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Being a confident cook isn’t just beneficial for the taste buds but also for mental health. Researchers from Edith Cowan University in Australia found that those who engaged in a 7-week healthy cooking class had improved confidence in the kitchen as well as better general and mental health. [More]

A new study published in PLOS Biology looked at recommendations for daytime, evening, and nighttime indoor light exposure to best support physiology, sleep, and wakefulness in healthy adults. “It has been known for some time that our daily patterns of light exposure exert important influences on health and well-being by regulating our internal body clock, cycles of hormone release, night-time sleep and daytime alertness,” study author Timothy Brown told us. [More]

A new study says perinatal mental illness rates have tripled during the pandemic. The study looked at the experiences of 670 women in the U.S. between February and July 2020. The women completed an online survey that contained the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Researchers found that one in three women screened positive for postpartum depression and one in five had major depressive symptoms. [More]

A new study published in the Health Environments Research and Design Journal looked at hospital greenspaces and the impacts on wayfinding and spatial experience. The study was an explorative experiment using immersive virtual environment techniques. “The study compares people’s performances and spatial experiences during hospital wayfinding in two scenarios: the virtual hospital with window views of nature and greenspaces, and the virtual hospital without window views,” study author Shan Jiang told us. [More]

A new study published in JAMA looked at longitudinal associations of mental disorders with dementia, a 30-year analysis of 1.7 million New Zealand citizens. “This study is about links between mental health and dementia,” study author Barry J. Milne told us. “We wanted to investigate whether there are associations between a range of mental health disorders and subsequent dementia, and whether associations are apparent for both early- and late-onset dementia.” [More]

A significant number of people who die by suicide may have undiagnosed autism. Researchers from the University of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre and the University of Nottingham found in a study that a notable number of people who die by suicide have evidence of autistic traits at elevated levels. [More]

Those living with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic are experiencing high levels of depression and anxiety. Researchers from Yale, Oregon State University, Olin College of Engineering, Hiram College and Macalester College found that there has been a significant increase in the number of people with disabilities living with depression since the start of the pandemic. [More]

Up to one billion people worldwide suffer from neurological disorders. In the United States, more than one million adults are diagnosed annually with a chronic brain disease or disorder. Studying the brain is difficult but new tools are emerging. A recent study published in the Journal of Molecular Psychiatry looked at how genetically encoded sensors enable micro and nano-scopic decoding of transmission in healthy and diseased brains. [More]

March 5th is Dissociative Identity Disorder Awareness Day. Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID for short, is the body-mind response to chronic childhood trauma. When a child experiences abuse or other forms of trauma on a regular basis, often perpetrated by caregivers or loved ones, he/she has no escape and unconsciously draws on this coping strategy. A new memoir titled, Crazy: Reclaiming Life from the Shadow of Traumatic Memory, by author, Lyn Barrett, looks at her life identifying and healing from DID. Barrett is a retired school teacher, principal, and pastor. [More]

A new study published in PLOS One looked at depression, anxiety, and happiness in dog owners and potential dog owners during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. “Our study is about the role dogs may have played on owners’ psychological wellbeing when most of the USA was under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” study author Francois Martin told us. “We wanted to know if dog owners would show less signs of depression and anxiety, and if they would report a greater sense of wellbeing.” [More]