Ai Kubo harnesses a popular smartphone app to fulfill her longtime goal of spreading the benefits of mindfulness scientifically.

Psychiatric Disorders, Stress-Related Medical Conditions, and Health Care Visits Rise Following Sexual Assault

June 4, 2018

Kaiser Permanente research provides the best evidence to date on the association between sexual assault, health disorders and healthcare use.

Kaiser Permanente Dataset Helps ID Dozens of Genetic Markers for Depression

April 30, 2018

By analyzing the genomes of people with depression and comparing them with the genomes of people without depression, a global team, including Kaiser Permanente researchers, identified 44 specific places in the human genome with links to depression.

Caring for Adults with Autism

April 27, 2018

April is Autism Awareness Month; a new body of Kaiser Permanente research highlights the needs of people with autism transitioning from pediatric to adult health care.

New Research Does Not Find Elevated Risk of Serious Cardiovascular Events Associated with Use of ADHD Medications in Young and Middle-aged Adults

December 21, 2011

In a recently published study, Division researchers found little evidence of increased risk of heart attack, sudden cardiac death or...

Autism registry is first Division project funded by new national mental health research network

April 28, 2011

A registry to advance research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) will be the first Division of Research project supported by...

Blue Sky: Kaiser Permanente holds first symposium exploring future of autism research