Feature Channels: Psychology and Psychiatry

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There is good news for people who take antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the most commonly prescribed antidepressants in the United States. A new preliminary study has found that they are not associated with an increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage, the deadliest kind of stroke. The preliminary study released today, February 25, 2021, will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 73rd Annual Meeting being held virtually April 17 to 22, 2021.

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Black men and women, as well as adolescent boys and girls, may react differently to perceived racial discrimination, with Black women and girls engaging in more exercise and better eating habits than Black men and boys when faced with discrimination, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

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A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society provides a roadmap that critical care clinicians’ professional societies can use to address burnout. While strongly needed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the roadmap has taken on even greater urgency due to reports of increasing pandemic-related burnout.

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Having depression is known to increase your risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. Now a new, preliminary study released today, February 24, 2021, reports that if people do develop Alzheimer’s disease, those with depression may start experiencing dementia symptoms about two years earlier than those who do not have depression. People with anxiety who develop Alzheimer’s may start experiencing dementia symptoms about three years earlier than those who do not have anxiety, according to the study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 73rd Annual Meeting being held virtually April 17 to 22, 2021.

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“We are facing a crisis in the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN), a debilitating, expensive, and frequently fatal illness,” say the authors of a Viewpoint published in the Journal of the American Medical Association – Psychiatry. A Task Force of the Academy for Eating Disorders, led by Walter H. Kaye, MD, Professor at the University of California San Diego, and Cynthia M. Bulik, PhD, Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and composed of senior clinicians and researchers from university and nonprofit eating disorder treatment centers throughout the United States, is issuing a call for immediate action to address “The Treatment of Patients With Anorexia Nervosa in the US – A Crisis in Care.”

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University of Illinois Chicago social psychologist examines what values people view as relevant for morality

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Politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic had a powerful influence over adherence to social distancing guidelines in the United States and why people did, or did not, comply during the lockdown days, a new study has found.

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Small changes to people's writing style can reveal which social group they "belong to" at a given moment, new research shows.

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A recent study shows residential mobility boosts global charitable giving. The findings, say the researchers, introduce residential mobility as a factor to be explored in business and marketing research for how it influences consumer behavior.

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The weight of isolation and loss of social connection caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded existing psychosocial-emotional issues already experienced by adults who identify as sexual or gender minorities (SGM). And while many people globally and across the United States—regardless of their gender identity—are experiencing pandemic anxiety at some level, those who identify as SGM appear to have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic both physically and mentally.

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Dropping out of high school, having schizophrenia, or being diagnosed with a co-occurring personality disorder increases the likelihood of someone becoming a “high utilizer” of inpatient psychiatric hospital services, according to a new study by researchers at UTHealth. A high utilizer is someone who has been admitted three or more times within one year.

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An international research team used the ultrabright X-rays of the Advanced Photon Source to examine neurons in the brains of schizophrenia patients. What they learned may help neurologists treat this harmful brain disorder.

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During this unique study, a team of researchers led by Professor Jane Ogden from the University of Surrey investigated the impact of actively preparing or watching others prepare food (e.g., on a cooking show) versus distraction away from this focus. Researchers sought to understand how this may affect the amount of food consumed and influence the desire to continue eating.

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What should researchers do if they encounter a study participant who reports suicidal thoughts?UIC College of Nursing associate professor Susan Dunn explores this question as lead author of Suicide Risk Management Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of Cardiac Patients Reporting Hopelessness, a paper published in the January/February edition of Nursing Research.

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Women face many female-specific risks for heart disease and stroke, including pregnancy, physical and emotional stress, sleep patterns and many physiological factors, according to multiple studies highlighted in this year’s Go Red for Women® special issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association, published online today.

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According to a 2017 UCLA study, students with ADHD make up about 6% of the college student population and represent the most common type of disability supported by college disability offices.

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Stress was the most common reason teachers cited for leaving the profession before and during the pandemic, according to a RAND Corporation survey of nearly 1,000 former public-school teachers.

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If depression is making it more difficult for some unemployed people to land a job, one type of therapy may help, research suggests.

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In a study released Feb. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine researchers found that six 20-minute telephone calls over eight weeks coaching participants on how to get better sleep improved their sleep, pain, and daytime function. The improvements in sleep and daytime function persisted 12 months after treatment. One of the lead investigators who has been researching age and sleeping for 40 years offers great tips on getting better sleep. Just because you are aging, does NOT mean your sleep needs to get worse.

