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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) has become a very widely known term in many people’s family life. Whether you have a child that has been diagnosed through their pediatrician or their school, you are grateful that the issues your family struggles with have a name and an intervention or you believe that the condition is over-diagnosed and over-medicated in children, you likely have heard about this diagnosis. [More]

With the number of adolescents and even younger children developing obesity rising over the past years, the question of the best way to address it has been examined recently. The “Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery” study concluded this year and results have been published (Micalsky, et al., 2015). This study focused on cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents who were severely obese, along with safety and health effects of weight-loss surgery procedures for that population. [More]

In the wake of trauma many people feel lost and alone. The person they were before the event occurred seems altered. Where they once felt strong and assured they now live in fear and uncertainty. While not every person will have this experience after going through a life-altering event many will. Trauma can alter how a person perceives the world but it does not change the core aspects of who you are as a person. [More]

The benefits of exercise have been explored for decades. The profit of a holistic approach to psychotherapy that incorporates a physical regime may improve outcomes in mental health treatment (Weir, 2011). Three exercise routines per week, lasting 20-30 minutes in conjunction with psychotherapy and a concurrent medication regime has been associated with enhanced mental health treatment. [More]

New research from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health takes one more step toward finding the causative factors behind the development of schizophrenia (Stansfield, et al., 2015). Studying the brains of rats exposed to lead brought more strong indications that this kind of exposure may be a precursor to schizophrenia. [More]

Ok, so 50 Shades the movie bombed compared to the success of the book trilogy. Critics basically said it was cheesy, the sex scenes were unsatisfying, and there was no spark between the two actors. So did it bomb because of the way it was made or the story-line? Whatever the reason it has been a great opportunity to get a very common fantasy out there in mainstream media for women and men of all walks of life. [More]

Has it become unsafe in our society to make a mistake, accidentally or privately, over drinks with friends for instance, to express those parts of ourselves which Jung described as “the shadow:” those perceptions or attitudes that the ego, for various reasons (some of them socially imposed), deems unacceptable and keeps hidden? An extreme example is seen with sex addiction, where someone’s often positive public image stands in shocking contrast to a “secret life” littered with “shenanigans” that friends, family or fans find contemptible. [More]

Currently, rates of caffeine consumption in the United States are stable- the FDA indicates that as of 2012, the rates of consumption have not increased; however, the source of consumption – e.g.- energy drinks- has (Food and Drug Administration, 2012). This is contradictory with the casual observation of the the popularity of caffeinated energy drinks, such as Red Bull and Monster, and increasingly large serving sizes of coffee. [More]

Late last month, the internet was buzzing about an image of a dress. The passionate debate about whether the dress was blue and black or gold and white drew wide attention, even engaging the likes of Taylor Swift and John Boehner. Ultimately, the confusion was attributed by some to the lighting of the photograph. This is only partly true. The science behind the varying perceptions is complex, fascinating, and perhaps a bit disconcerting. [More]

Winter blues are more than a little sadness. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth edition (DSM-5), seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of recurring depression based on seasonal patterns (APA, 2013). The most frequent occurrence of SAD is during the winter months (Evans et al., 2013). The Mayo Clinic (2014) describes winter SAD symptoms as depression, irritability, fatigue, problems getting along with others, hypersensitivity to rejection, heavy feeling in legs and arms, increase in appetite, and weight gain. [More]