May 3, 2019
by Tina Arnoldi
In mid-2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the 11th revision of its International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), adding a disorder that’s of particular interest to gamers: gaming disorder. Earlier this year, Prince Harry wanted the popular game Fortnight banned in the U.K due to its addictive nature
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April 30, 2019
by Kimberly Lucey
If your preschooler is already hooked to their iPad or television, scientists say it might be time to start thinking about safe screen time practices. A new study shows more time in front of the tube could be linked to significant behavioral problems.
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April 30, 2019
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the JAMA Psychiatry examined whether maternal use of cannabis during pregnancy is associated with psychosis liability in offspring. “We expected that cannabis use would be associated with increased psychosis proneness in offspring,” study author Ryan Bogdan told us. “However, we also expected that some of this relationship might be accounted for by other potentially related factors (e.g., other substance use during pregnancy, maternal education, family history of psychopathology, maternal prenatal vitamin use, child substance use, etc.).”
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April 29, 2019
by Elizabeth Pratt
Children who grow up in poor neighbourhoods are at an increased risk of developing a psychosis-spectrum mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder by the time they reach middle adulthood. Researchers say the finding of the study suggest interventions aimed at improving neighbourhoods and assisting children displaying atypical social characteristics could prevent the conditions from developing.
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April 26, 2019
by Tina Arnoldi
Many people practice the ketogenic diet for the purpose of losing weight, but some report mental health benefits, such as an improvement in symptoms for anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. But clinical research is limited. There are no no listings for ‘mental health’ and ‘ketogenic diet’ on clinicaltrials.gov. However, if ketones impact brain function, why would they not impact mental health?
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April 23, 2019
by Patricia Tomasi
It’s hard to imagine how, annually, over 250 million children in low and middle income countries worldwide do not have the ability to meet their development potential. Is there a link between poverty and brain development? A new study published in the Journal of Developmental Science found that poverty can indeed negatively affect children’s brain development.
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April 19, 2019
by Tina Arnoldi
A recent study found that one social media channel, Pinterest, an image sharing site, is a source of support for people living with chronic pain. Analyzed pins reflected supportive content, both informational and educational. Mental health and social media professionals were invited to comment on the potential positive impact of social media activity for this channel.
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April 18, 2019
by Elizabeth Pratt
Researchers at Columbia University have found children who experience adversity early in life were more likely to experience gastrointestinal problems. These symptoms may implications for emotional health later in life.
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April 16, 2019
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that children are able to communicate that they’ve been abused via text message, often within the very first message sent. “We were surprised,” study author Laura Schwab-Reese told us. “We didn’t expect kids to be willing to be so open about their experiences.”
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April 9, 2019
by Patricia Tomasi
“Depression is a common and debilitating illness,” study author Julian Mutz told us. “Treatments including psychotherapy and drugs are effective but do not work for every patient and some patients experience undesired side effects. As such, there is a need to further develop new treatments, especially for patients who do not respond to drugs.”
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