Publications on Mental Health Topics

Myths and Facts About Self-Injury, by Kirstin Fawcett, U.S. News , Dec 26 2014.

“Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is “the direct, deliberate damage of one’s body without the intention of suicide, and for purposes that aren’t socially sanctioned,” such as tattoos or piercings, says Peggy Andover, a professor of psychology at Fordham University and president of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury. There's not one underlying reason why people engage in NSSI. But psychologists generally agree it serves as a method of emotional regulation: People use it to cope with sadness, distress, anxiety, anger and other intense feelings or, on the flipside, emotional numbness. ”

Music Training May Improve Attention, Cut Kids’ Anxiety, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central , Dec 25 2014.

“Musical training may help children focus their attention, control their emotions, and lower their anxiety, according to a new study by psychiatrists at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. The findings are published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. The study is the largest investigation of the link between playing a musical instrument and brain development, according to the authors. Using a database from the National Institutes of Health Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Study of Normal Brain Development, the team was able to analyze the brain scans of 232 children aged six to 18. ”

7 Mental Health Resolutions for 2015, by Alexandra Sifferlin, Time , Dec 25 2014.

“When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, our self-improvement efforts often focus on getting a better body. And we ignore that other, equally important part of our wellbeing: our mental health. MORE 'The Finest': Thousands Mourn Slain NYPD Officer Ramos NBC News Outage Outrage: North Korea Internet 'Paralyzed' Again NBC News 2014's Most Awesome (and Awful) Space Pictures NBC News Eminem Comes Out As Gay In 'The Interview' (VIDEO) Huffington Post Chris Freytag: 55 Tips to Lose Weight for Good Huffington Post Certain health hazards come with warnings, like cigarettes or alcohol, but less obvious ones, like loneliness and rejection, can take just as great toll, says psychologist Guy Winch, author of Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure and Other Everyday Hurts. Research shows social isolation is linked to shorter lifespans, yet we often ignore our emotional hygiene. “If our dental hygiene were as poor as our emotional hygiene, we’d be all gums and no teeth,” says Winch. ”

High socioeconomic status increases discrimination, depression risk in black young adults, by Massachusetts General Hospital, ScienceDaily, Dec 18 2014.

“An investigation into factors related to disparities of depression in young adults has found that higher parental education -- which has a protective effect for white youth -- can also increase the risk of depression for black youth. The MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) study published online in the Journal of Pediatrics also found that, among high-socioeconomic-status black youth, greater perceptions of being discriminated against cancelled out the protective effects of parental education ”

On-Line Intervention Reduces Suicide Risk in Veterans, by Rick Nauert, Psych Central , Dec 5 2014.

“A new study suggests a brief online intervention may help veterans reduce the risk of suicide. In their research, psychologist from Florida State University developed a simple computer-based approach to treating anxiety sensitivity. They believe the software may provide significant benefit for veterans and other groups who are considered at risk for suicide. ”

How the West is cutting teen pregnancy, by Keith Moore, BBC , Dec 3 2014.

“Teenage pregnancy is a problem developed Western nations have been battling for decades - and though it sometimes goes unnoticed they have made huge progress. "Here's a story of utter irresponsibility: About one-third of American girls become pregnant as teenagers," wrote columnist Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times recently. It seems like a shockingly high number. And eight years ago it was accurate. In 2006, this was the cumulative risk of a teenager becoming pregnant once between the ages of 13 and 19. It was calculated by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a non-profit organisation, using data for births and abortions and an estimate for the number of miscarriages. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote Truly one of the US's great success stories over the past two decades” Bill Albert National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy But when the same formula is used with the most recent figures, from 2010, it indicates that the number of teenage American girls becoming pregnant is now less than one in four, a reduction on track with changes over the past two decades. ”

Study finds Depression in Pregnancy, Postpartum is Overlooked and Undertreated, by David Jacobson, UCSF School of Pharmacy , Dec 1 2014.

