The Problem with Self-Help Books: Study shows the negative side to positive self-statements
In times of doubt and uncertainty, many Americans turn to self-help books in search of encouragement, guidance and self-affirmation. The positive self-statements suggested in these books, such as "I am a lovable person" or "I will succeed," are designed to lift a person's low self-esteem and push them into positive action. According to a recent study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, however, these statements can actually have the opposite effect.
Association for Psychological Science - 7/3/2009
Many parents lack confidence in changing behavior
Many parents don't have enough self-confidence to implement and enforce changes in their child's behavior that will reduce the child's risk of obesity, researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston have found. However, the researchers also found that having the child's doctor or nurse inquire about the parents' confidence level can actually help to increase it.
Reuters - 7/3/2009
Overweight Kids Experience More Loneliness, Anxiety
As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed about the implications of being overweight as a step toward reversing current trends. Now, a new University of Missouri study has found that overweight children, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten.
ScienceDaily - 7/3/2009
New PTSD program answers need for comprehensive treatment
Symptoms of combat stress and post-traumatic stress disorder for wounded warriors include continual nightmares, avoidance behaviors, denial, grief, anger and fear. Some servicemembers battling these and other symptoms, can be treated successfully as an outpatient while assuming their normal duties, but for others; however, returning to work and becoming their old selves again were challenges recognized by several mental health professionals across the European theater.
PsycPort.com - 7/3/2009
Poor Sleep Is Independently Associated With Depression In Postpartum Women
A study in the journal Sleep suggests that postpartum depression may aggravate an already impaired sleep quality, as experiencing difficulties with sleep is a symptom of depression. Twenty-one percent of depressed postpartum women included in the study reported having also been depressed during pregnancy and 46 percent reported at least one previous depressive episode prior to conception, suggesting that new mothers diagnosed with postpartum depression are ...
ScienceDaily - 7/1/2009
Sad Dads May Lead to Crying Infants: More factors should be considered than depression among moms, experts say
Don't automatically blame mom: A crying, colicky baby can be just as much the result of dad's state of mind, Dutch researchers report. Other studies have found that depression among mothers can be related to excessive crying or colic, a common problem with newborns, but the researchers said that little was known about whether fathers' emotions and behavior also have an effect.
HealthDay - 7/1/2009
U.S. urged to compare Alzheimer, ADD, other therapies
An Institute of Medicine committee urged the U.S. government on Tuesday to fund studies comparing treatments for Alzheimer's disease, attention deficit disorder and other conditions as part of a new effort to determine which strategies work best. The recommendations were included in a list of 100 priorities developed by an IOM panel charged with advising the government on how to spend money allocated by Congress for "comparative effectiveness" research.
Reuters - 7/1/2009
Schizophrenia risk tied to gene variants: Study shows no single cause of the disorder, but rather a big jigsaw puzzle
A handful of typos in a mysterious region of the human genetic code are connected to a slightly higher risk of schizophrenia, new studies show. In a first-of-its-kind look at the genetic elements of schizophrenia, a massive international effort focused on seven spots of genetic variation. Dozens of scientists then published three papers from the effort on Thursday in the journal Nature. Those genetic blips account for at most one-third of genetically caused schizophrenia.
MSNBC - 7/1/2009
Teens With Eating Disorders Benefit From Parents' Help: Research shows that recovery improves with family involvement
When a teenager has an eating disorder, it's not just the teen's problem. It's a family problem. So, parents should join in on the treatment, a growing number of experts believe. With parental involvement, "the outcome is likely to be improved," said Dr. Ovidio Bermudez, medical director of the eating disorders program at Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital in Tulsa, Okla., and a member of the board of directors of the National Eating Disorders Association.
HealthDay - 6/29/2009
Teens who move a lot have twice suicide risk: Moving 3 or more times can contribute to feelings of isolation, study says
By the time she was 18, Cheryl Fike had moved nine times because of her father's job. For Fike, every move was sad, distressing and alienating. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh no, not again,’ when they’d tell me we had to move,” says Fike, a 52-year old engineer from Galt, Calif. “I was shy and reserved so it was hard for me to make friends. I mostly spent time with my horse and each time I’d worry that we were going to move somewhere where I couldn’t keep her. It made me totally ...
