Publications on Mental Health Topics

Phone support can help ease postpartum depression, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters , Feb 24 2015.

“Phone support can help ease postpartum depression, a small study suggests, offering an option for mothers who are unable or unwilling to seek therapy in person. In the study, women with postpartum depression received telephone counseling from other women who had previously suffered from the disorder and recovered. The new moms found that the conversations helped relieve symptoms. ”

A Half-Century of Conflict Over Attempts to 'Cure’ Gay People, by Stephen Vider and David S. Byers, Time, Feb 12 2015.

“The history of treatment of homosexuality shows that psychiatry may need a cure of its own. ”

Elementary teachers' depression symptoms related to students' learning, by Society for Research in Child Development, ScienceDaily , Feb 11 2015.

“A new study has found that teachers who report having more symptoms of depression had classrooms that were of lesser quality, and that students in these classrooms had fewer performance gains. Researchers looked at 27 teachers and their 523 third-grade students in a Florida school district. Teachers reported the frequency of their symptoms of clinical depression, and students' basic reading and math skills were assessed throughout the year. ”

To Stop Violence, Start at Home, by Paemla Shifman and Salamishah Tillet, New York Times, Feb 3 2015.

“The pattern is striking. Men who are eventually arrested for violent acts often began with attacks against their girlfriends and wives. In many cases, the charges of domestic violence were not taken seriously or were dismissed. ”

Institutional neglect changes kids’ brain structure, by Reuters, Fox News, Jan 27 2015.

“Kids who were raised in a Romanian institution for abandoned children have smaller heads, smaller brains, and different white matter structure than similar kids who were moved into high-quality foster care at an early age. Even those who were moved into foster care by age two have noticeably different brains from children raised in biological families. The findings show that the brain's wiring "is profoundly interrupted and perturbed and changed by neglect,” said senior author Charles A. Nelson of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. ”

Psychopathic violent offenders’ brains can’t understand punishment, by University of Montreal, ScienceDaily , Jan 27 2015.

“Psychopathic violent offenders have abnormalities in the parts of the brain related to learning from punishment, according to an MRI study led by Sheilagh Hodgins and Nigel Blackwood. "One in five violent offenders is a psychopath. They have higher rates of recidivism and don't benefit from rehabilitation programmes. Our research reveals why this is and can hopefully improve childhood interventions to prevent violence and behavioural therapies to reduce recidivism," explained Professor Hodgins of the University of Montreal and Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal. "Psychopathic offenders are different from regular criminals in many ways. Regular criminals are hyper-responsive to threat, quick-tempered and aggressive, while psychopaths have a very low response to threats, are cold, and their [aggression] is premeditated," added Dr. Nigel Blackwood, who is affiliated with King's College London. "Evidence is now accumulating to show that both types of offenders present abnormal, but distinctive, brain development from a young age." ”

More Differences Than Similarities Are Found in Autistic Siblings, by Benedict Carey, New York Times , Jan 26 2015.

“Most siblings with a diagnosis of autism do not share the same genetic risk factors for the disorder and are as distinct in their behaviors as any brothers and sisters, scientists reported on Monday in a study that came as a surprise to many doctors, if not to parents. ”

Teens Who Skimp On Sleep Now Have More Drinking Problems Later, by Maanvi Singh, NPR , Jan 16 2015.

“Sleep-deprived teenagers find it difficult to focus in class, and they're more likely get sick. They are also more likely to develop problems with alcohol later on, according to a study published Friday in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. The study included teens who suffered from conditions like insomnia as well as those who simply weren't getting enough sleep. Teenagers ages 14 through 16 who had trouble falling or staying asleep were 47 percent more likely to binge drink than their well-rested peers. Sleep problems were linked to even more issues with alcohol later on. ”

Stress is 'barrier to feeling empathy for strangers', BBC , Jan 15 2015.

“In this study, researchers treated mice with a stress-blocking drug and watched their response when confronted with other mice in pain. They found that the mice became more empathetic and more compassionate to strangers, reacting in a way they would normally react to familiar mice. When the mice were put under stress, they showed less empathy towards other mice in pain. Tests in undergraduate students using the same drug showed exactly the same effect, the study said. ”

New Apps Give Teens Easier, Persistent Access To Mental Help, by Lorraine Sanders, NPR , Jan 13 2015.

“A growing technology sector is creating coaching, counseling and monitoring services for teens and young adults fighting eating disorders, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. The programs promise to open new avenues for those who want or need more mental health care but - because of high service costs, logistical hassles, struggles with stigma or other obstacles - would not otherwise get it. Many focus on crisis intervention - including DoSomething.org's Crisis Text Line, which provides teens free, round-the-clock access to trained counseling and referrals - as well as Mood 24/7, which lets people send a daily text message about how they feel to a doctor, therapist or loved one. ”

When Campus Rapists Don’t Think They’re Rapists, by Victoria Bekiempis, Newsweek, Jan 9 2015.

“Nearly one-third of college men admit they might rape a woman if they could get away with it, a new study on campus sexual assault claims. Of those men, however, far fewer will admit this if the word rape is actually used during the course of questioning. Approximately 32 percent of study participants said that they would have intentions to force a woman to sexual intercourse if nobody would ever know and there wouldn’t be any consequences.’’ Yet only 13.6 percent admit to having any intentions to rape a woman under these same circumstances. With the exception of one survey that was not counted because of inconclusive answers, all of the men who admitted to rape intentions also admitted to forced intercourse intentions. (Worth noting: Though the legal definition of rape varies from state to state, these researchers are using the widely agreed upon definition of the word as intercourse by use of force or threat of force against a victim’s wishes. ”

Alcohol poisoning kills 6 people a day, by Jen Christensen, CNN , Jan 7 2015.

“By the end of today, an average of six people will have died from alcohol poisoning, and it's a "surprising group" that's dying more than any other, according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That adds up to an average of 2,221 people in the United States -- a conservative estimate, according to the CDC - dying annually, making it one of the leading preventable causes of death. The numbers come from death certificate data collected from 2010 to 2012. ”

(Video) Understanding Learning Disabilities: How difficult can this be?, by Richard Lavoie, 2015.

Beyond the Blues: Prenatal and Postpartum Depression, by Bennett, Shoshana, 2015.

Talking with your Children about Traumatic Events, by Riverside Trauma Center, 2015.

“Here are some tips for talking with your children when they have witnessed or heard about traumatic events. ”