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The aim of the current study is to examine whether communities reporting an increased risk for developing mental health issues showed differential patterns of legal cannabis use as the pandemic began. A secondary goal is to examine the feasibility of using anonymized location data to uncover community consumption patterns of potential concern.

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Mount Sinai researchers have identified a neural pathway through which the brain detects errors and guides subsequent behavioral improvement.

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Parent education programs and interventions that begin shortly after the birth of a child have shown to significantly impact parenting behaviors that support social and academic engagement for children growing up in poverty.

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A study of over 1,700 U.S. young people exposed to four major hurricanes found that just a few of them reported chronic stress, and the trajectories among most youth reflected recovery or low-decreasing post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, according to research recently published in JAMA Network Open.

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Law enforcement and those in the military, rather than doctors and celebrities, are the most preferred messengers on firearm safety, a Rutgers study found.

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Irregular sleep schedules can affect mood and risk of developing symptoms of depression according to a study of first-year medical residents that used Fitbits and smartphones.

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Veterans who experienced the combination of low depression, high social support and high psychological resilience as they left military service were most likely to report high well-being a year later.

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Digital mental health apps and internet-based treatments could overcome both access problems and provider shortages. But these apps have yet to be adopted in the U.S. healthcare system. One reason is that these apps need payment and reimbursement models that would enable broad adoption. Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine recently published results to help propel policymakers to create these payment models. They proved that an app to help people with serious mental illness was just as effective as a clinic-based group intervention for half the cost.

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Mamilda Robinson, a specialty director and clinical instructor of psychiatric-mental health at Rutgers School of Nursing, and Daniela Moscarella, a pediatric clinical instructor at Rutgers School of Nursing and president-elect for the New Jersey Chapter of National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, discuss signs that a child needs behavioral health assistance and how parents can seek clinical help.

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The Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative at UC San Diego has received a $1.3 million grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation to fund a clinical trial investigating the therapeutic potential of psilocybin in treating phantom limb pain.

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Fat stigma in women contributes to poor medical outcomes and negatively affects educational and economic opportunities. A new study from scientists at Arizona State University and Oklahoma State University shows that body shape, beyond overall weight, drives fat stigma. Women with overweight and obesity who carry gluteofemoral fat were less stigmatized than those who carry abdominal fat. These findings could affect how interventions for overweight and obesity are designed and delivered.

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Almost half of people testing positive for coronavirus have reported symptoms of depression, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

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When people pause before replying to a question, even for just a few seconds, their answers are perceived to be less sincere and credible than if they had replied immediately, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

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Antipsychotic drugs not only block dopamine signaling in the brain but also in the pancreas, leading to uncontrolled production of blood glucose-regulating hormones and, eventually, obesity and diabetes.

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The 10-member team made discoveries about a specific area of the brain tied to recollection and the desire to seek and consume food. It could lead to a way to inhibit the desire to overeat.

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The Internet has revolutionized our lives - whether in terms of working, finding information or entertainment, connecting with others, or shopping.

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Two new studies investigating child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic reveal "concerning results" that confirm warning signs seen early in the pandemic, according to researchers at UAB and the University of Michigan.

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Kevin Knoster, a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Communication Studies, led a study examining 165 married individuals and how their partners interfered with their daily routines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Broadening the definition of self-inflicted mortality to encompass most drug overdose deaths, WVU emeritus professor Ian Rockett led a study finding that the entire nation is afflicted by a mental health crisis. In recent years, western states have reported more suicides but Rockett’s research revealed that many drug overdose deaths in non-western states should have been classified as suicides.

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A new brain-and-behavior study from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania clarifies how the “anomalous-is-bad” stereotype manifests, and implicates a brain region called the amygdala as one of the likely mediators of this stereotype.

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New research finds first evidence that watching and learning from others can help reduce bias and improve decision-making. In business, the results could help improve hiring practices or increase cost savings.

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During the first confinement (18 March to 10 May 2020), people who reported worse sleep quality during a night also reported an increase in negative mood, psychotic-type like experiences and somatic complaints on the next day.

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Personality traits such as conscientiousness or sociability are patterns of experience and behavior that can change throughout our lives.

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Low-income middle-aged African-American women with high blood pressure very commonly suffer from depression and should be better screened for this serious mental health condition.