April 24, 2020
by Tina Arnoldi
During the 2003 SARS outbreak, health care workers had concerns about infecting others and experienced stigma because they were in close contact with sick patients. A new study in JAMA looked at the mental health of 1,257 health care workers attending to COVID-19 patients in China since COVID-19 is our current concern. A large percentage reported depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress. Findings suggest that these health care workers are at a significant risk of developing mental illness.
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March 29, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
A study of the largest sample of transgender people ever surveyed found that possession of gender-concordant ID is associated with a lower rate of suicidal thoughts and suicidal planning, and a reduction in psychological stress among transgender people.
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As a society, many have lost sight of what is just right or adequate, or enough. Now that retailers are closing stores and the citizenry has been asked to gather in groups of no more than ten at one time (more on that later), the time has arrived to focus on the strengths within.
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March 26, 2020
by Kimberly Lucey
As coronavirus cases continue to climb around the world and across our country, people are being asked to stay away from each other. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is offering guidelines for reducing stress and anxiety during these uncertain times, pointing out that everyone may respond differently to the outbreak.
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February 20, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
Break ups are never easy, but in the age of social media, they’re even more complicated.
That’s why a group of researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder set out to explore break ups in the age of Facebook.
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February 14, 2020
by Tina Arnoldi
“Keep a gratitude journal.” A common statement made to people who are depressed or experiencing other negative emotions and research says gratitude can increase happiness.And it makes us more altruistic because it biases the brain’s reward system towards rewards for others.
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Across cultural and religious norms, food has been symbolic for attempts to heal the hurt. Death leaves a hole. Some are far deeper and filled with more despair than others.
The loss of a parent, a child, a spouse, a close friend, and/or the loss of a pet companion commonly leaves a feeling of emptiness. This emptiness may well engulf body and soul. Who to lean on? Who to pick up the role that has, literally, turned to dust? How to withstand the pain that cannot (and should not) be ignored?
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January 31, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
Older refugees can experience high rates of depression even decades after immigrating.
A study that looked at Canadians between the ages of 45 and 85 found that refugees were 70 per cent more likely to experience depression when compared with those born in Canada, even if they immigrated decades earlier.
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January 27, 2020
by Amy Rollo
I’m not a huge basketball fan, but when the alert that Kobe Bryant died suddenly in a helicopter crash came on my screen, I immediately felt shock. I felt this sense of sadness and tried to make sense of how someone so known and famous, could be taken so suddenly. I have felt similar emotions when other famous actors or athletes passed. It is completely normal to feel sadness or grief when someone famous dies. There are several reasons we might feel these intense emotions.
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January 27, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
Researchers from the University of Arizona have found that rather than putting on a fake happy face at work, it is better to make an effort to actually feel the emotions you display.
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