November 10, 2020
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the BMJ Open looked at the need for recovery amongst emergency physicians in the UK and Ireland. “Our study is about using a tool called the Need for Recovery scale (NFR) to understand the physical and psychological impact of shift work in emergency departments in the UK and Ireland,” study author Laura Cottey told us.
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November 6, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
Americans living in a state that favours the losing candidate of the US Presidential election might experience a decline in their mental health.
A study from researchers at UC San Francisco and Duke University used data from 500 thousand people during the 2016 Presidential election to examine mental health indicators.
Americans who lived in states that favoured Hillary Clinton experienced an extra half-day of poor mental health on average during the month after the election.
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October 31, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
The “love hormone” oxytocin can occasionally have anti-social effects depending on where in the brain it is created.
Oxytocin, a hormone that can regulate prosocial behaviors like trust, bonding and empathy has also been demonstrated to play a role in anti-social behaviors like envy, anxiety and reduction in cooperation.
How the hormone could have such opposing roles has long remained a mystery, but researchers from UC Davis have uncovered how this might happen.
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October 30, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
Americans are overwhelmed with multiple sources of stress.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the United States is facing a national mental health crisis that could have consequences well into the future.
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October 29, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
Gen Z are experiencing increased stress levels due to uncertainties in their future.
The American Psychological Association’s annual Stress in America Report for 2020 found that Gen Z adults aged 18-23 reported the highest stress levels in the month prior at an average of 6.1 out of 10.
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October 27, 2020
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study looked at the treatment of insured children (average age 12) after they experience a first mental health episode. Most of these children were experiencing anxiety or depression. “We looked at the treatment of these children received in the three months after the incident and focused on whether they had received any follow-up care in that interval, whether they received any therapy, and the types of drugs they received if they received drugs,” study author Janet Currie told us.
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October 20, 2020
by Patricia Tomasi
Infertility is defined as a person not being able to conceive or become pregnant after one year of unprotected sex. About one in six couples in Canada experience infertility. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States, about 12 per cent of women aged 15-44 have difficulty becoming pregnant. Mental health struggles can follow a couple’s journey of attempting to become pregnant. Studies have shown that after one year of infertility, a woman is twice as likely to become depressed. Research has also shown that high anxiety can deter a woman’s changes of becoming pregnant. A new study published in PLOS One looked at the psychological impact of fertility treatment suspensions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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October 13, 2020
by Patricia Tomasi
A new survey aims to find out how Germany is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and how the everyday lives of German citizens are being affected. “We therefore analyze their concern about how the coronavirus affects different areas of their life, and how they try to protect themselves against an infection,” study author Dr. Fabian Kirsch told us.
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October 6, 2020
by Patricia Tomasi
A new memoir by environmental journalist Jeremy Leon Hance, incorporates travel, humor and mental illness. “I didn’t want to write a book about mental illness that was a downer or defeating, but rather I wanted to tell the story of how people actually live with chronic mental illness day by day, because so many of us do,” author Hance told us. “And sometimes, especially when you’re ten thousand miles from home, chasing endangered species through rainforests, it can be funny. I don’t shy away from some of the dark places our mental health struggles can take us, but try to tell a story of how a person moves forward, even if hesitantly, and does what’s important to them.”
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September 22, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
Teenagers experienced less anxiety and felt more connection to school during lock down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A study from the University of Bristol examined how 1000 teenagers across 17 schools in the South West of England coped during lockdown when they weren’t attending school in person.
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