September 10, 2021
by Tina Arnoldi
Misophonia is a neurological disorder characterized by negative emotional reactions to ordinary sounds, like chewing, eating, and breathing. People with misophonia experience strong feelings of anxiety, disgust, or anger towards these harmless noises.
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August 27, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world, an interesting phenomenon was playing out in grocery stores. Panic buying. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world, an interesting phenomenon was playing out in grocery stores. Panic buying.
Consumers, in the face of increasing uncertainty, began stockpiling in a buying frenzy that left the shelves bare.
Now a study from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia may have an explanation for the behaviour. Unexpected certainty can cause us to change our behavior even if it isn't helpful.
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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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July 30, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Parents experiencing financial hardship may talk less with their kids.
Recent research from the University of California Berkeley found that economic context may be to blame for the “word gap”, where children from lower income households have heard millions of fewer words than their more affluent peers by kindergarten.
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June 26, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Women at increased risk of postpartum psychosis show altered connectivity in networks of the brain responsible for planning, organisation and the completion of short and long-term tasks. Currently, there are no biological markers that identify who will develop postpartum psychosis. But researchers from King’s College London have identified altered connectivity in the brain networks of women with postpartum psychosis, which could pave the way for better identifying women at risk of the condition.
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June 1, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that includes depressive and manic episodes. It affects about two per cent of people around the globe. The first line of treatment for bipolar disorder is a drug called lithium. Unfortunately, about 70 per cent of bipolar disorder patients don’t respond to it. A new study looked at whether genes had a role to play in lithium response in bipolar disorder patients.
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May 28, 2021
by Elizabeth Pratt
Emotional support animals can have proven mental health benefits for those experiencing mental illness.
Researchers from The University of Toledo published the first empirical evidence that shows emotional support animals (ESAs) are beneficial for those experiencing anxiety, depression and loneliness.
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April 16, 2021
by Tina Arnoldi
A recent study found that BPD diagnosis was higher for the LGB community than heterosexual individuals. “Health care professionals evaluating patients for factors linked to BPD might ignore environmental stressors that LGB persons face or be unable to competently assess the extent to which the behaviors signify BPD or normative reactions to stress.”
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April 9, 2021
by Tina Arnoldi
Medical providers are referring primary care patients to non-medical sources of support, often for mental health. “One of the popular activities in pilot studies is suggesting patients engage in activities that support the uptake of new hobbies. These activities relate to other leisure activities such as volunteering in that they provide distraction, novelty, cognitive stimulation, belongingness as well as enhancing coping skills and agency and (when engaged in as part of a group) provide social support.”
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April 6, 2021
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Frontiers in Psychology looked at the cross-cultural health behaviors and wellbeing of people during COVID-19. “The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of the pandemic on perceived physical and mental health, changes in physical activity, sleep, eating, and wellbeing,” study author Montse Ruiz told us.
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