Schizophrenia

...ba href=/schizophrenia/a/b, a disorder characterized by hallucinations that affects 24 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization in Geneva.

The pills also are gaining wider use for adolescents with depression, autism and hyperactivity, dementia in the aged and even insomnia.

Almost half of Seroquel sales in 2006 were for disorders for which AstraZeneca has yet to gain regulatory approval, according to Datamonitor Plc, a London-based market research firm.

The other half was for approved indications such as treating ba href=/schizophrenia/a/b and for bi-polar disorder, also known as manic depression, according to Terence McManus, a Datamonitor analyst.

The amount of off-label use is ``across the class,'' McManus said in an interview March 6.

Seroquel sales increased 24 percent in 2006 to $3.4 billion.

Revenue may jump 30 percent more this year to $4.4 billion, according to David Seemungal, an analyst at Standard & Poor's Equity in London.

He estimates that Seroquel sales of London- based AstraZeneca will peak in 2010 at $5.75 billion.

`Policies in Place' ``We have policies in place that provide direction around the appropriate promotion of our product,'' said Jim Minnick, an AstraZeneca spokesman.

Lilly's spokeswoman Carole Puls said the drugmaker doesn't promote off-label use.

Johnson & Johnson spokesman Srikant Ramaswami declined to comment on why off-label use is increasing.

``We promote our products only for their...

... PressZoom.com - Global News Service - News and Press Release Distribution Site Navigation Current Headlines PressZoom Archive Submit Release Release Help Sample Template About PressZoom New Client Account Manage Account Customer Helpdesk Terms of Service Privacy Policy XML Syndication Free XML Feeds Useful Sites + News Search + Google Search + Navisso Search Severe PTSD Damages Children's Brains Severe stress can damage a child's brain, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

The researchers found that children with post-traumatic stress disorder and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol were likely to experience a decrease in the size of the hippocampus - a brain structure important in memory processing and emotion.

(PressZoom) - Severe stress can damage a child's brain, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

The researchers found that children with post-traumatic stress disorder and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol were likely to experience a decrease in the size of the hippocampus - a brain structure important in memory processing and emotion.

Although similar effects have been seen in animal studies, this is the first time the findings have been replicated in children.

The researchers focused on kids in extreme situations to better understand how stress affects brain development.

"We're not talking about the stress of ...

...ba href=/schizophrenia/a/b that are associated with addiction.

In 2000, this supra-regional program was relocated to Montreal and now occupies new facilities on the upper floor of the new centre at 2455 Lionel-Groulx Avenue.

Resulting from close cooperation with mental health professionals from Greater Montreal hospitals, this program employs a notified therapeutic approach and respects each individual's attention span, learning ability and rate of progress.

The program seeks not only to improve user's quality of life, but to significantly reduce the occurrence of crisis situations and relapses.

This pioneering program is partly funded by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux and by Portage's partners, principally the EJLB Foundation.

New facilities The mother and child program and the program for mentally ill chemical abusers moved into their new facilities in November 2006.

The site offers numerous benefits and has been specifically designed to meet resident needs.

Both treatment programs can, accordingly, share certain common services, while remaining physically separate from each other.

"Portage invested $5 million in this project's deployment so that it could provide a better response to needs of the beneficiaries of both programs," said Peter Howlett, Portage's president.

He added: "A visit to the centre will reveal the meticulous planning that has gone into facilitating the assimilation of beneficiaries." Portage Since 1970, Portage has helped over 33,000 ...