MSNBC - 6/29/2009
Irritability Should Be Considered When Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder In Children
A new study from Bradley Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, as well as two other institutions, adds to mounting evidence that clinicians consider irritability as a symptom when diagnosing pediatric bipolar disorder.
ScienceDaily - 6/25/2009
Anxiety's hidden cost
The effect of anxiety on academic performance is not always obvious but new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council suggests that there may be hidden costs. The research found that anxious individuals find it harder to avoid distractions and take more time to turn their attention from one task to the next than their less anxious peers.
EurekAlert - 6/25/2009
How Adolescent Girls Manage Stress
Greater influence over everyday life, emotional support, and cultural and recreational activities help to enable teenage girls to withstand stress. Those were the results of a dissertation from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Stress and worry amongst teenagers have increased markedly in recent years, especially amongst girls. According to recent statistics from the WHO, as many as seven out of ten teenage girls suffer from stress.
ScienceDaily - 6/25/2009
Fatherhood Influences Men In Mental Health Decisions
Being a father is an important factor in a man's decision to seek help for mental health issues, according to a survey released by the American Psychiatric Association. More than 6 million men suffer from depression each year, and though many try to deal with it on their own, the survey indicates that fathers are more likely to take their mental health seriously for the sake of their children.
Medical News Today - 6/22/2009
Vets Who Repress Traumatic Memories May Not Be Worse Off: New study finds they fared as well as those who unearthed the pain
Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may not be plagued by poor health and shortened lives if they repress their combat experiences, new research suggests. "The finding goes against the grain," acknowledged study author and Vietnam army veteran Joseph Boscarino, a senior investigator at the Geisinger Center for Health Research in Danvillle, Pa. "Because the concept that talking about your trauma and analyzing your fears and emotions is always ...
HealthDay - 6/22/2009
Psychologists converge to study happiness
After months of gloomy economic news, Philadelphia has been, at least for a few days, the worldwide epicenter of a certain kind of positive thinking. About 1,500 people who make their living thinking about what makes us happier and more emotionally successful have converged on Philadelphia for the First World Congress on Positive Psychology. The event opened Thursday and concludes today. As one of the speakers, Karen Reivich, a psychologist who codirects the ...
PsycPort.com - 6/22/2009
Wrong type of help from parents could worsen child's OCD
For most parents, soothing a child's anxiety is just part of the job. But for a parent whose child has obsessive-compulsive disorder, soothing anxiety and helping with behaviors linked to the disease could lead to more severe symptoms, University of Florida researchers say.
University of Florida - 6/18/2009
'Life Force' Linked To Body's Ability To Withstand Stress
Our ability to withstand stress-related, inflammatory diseases may be associated, not just with our race and sex, but with our personality as well, according to a study published in the July issue of the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity. Especially in aging women, low levels of the personality trait extraversion may signal that blood levels of a key inflammatory molecule have crossed over a threshold linked to a doubling of risk of death within five years.
ScienceDaily - 6/18/2009
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Might Curb Depression in Heart Patients: Study found low levels in bloodstream correlated with increased risk
New research suggests a relationship between low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and an increased risk of depression in heart patients. The study, reported online in the Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, looked at 987 adults with coronary heart disease. Among those with the lowest levels of omega-3 fatty acids, 23 percent suffered from depression. But among those with the highest levels of the fatty acid in their blood, only 13 percent were diagnosed with depressive ...
HealthDay - 6/18/2009
Depression May Lead to More Preemies Among Blacks: Expert thinks pre-pregnancy mood could partly explain disparity in birth rate
Black women are twice as likely to give birth prematurely as white women, and a greater likelihood of depression may play a role in that, a new study suggests. Researchers looked at birth-rate data collected over six years from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study, which included health information from about 5,000 young adults living in four metropolitan areas.
