Publications on Mental Health Topics

Tackling fears 'while you sleep', by Caroline Parkinson, BBC , Sep 22 2013.

“People with phobias are already commonly treated with "gradual exposure" therapy while they are awake, where they are exposed to the thing they are frightened of in incremental degrees. This study suggests that the theory could be extended to therapy while they are in slow-wave, or deep, sleep. This is the deepest period of sleep, where memories, particularly those linked to emotions, are thought to be processed. ”

Reframing the gun control debate: Is mental health the next focus?, by Ashley Killough, CNN , Sep 20 2013.

“Now, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire, wants to re-introduce a mental health measure that had overwhelming support across party lines earlier this year. Co-authored by Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, the legislation calls for more training and familiarity with services in schools and communities. The measure was added as an amendment to the broader gun control package in the Senate earlier this year, and while the chamber approved Ayotte's amendment by a wide margin, 95-2, the overall package failed. The mental health legislation went nowhere. ”

Overseas adoptions rise-for black American children, by Sophie Brown, CNN, Sep 17 2013.

“While the number of international adoptions is plummeting -- largely over questions surrounding the origin of children put up for adoption in developing countries -- there is one nation from which parents abroad can adopt a healthy infant in a relatively short time whose family history and medical background is unclouded by doubt: The United States. ”

Child Neglect Accounts for 75% of Reported Abuse Cases, by Michelle Healy, USA Today , Sep 12 2013.

“A new Institute of Medicine report looks at trends in child abuse and neglect, research, treatments, and effective interventions 20 years after an initial study shed light on the problem. ”

Teaching Kids Mindfulness Improves their Attention, by Rick Nauert, Psych Central, Sep 9 2013.

“Mindfulness involves paying attention in a particular way on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. It has been shown to reduce levels of stress and depression, and to improve feelings of well-being, but to date researchers have not established a link between mindfulness and attention skills in children. ”

Inner ear disorders 'linked to hyperactivity', by BBC News Health, BBC, Sep 5 2013.

“Behavioural problems such as ADHD are usually thought to originate in the brain. But scientists have observed that children and teenagers with inner-ear disorders - especially those that affect hearing and balance - often have behavioural problems. However, no causal link has been found. The researchers in this study suggest inner-ear disorders lead to problems in the brain which then also affect behavior. ”

Viewpoint: The invisible plague of concussion, by Anand Veeravagu, BBC , Sep 5 2013.

“Traumatic brain injury is a hidden epidemic in the US, reaching beyond American football to wounded military veterans and girls' soccer players. Neurosurgeon Dr Anand Veeravagu outlines concussion's potentially devastating side effects. It is all too common for patients to tell me that they have been knocked out while playing sports or in an accident. But the consequences of concussion, or "getting your bell rung" as the disarmingly quaint expression goes, can prove disastrous. As Chief Neurosurgery Resident at the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, I've treated many of our nation's service members, some of whom came home with injuries that changed their lives forever. ”

Bullying Under Attack: True Stories Written by Teen Victims, Bullies & Bystanders, by Meyer, Stephanie, et al., Sep 3 2013.

Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous and Independent Children, by Reid Wilson and Lynn Lyons, Sep 3 2013.

Hoarding Can be a Deadly Business, by Scott O. Lillenfield and Hal Arkowitz, Scientific American, Sep 1 2013.

“In rare cases, the habit of gathering and retaining things reaches unhealthy extremes, culminating in hoarding disorder, a condition that is poorly understood. According to this volume, “hoarding disorder” is characterized by extreme and enduring difficulties parting with possessions, even if they have no tangible value. ”

Parenting Topics, by American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, Sep 2013.

“Parenting practices around the world share three major goals: ensuring children’s health and safety, preparing children for life as productive adults and transmitting cultural values. A high-quality parent-child relationship is critical for healthy development. Topics include-Changing Diet and Exercise for Kids, Facing the School Dropout Dilemma, Confronting childhood obesity, Communication tips for parents, Single Parenting and today's family. ”

5 things to know about gender identity, by Jacque Wilson, CNN , Aug 23 2013.

“"Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth," according to the American Psychological Association. "Gender identity refers to a person's internal sense of being male, female, or something else." Some say the roots of gender identity issues are cultural -- that how a culture views a "boy" or "girl" and what they should or should not do contributes to gender issues. Others believe being transgender is a choice or a psychological problem. Some experts have hypothesized that exposure to hormones during pregnancy can lead to a baby's transgender identity since early research has shown androgens can affect fetal brain development. ”

When patients have 'music emergencies', by Elizabeth Landau, CNN , Aug 23 2013.

“There is scientific research to back up the idea that music has healing properties. A 2013 analysis by Daniel Levitin, a prominent psychologist who studies the neuroscience of music at McGill University in Montreal, and his colleagues highlighted a variety of evidence: for instance, one study showed music's anti-anxiety properties, another found music was associated with higher levels of immunoglobin A, an antibody linked to immunity. The brain's reward center responds to music -- a brain structure called the striatum releases the chemical dopamine, associated with pleasure. Food and sex also have this effect. The dopamine rush could even be comparable to methamphetamines, Robert Zatorre, professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Montreal Neurological Institute, told CNN last year. ”

Study offers clues about how athletes' brain disease begins, by Stephanie Smith, CNN, Aug 22 2013.

“Ronney Jenkins cannot be sure whether chronic traumatic encephalopathy is clawing through his brain tissue right now, but he suspects that it is. After all, he fits an emerging portrait of people diagnosed with the disease: a former professional football player who took lots of hits to the head -- a couple knocked him out -- and a life off the field that has begun to unravel. ”

An Effort to Expand Access to a Drug That Could Save Victims of Overdoses, by Julie Turkewitz, New York Times , Aug 21 2013.

“Some public health experts and antidrug advocates, however, are offering another way to prevent overdose deaths: naloxone, an easy-to-administer, inexpensive drug that is sprayed into the nose or injected into the body. The more people who carry it, they say, the better. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug to treat overdoses in 1971, and since then it has been widely used in hospitals. Now, it is slowly getting into the hands of nonmedical personnel across New York State. ”