July 31, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Nearly half of staff working in the intensive care unit during COVID-19 show signs of mental health conditions.
A study from Imperial College London found that 48 percent of healthcare staff showed signs of depression, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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May 25, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in Lancet Psychiatry looked at combining behavioral harm-reduction treatment and extended-release naltrexone for people experiencing homelessness and alcohol use disorder in the United States. “We tested whether combined medication and counseling harm-reduction treatment would help people experiencing homelessness and alcohol use disorder improve on alcohol and health outcomes,” study author Susan E. Collins told us.
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May 5, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Applied Neuropsychology: Child looked at computerized inhibitory control training and its effect on reducing anxiety in preadolescent students. “The key goal of the study was to further examine the interrelation between inhibitory control (IC) and anxiety in preadolescent-aged children, and to determine whether training IC through a remote, computerized program could serve as an effective means for reducing anxiety,” lead author, Nathaniel Shanok, Ph.D. told us.
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March 19, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Lab based studies of emotional and wellbeing may be missing real world anxiety.
A study from Duke published in PLOS One found that the background level of anxiety a person may normally experience could change how they behave in a lab setting. This could have important implications for research into wellbeing and emotional health.
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March 16, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Time spent outside and nature-based activities could counteract some of the negative mental health impacts of COVID-19 on adolescents.
Researchers from North Carolina State University found that outdoor based activities helped teens cope with major stressors, and restricting such opportunities could have negative mental health implications.
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March 2, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
Researchers of a new study published in the Journal of Molecular Neurobiology investigated the therapeutic potential of drugs that inhibit stress-induced epigenetic changes. “It is well described in the literature that stress triggers epigenetic modifications which result in changes in the expression of genes that code for proteins important for several functions in the brain, such as neurotransmitter signaling and neuroplasticity,” study author Sâmia Joca told us. “Impaired neuroplasticity and neurotransmitter signaling in limbic brain regions (responsible for emotion, affection, cognition and endocrine control) has been considered central mechanisms involved in depression neurobiology.”
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January 31, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Those who are religious use the same coping strategies when facing a crisis as those recommended by psychologists.
A study in The Journal of Religion and Health found that religious people use emotion-regulation strategies (like looking at hardships in a positive way). Psychologists refer to this as cognitive reappraisal.
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January 5, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
Anxiety is an emotion that is central to human experience which can also cause immense suffering for millions of children and adults when it goes awry. A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience looked at the biological roots of anxiety. “Anxiety disorders are the most common family of mental illnesses, and they impose a staggered burden on global public health and the economy,” study author Alexander J. Shackman told us.
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December 14, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
Levels of anxiety among young people in Britain doubled during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and first lockdown.
Researchers say the findings could have implications for young people around the world grappling with the same challenges during COVID-19.
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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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