HealthDay - 6/16/2009
Wish Fulfillment? No. But Dreams Do Have Meaning
Dreams may not be the secret window into the frustrated desires of the unconscious that Sigmund Freud first posited in 1899, but growing evidence suggests that dreams — and, more so, sleep — are powerfully connected to the processing of human emotions. According to new research presented last week at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Seattle, adequate sleep may underpin our ability to understand complex emotions properly in waking life.
TIME Magazine - 6/16/2009
FDA to parents: Don't toss ADHD drugs yet: Weigh risks before taking children off prescriptions, agency urges
Federal health regulators are urging parents to keep their children on attention deficit drugs like Ritalin and Adderall, despite new evidence in government-backed study that the stimulants can increase the risk of sudden death. Published Monday in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the study suggests a link between use of the stimulant drugs and sudden death in children and adolescents. The drugs already carry warnings about risks of heart attack and stroke in children with ...
MSNBC - 6/15/2009
Naps linked to psychosocial functioning in toddlers
Not all children between the ages of 4 and 5 years old take daytime naps, and those who don't tend to exhibit worse psychosocial function. That's the conclusion of researchers who presented their research this week in Seattle at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Reuters - 6/12/2009
Mental disorders in China underestimated
New research suggests that 17.5 percent of people in China have at least one mental disorder, a figure that is much higher than previously reported estimates of 1.1 percent to 9.1 percent. The results, reported in The Lancet, also indicate that in the vast majority of cases, the patients have never received any form of professional help for their disorders.
Reuters - 6/12/2009
Poor sleep is associated with lower relationship satisfaction in both women and men
A bidirectional association exists between couples' sleep quality and the quality of their relationship, according to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Results indicate that on a day to day basis, couples' relationship quality affects their sleep, and their sleep also affects their subsequent relationship functioning.
EurekAlert - 6/11/2009
FDA Panel OKs Newer Antipsychotics for Children: Seroquel, Zyprexa and Geodon have been linked to certain health risks, experts note
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted overwhelmingly Wednesday that Seroquel and Zyprexa, two powerful antipsychotic drugs, be approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in children aged 13 to 17. The panel also endorsed Geodon, a third antipsychotic in the same class, as safe and effective for the treatment of bipolar mania in children aged 10 to 17.
HealthDay - 6/11/2009
Nightmares Predict Elevated Suicidal Symptoms
Self-reported nightmares among patients seeking emergency psychiatric evaluation uniquely predicted elevated suicidal symptoms, according to a research abstract that will be presented on June 9, at Sleep 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Results indicate that severe nightmares were independently associated with elevated suicidal symptoms after accounting for the influence of depression, whereas symptoms of insomnia were not.
ScienceDaily - 6/11/2009
Daytime Nap Has Benefits Beyond Rest for Kids: Nappers have less hyperactivity, depression and anxiety, research suggests
Children's nap time is not only beneficial to caregivers who may need a break. For children aged 4 to 5 years, taking a nap during the day may help reduce hyperactivity, anxiety and depression, new study findings show. In the study of 62 children categorized as either napping (77 percent) or non-napping (23 percent), researchers found that those who didn't take daytime naps had higher levels of anxiety, hyperactivity and depression.
HealthDay - 6/8/2009
'Mindfulness' meditation being used in hospitals and schools
Challenges are landing fast and furious on Capitol Hill. So Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, feels he has to arrive at the top of his game every day. And Ryan says he has found a way to do that: He meditates for at least 45 minutes before leaving home. Ryan, 35, sits on a floor cushion, closes his eyes, focuses on his breath and tries to detach from any thoughts, just observing them like clouds moving across the sky — a practice he learned at a retreat. "I find it makes me a better listener, and my ...
USA Today - 6/8/2009
Insomnia and Anxiety May Be Genetically Linked: Study of twins finds those with depression have trouble sleeping
A genetic link between anxiety, depression and insomnia has been identified by U.S. researchers, who said adolescents who suffer from anxiety and depression should also be screened for insomnia. The researchers' analysis of data from 749 monozygotic twin pairs and 687 dizygotic twin pairs, aged 8 to 17, and their parents revealed that 19.5 percent of the children had insomnia.
