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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. [More]

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. [More]

A recent video posting by an American social media celebrity has caused a public uproar. But researchers and mental health professionals are asking whether the finger pointing and outrage should be less about the people and technology producing the content—and more about facing the facts their videos illuminate: that suicides are still occurring at alarming rates. [More]

Long before movies like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" first hit theatres in 1975, films and TV programs have depicted stereotypes of people with mental illnesses, psychiatric wards and the professionals therein. But slowly, the pictures are changing to represent the real people struggling, surviving, and succeeding with mental challenges as part of their daily realities. And so, the Oscar goes to . . . [More]

For some sufferers of chronic depression, medications and psychotherapy bring no relief. For those people, researchers are looking at a completely different kind of treatment. And while drilling a hole into the brain may sound like something out of science fiction movies, it just might be the answer. The treatment requires a very small hole in the brain—but, it has been showing big results. [More]

The last week of December rushes past in a whirlwind of remembering gifts, managing party schedules, and recalling recipe ingredients. Sometimes in the haste of it all, we forget what is most important--our mental health. Professionals suggest managing mental health issues as well in the last week of December as in the other 51 weeks of the year. How can you prevent one week of festivities from undoing all your hard work? [More]

It isn't unusual to feel a little more tired--maybe even a little depressed--during the winter months. The long, dark, cold nights and brief hours of sunlight can ruin anyone's mood. For some, however, the effect is more serious. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) causes a host of debilitating symptoms in sufferers, but research is finding ways to help. [More]

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? [More]

We are well aware of how important exercise is for our bodies. But how can we keep our psyches in shape? Researchers are finding there really is a connection between mind and body. Exercise may not only improve mood and reduce anxiety, but it just may help prevent and treat some mental illnesses. [More]

Researchers have found that some of us are in a state of ‘mind-wandering’, or daydreaming, as much as 50 percent of our waking time. Is that excessive? What is actually going on in someone’s brain when they are present in a room, but not focusing on the activity taking place? Could ‘mind-wandering’ be a symptom of mental illness? [More]