January 19, 2018
by Tracey Block
Advances in medicine and technology continue to offer hope for longer, healthier lives while developments in technology make those lives easier. But all the improvements and progress have not yet helped find a cure for human loneliness, or a way to eliminate it altogether. Research shows a growing number of people across all ages experience detrimental effects of loneliness to their mental and physical wellbeing. In the year 2018, is a solution around the corner?
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January 11, 2018
by Tracey Block
The goal of innovations in technology is to bring about positive change and improvements. But once time has passed and a new technology has become a part of daily life, the good and the bad become more apparent. In a recent letter to Apple Inc., major investors presented the company with their concerns over the addictive influence of iPhones and other electronic devices on the children and youth who use them.
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January 9, 2018
by Tracey Block
The human sense of smell is well recognized for its attachment to memory in the brain. The smell of cookies baking, the scent of a perfume or the bouquet of fresh-cut grass can quickly take one back to a past time or place. But now, researchers are realizing human olfactory cues can have incredible effects on stress levels, mood and overall mental health.
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December 21, 2017
by Tracey Block
Would you go to a mental health professional who publicly admits a personal struggle with mental illness? Researchers are finding that as long as the professional is stable, patients are buoyed by a therapist's example of success. Do counsellors with first-hand knowledge of mental illness elicit better results in their patients?
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December 10, 2017
by Tracey Block
Nomophobia is becoming more widespread in this 21st century era of smartphone technology. Do you suffer from it? Answer yes or no to the following:
I obsessively check my smartphone for missed texts, emails or social media updates.
I constantly top up my cell phone’s battery charge.
I cannot leave a room without my smartphone.
Using these kinds of questions and more, researchers believe it’s time to start taking the condition more seriously.
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December 8, 2017
by Tracey Block
More than any other generation before them, Millennials are stressed out and anxious. According to researchers, they are the generation at the highest risk for mental illness. How did this happen? And can the results be reversed?
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December 7, 2017
by Tracey Block
A handful of crayons and a pad of paper. A blank canvas and tubes of colorful paints. These just may be the best addition to treatment for someone with a mental illness. Typical therapy sessions call for verbal expression, and the back and forth deliveries of a therapist's questions and a patient's answers. Researchers are rediscovering that art therapy allows for expression, exploration and a different way to heal.
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November 29, 2017
by Tracey Block
The stress is palpable. Deadlines are looming for students in colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada. The end of November means final exams are just around the corner; term papers are due. Add a disorder like ADHD to the end-of-term pressures and survival may seem uncertain. Can students with ADHD succeed in post-secondary studies?
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November 16, 2017
by Tracey Block
Call it virtual commuting, teleworking or working-from-home. Whatever the label, the number of home-based offices in the U.S. and Canada continues to grow. Thanks to leaps in technology, it is easy to stay connected and remain productive without the commute. What a stress-less way to work, right? Not always. Researchers find the stigma around working at home is still alive and well, and the difficulty of balancing work and home can keep you up at night.
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November 8, 2017
by Tracey Block
More than just a contest to grow the best moustache, Movember has grown into a campaign successfully bolstering recognition of male cancers and male mental health issues. Thanks to its efforts, new websites and organizations catering to male needs continue to be established, and therapists worldwide are realizing the needs of the male psyche have long been ignored.
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