UCSF Psychiatry News

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences mourns the passing and celebrates the life of Dr. Jeree H. Pawl, who passed away peacefully on November 19, 2021.

A digital version of cognitive behavioral therapy, or dCBT, that previously had been shown to reduce insomnia during pregnancy may also prevent postpartum depression and reduce insomnia and anxiety in women up to six months after they give birth, according to a new study by researchers at UCSF.

Sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone have a profound influence on our bodies. That influence extends to our brains and, to some extent, how we think, feel, and act. The result is the premise of pretty much every romantic comedy ever made: Sometimes men and women confound each other.

CHANGE SF is a new program that will provide paid work-based learning opportunities for youth and young adults in the fields of mental and behavioral health and psychiatry.

Suicidal thoughts, “paranoia-like fears,” delusions and “foggy brain” have been identified in three adolescents who had mild or asymptomatic COVID-19. Now, a new study into their immune responses identifies a potential mechanism by which these symptoms emerged.

The 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) will be held virtually October 18–30, 2021, and numerous current and former UCSF faculty members and trainees will take part in this year's event.

Three UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences researchers — Holly K. Hamilton, PhD; Ryan Rampersaud, MD, PhD; and Frances Xia, PhD — have been awarded 2021 Young Investigator Grants by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) in recognition of their work as promising young scientists conducting innovative, cutting-edge neurobiological and psychiatric research.

UCSF faculty member Amy Byers, PhD, MPH, has been named a Clinical Science Research and Development (CSRD) Research Career Scientist by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs' Office of Research and Development.

UCSF Health physicians have successfully treated a patient with severe depression by tapping into the specific brain circuit involved in depressive brain patterns and resetting them using the equivalent of a pacemaker for the brain.

While research has shown that poor cardiovascular health can damage blood flow to the brain increasing the risk for dementia, a new study led by UC San Francisco indicates that poor mental health may also take its toll on cognition.