“About 10 to 20 percent of women suffer from new-onset depression during pregnancy or after giving birth. Untreated, the impact of such illness can be profound, ranging from substance abuse, poor prenatal care, and miscarriages to impaired infant bonding and developmental delays. But a new study comparing the medical records of more than 6,000 such perinatal women-both during their pregnancies and postpartum-to those of about 57,000 non-pregnant women of the same ages (18 to 39 years) has found the perinatal group was significantly less likely to be diagnosed with depression. ”

How Do Teenage Boys Perceive Their Weight?, ScienceDaily, Nov 20 2014.

“Almost one third of male adolescents inaccurately perceive their weight. This can influence their eating habits and, consequently, their health, according to a study led by the UAB and conducted with 600 teenage boys from Barcelona and surrounding areas. ”

Is violence more common in same-sex relationships?, by Joanna Jolly, BBC, Nov 18 2014.

“Last year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released figures showing people in same-sex relationships experience levels of domestic violence just as often as those in heterosexual relationships. But the conclusions of another study this year by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago - a review of data from four earlier studies, involving 30,000 participants - go further. "One of our startling findings was that rates of domestic violence among same-sex couples is pretty consistently higher than for opposite sex couples," says Richard Carroll, a psychologist and co-author of the report. ”

Growing Up with ADHD, by Denise Foley, Time , Nov 12 2014.

“Being fidgety and easily distracted are two of the most common and recognized symptoms of ADHD, often leading to poor performance in school, the most recognized fallout of the condition. But the 5% to 11% of American children 4 to 17 years of age who are diagnosed with the disorder-the numbers are up for debate depending on whom you talk to-also face a lifetime of increased risk for accidents, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, smoking, and even dying prematurely. Overall, boys (13.2%) are more likely than girls (5.6%) to be given an ADHD diagnosis. ”

Let Me Love You Through It: The Inspiring True Stories of Victims, Becoming Survivors of Domestic Violence, by Hoagland, A., Oct 30 2014.

“Abuse thrives in the silence. Join me on my mission to bring to light the biggest, silent epidemic man has ever known. 29 Brave women and men, including myself, have given us a peek inside the true darkness if their lives lived in domestic violence, and their encouraging battles to escape.. ”

Army Enlistees Similar to Civilians But Some Disorders More Prevalent, by Rick Nauert, Psych Central , Oct 27 2014.

“Emerging research suggests that while military enrollees do not share the exact psychological profile as socio-demographically comparable civilians, they are more similar than previously thought. One study found that new soldiers and matched civilians are equally likely to have experienced at least one major episode of mental illness in their lifetime (38.7 percent of new soldiers; 36.5 percent of civilians). ”

‘Exposure therapy’ helps patients with prolonged grief, by Kathryn Doyle, Reuters, Oct 23 2014.

“Adding one-on-one sessions focused on reliving the experience of losing a loved one to regular group therapy appears to help more patients with prolonged grief, according to a new study. Most people who lose a loved one feel stress, grieve and adapt over time. But seven to 10 percent of people get stuck in the grief phase and have persistent yearning for the deceased, difficulty in accepting the death, a sense of meaninglessness, bitterness about the death and difficulty in engaging in new activities, said lead author Richard A. Bryant of the School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. ”

Halting Schizophrenia Before It Starts, by Marvi Lacar, NPR , Oct 20 2014.

“That first psychotic break can lead to a series of disasters: social isolation, hospitalization, medications with sometimes disabling side effects, and future psychotic episodes. So, what if you could intervene earlier, before any of that? Could you stop the process from snowballing? The program draws on research suggesting that schizophrenia unfolds much more slowly than might be obvious, even to families. ”

Why Schools Should Screen Their Students’ Mental Health, by Alexandra Sifferlin, Time, Oct 7 2014.

“Schools should be a first line of defense for catching young people at risk for mental health issues from depression to ADHD, a pair of new reports says. Kids and adolescents spend a significant amount of their time in school, yet providing mental health screenings and care is not an overarching requirement for many schools. 'We need to think about how to embed mental health services so they become part of the culture in schools,' says study author Dr. Mina Fazel, a child psychiatrist at the University of Oxford. It will take a commitment from health and education. ”