Feature Channels: Psychology and Psychiatry

• share
• favorite_border

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.

• share
• favorite_border

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.

• share
• favorite_border

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.

• share
• favorite_border

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.

• share
• favorite_border

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

• share
• favorite_border

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.

• share
• favorite_border

Research has shown that adverse childhood experiences including abuse, neglect and family dysfunction increase the risk on kids for future trauma in their lives.

• share
• favorite_border

Handgun ownership, not shotgun ownership, is associated with greater odds of a person having died from self-inflicted gunshot wound rather than another suicide method, according to Rutgers researcher

• share
• favorite_border

Can long-term stress lead to heart attacks? Most people would probably answer in the affirmative, but the scientific evidence of this is scarce.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers from the University of Basel have developed a virtual reality app for smartphones to reduce fear of heights.

• share
• favorite_border

Loneliness can impact our mental and physical health—so how can we loosen its grip?

• share
• favorite_border

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that Jill RachBeisel, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, has been appointed to serve as the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, effective immediately. Dr. RachBeisel has served as the Department’s Interim Chair for the past two years and was previously Acting Chair and Vice Chair of the Department.

• share
• favorite_border

Holidays aren’t easy for everyone, so be sure to be kind—to yourself most of all

• share
• favorite_border

Feeding method and affectionate touch patterns in depressed and non-depressed mothers and babies as well as infant’s EEG activity showed that mother-infant affectionate touch differed as a function of mood and feeding method (breastfeeding and bottle-feeding). Infants in the depressed and bottle-fed group reduced touch toward their mothers while breastfeeding had a positive effect on both mother and baby. Infants of depressed and breastfeeding mothers showed neither behavioral nor brain development dysregulation previously found in infants of depressed mothers.

• share
• favorite_border

People treated with chronic opioid therapy for pain are more likely to live in socially disadvantaged areas and self-report worse anxiety, depression and pain that interferes in their lives, according to a new study presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting.

• share
• favorite_border

As families settle back into a new school year, sleep experts at the University of South Australia are reminding parents about the importance of teenagers getting enough sleep, cautioning them that insufficient sleep can negatively affect their mental health.

• share
• favorite_border

As teens' use of social media has grown over the past decade, so too has the suicide rate among younger people, with suicide now being the second leading cause of death among those ages 10 to 34.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Animal owners frequently report concerns and worries relating to caring for their animal during the pandemic, new research suggests.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

UC San Diego researchers report that climate change is a chronic mental health stressor, and promotes a variety of mental health problems. The 2018 Camp Fire is a case study.

• share
• favorite_border

People are able to approach social conflicts more wisely if they have trained themselves in advance by practicing a distanced self-talk technique, referring to themselves with third-person pronouns such as “she” or “they” rather than the first-person pronouns of “me” or “I.”

• share
• favorite_border

While it’s logical to assume that children who are mean have friendships characterized by growing strife and that children who are nice report little of the same, these assumptions haven’t been tested in the real-world friendships. A study of elementary-school children is the first to examine the extent to which being “nice” and being “mean” shape changes in friend perceptions of their relationship. Results confirm the widespread assumption that one child’s behavioral traits drive the other child’s friendship experiences.

• share
• favorite_border

Millions of Americans are working remotely due to Covid-19. Research by anthrozoologist Christy Hoffman, PhD, shows companion animals play a role in this new teleworking experience.

• share
• favorite_border

It’s well understood that a difficult childhood can increase the likelihood of mental illness, but according to new research from the University of South Australia, a happy and secure childhood does not always protect a child from developing a mental illness later in life.

• share
• favorite_border

Sexual assault and sexual harassment are significant problems in the U.S. military and military service academies in the United States.

• share
• favorite_border

We've all felt stressed at some point, whether in our personal or professional lives or in response to exceptional circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

I have been convinced of the importance of prevention in addressing mental-health problems since the early 1970s, when I began my doctorate in clinical psychology.