HealthDay - 6/8/2009
Adult type 1 diabetics have higher depression rates
Adults with type 1 diabetes report more symptoms of depression and more often use anti-depressant medication than adults without type 1 diabetes, according to data released here at the 69th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
Reuters - 6/8/2009
Cognitive behavioral intervention helps prevent depression among at-risk teens
Adolescents at an increased risk of depression who participated in a group cognitive behavioral intervention significantly reduced their symptoms and episodes of depression compared to teens who received usual care, although this effect was not seen for adolescents with a parent with current depression, according to a study in the June 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child and adolescent health.
EurekAlert - 6/4/2009
Wealth, fame and good looks may be a formula for anxiety rather than happiness, a new study suggests
Psychologists at the University of Rochester evaluated survey responses from 147 recent graduates, noting their achievements and their level of happiness over a period of two years. People's goals were divided into two categories: extrinsic (things like wealth, fame and personal image) and intrinsic (for example, meaningful relationships, health and personal growth). Achieving intrinsic goals led to higher self-esteem and a greater sense of well-being, the researchers statistical ...
U.S. News & World Report - 6/4/2009
People With Mental Health Problems Receive Inadequate Medical Care, Study Suggests
New research led by the University of Leicester and published this week in the British Journal of Psychiatry reveals that people with mental health problems are receiving inferior care for their medical needs. The study by a team of researchers led by Dr Alex Mitchell from the University of Leicester Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine, warns that medical care delivered across most branches of medicine to those with a mental health or substance abuse ...
ScienceDaily - 6/4/2009
Tourette Syndrome Diagnosed in 3 in Every 1,000 Kids: Many more cases have not been identified, U.S. health officials say
In the first estimate of its kind, U.S. health officials report that three of every 1,000 children, mostly boys, are diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder that usually begins in early childhood, with symptoms typically becoming more severe between the ages of 10 and 12. The key features of the condition are recurring motor tics plus at least one vocal tic, according the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
HealthDay - 6/4/2009
When Adult Patients Have Anxiety Disorder, Their Children Need Help Too
In what is believed to be the first U.S. study designed to prevent anxiety disorders in the children of anxious parents, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have found that a family-based program reduced symptoms and the risk of developing an anxiety disorder among these children.
ScienceDaily - 6/1/2009
Depressed teens worry about family reaction: study
Some teenagers with depression may not want treatment because they worry about the stigma attached to the disorder, a new study suggests. In interviews with 368 teenagers with and without depression, researchers found that for those with the disorder, social stigma and worry over their families' reaction were some of the main perceived barriers to getting therapy. What's more, the study found, teenagers who reported those obstacles were less likely than others to have ...
Reuters - 6/1/2009
Depression Treatment Wanes Following FDA Warnings: Advisories led to 'unintended consequences,' researchers say
Newly diagnosed cases of depression in America have dropped sharply since the government's warning of an increased risk of suicidal behavior among children and teens taking antidepressants, a new analysis finds. Researchers at the University of Colorado say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's advisories about the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) appear to be associated with "unintended" and "persistent" changes in the diagnosis and treatment of ...
HealthDay - 6/1/2009
Popular autism treatment found ineffective: Study - Antidepressant didn’t stop repetitive behaviors, caused side effects
An antidepressant that is among the most popular kinds of medicine used for treating autism didn't work for most kids and caused nightmares and other side effects, new research found. Results showed risks with Celexa outweighed any benefits in the largest published study of medication versus dummy pills for autism.
MSNBC - 6/1/2009
Online cognitive behavioral therapy is effective in treating chronic insomnia
A study in the June 1 issue of the journal SLEEP demonstrates that online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for chronic insomnia significantly improves insomnia severity, daytime fatigue, and sleep quality. Online treatment also reduces erroneous beliefs about sleep and pre-sleep mental arousal.
EurekAlert - 6/1/2009
|
