Mental Health, Autism | featured news

The biggest study yet into genetics and mental health has come up with a stunning result: The five most common mental illnesses -- autism, attention deficit disorder, bipolar disease, schizophrenia and major depression -- all have a common genetic root.

Researchers announced Tuesday the beginning of a FDA-approved clinical trial that uses umbilical cord blood stem cells to ‘cure’ autism. Dr. Michael Chez, director of pediatric neurology at Sutter Neuroscience Institute in Sacramento, Calif., said he and his colleagues have been processing the trial for more than a year now, and they have high hopes it will succeed.

Siblings of kids with autism have a higher risk of being diagnosed with the disorder than previously believed, suggests a new study.

Babies usually start paying attention to movement soon after birth, and pick up information from the cues they see but children with autism often do not.