• share
• favorite_border

The UC Davis MIND Institute and the National Fragile X Foundation have launched an international registry of people carrying the fragile X premutation. The goal is to facilitate and encourage research about the genetic condition to improve understanding and treatment.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

A study of factors associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has led to a number of novel findings linking nutrition to experiences of PTSD.

• share
• favorite_border

People with severe mental disorders have a significantly increased risk of dying from COVID-19.

• share
• favorite_border

Making a choice quickly might appear effortless, but University at Buffalo research that measured cardiovascular responses in the moment of making a choice, rather than after-the-fact, suggests that the apparent swift certainty might instead be a defense from having to think too deeply about the choices being presented to them.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have developed a personalized system to accurately detect suicidal youths.

• share
• favorite_border

According to new findings by researcher's at Israel's Technion, the senses -- mainly smell and touch -- are vital in the process that allows us to relax and enjoy nature.

• share
• favorite_border

Doctors are seeing a surge in childhood suicides brought on by isolating conditions created by COVID-19. Parents can help by looking for red flags.

• share
• favorite_border

The majority of African American men return to prison within one to three years of their first release. A study explores why re-entry programs are not as effective for them when compared to others. Researchers suggest a holistic approach that addresses psychological and historical trauma in conjunction with the environmental factors that perpetuate the stigma justice-involved African American men experience. The approach accounts for negative associations developed in the centuries of oppression and segregation that shape their current societal interactions.

• share
• favorite_border

As the U.S. confronts a bitter election season, political unrest and violence, a shaky economy, and a soaring death toll due to COVID-19, 84% of U.S. adults say the country has serious societal issues that we need to address, according to a new poll.

• share
• favorite_border

Research from the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis asks if our views about our own appearances have changed in the age of Zoom.

• share
• favorite_border

When it comes to developing drugs for mental illnesses, three confounding challenges exist:

• share
• favorite_border

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 1, 2021 — Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and the University of Minnesota have found that an enriched diet and companionship can reduce pain in mice with sickle cell disease by increasing serotonin. They also discovered that duloxetine, an antidepressant that boosts serotonin levels, could be an alternative to opioids in treating chronic pain.

• share
• favorite_border

Nurses play a crucial role in helping to reduce the stress experienced by family members of critically ill patients, according to an article in Critical Care Nurse. A review of relevant research studies (2007-2019) found that, regardless of the patient's age, family members' stress fell into four main categories.

• share
• favorite_border

When their manhood is threatened, some men respond aggressively, but not all. New research from Duke University suggests who may be most triggered by such threats - younger men whose sense of masculinity depends heavily on other people's opinions.

• share
• favorite_border

Chronic stress can lead to or advance a number of diseases as the stress axis is continually activated. In a first, Prof. Alon Chen’s lab has revealed the entire stress axis, mapping it to the gene expression pattern of individual cells. The findings may lead to treatments for conditions such as metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and depression and anxiety.

• share
• favorite_border

After analyzing the genomes of more 250,000 military veterans, researchers have identified 18 specific, fixed positions on chromosomes that appear associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. The findings may point to new therapeutic drug targets.

• share
• favorite_border

Germany has released a second edition1 of their S3 guidelines, “Diagnosis and Treatment of Eating Disorders”.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study led by a University at Buffalo researcher has identified how specific communication among different brain regions, known as brain connectivity, can serve as a biomarker for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

• share
• favorite_border

New research demonstrates that hypnosis—the process of focusing a person’s attention on a specific task or sensation—can turn a normally difficult visual task into a far easier one by helping individuals mentally “fill in the gaps” of missing visual cues.

• share
• favorite_border

The COVID-19 pandemic may be exacerbating teeth grinding and clenching, behaviors that are often signs of stress. Leopoldo Correa, director of the Craniofacial Pain Center at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, answers common questions about bruxism and provides tips on what you can do about it.