July 26, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
A study by researchers at Purdue University found that of all the tasks service dogs perform for their veteran owners with PTSD, disrupting anxiety was the most helpful.
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July 24, 2020
by Tina Arnoldi
A research study done by MUSC found that “similar factors cause both medical intern burnout and depression.” This suggests that “assessing for depressive symptoms may be a validated, standardized alternative to assessing for burnout among medical personnel.” While this study was conducted with medical personnel, those outside the medical professional are also at risk of experiencing both burnout and depression. How can someone know if they are burned out or depressed?
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July 24, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
More than one million Americans have lost a close relation due to COVID-19, and that number is likely to rise.
An analysis from the University of Southern California found that on average, for every COVID-19 death, there are nine people left to grieve. These include parents, grandparents, siblings, spouses and children.
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July 17, 2020
by Tina Arnoldi
A study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine noted that “factors that drive burnout are much more closely related to the factors that drive depressive symptoms than previously realized." While the definition of burnout has varied, the relationship to depression implies a similar treatment approach may be warranted.
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June 30, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
Teenagers who sleep poorly may be more likely to experience mental health challenges in later life.
In research recently published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry researchers from the University of Reading, together with Goldsmiths and Flinders University in the UK found that there was a significant link between poor sleep and mental health issues.
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June 29, 2020
by Elizabeth Pratt
The large majority of young people who experience suicidal thoughts or self-harm experience only mild or moderate mental distress.
Researchers from Cambridge University found that young people who thought about suicide or engaged in self harm were at medium risk for mental distress, rather than having obvious symptoms from a diagnosable disorder.
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June 2, 2020
by Patricia Tomasi
A new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics looked at the number of times children visited emergency departments in the U.S. for mental health care. The purpose of the study was to describe the trends in pediatric mental health emergency department visits on a national scale. We know from other studies that often times, low pediatric volume and/or emergency departments located in non-metropolitan areas tend to be less prepared to treat children, as they may only see a few children a day.
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May 26, 2020
by Patricia Tomasi
The pandemic pushed much of medical care to online, virtual platforms, virtually overnight. But is Internet-based health care, particularly mental health care, a safe and viable option? A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry looked at the effects of Internet versus face-to-face cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for health anxiety.
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May 15, 2020
by Tina Arnoldi
There is no shortage of need in our communities, especially around COVID-19
And previous research has shown that volunteering improved depression, life satisfaction, and wellbeing. A more recent study found that volunteering increases people’s sense of ‘mattering’ and boosts well-being in a time of crisis. I invited people to share their perspectives on the benefits of volunteering and how it improves mental health.
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May 8, 2020
by Tina Arnoldi
According to a recent study by Cigna, more than half of Americans experience loneliness. While connections are as important to well being as they were a hundred years ago, our modern society has contributed to weaker social connections. The negative consequences of loneliness are physical, resulting in increased inflammation, as well as mental.
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