Childhood Trauma May Alter Immune Function

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A new study finds an important link between childhood trauma, immune activation, and the development of psychiatric disorders.

The Link Between Opioids and Unemployment

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From The Atlantic: A recent study found that increases in unemployment rates are associated with increased opioid overdoses and emergency room visits. Article →­

Targeting Hypocrisy Reduces Islamophobia and Collective Blame of Muslims

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Interventions calling attention to participants’ hypocrisy proved effective in reducing Islamophobia and collective blame of Muslims for individual acts of violence.

Living Through the Catastrophe

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In this piece for ROAR Magazine, Jerome Roos explores the psychological, social, and economic impact of living under the imminent threat of catastrophic man-made climate...

“Why are Doctors Plagued by Depression and Suicide?”

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For STAT news, Judith Graham reports on the escalating crisis of depression, burnout, and suicide among physicians. “Male doctors are 1.4 times more likely to kill...

13 Reasons to Watch 13 Reasons Why

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From Acting NT: Many mental health advocates have objected to the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, which centers around the suicide of a teenage girl. Here...

If Money can Make you Happy, can Debt Make you Sad?

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From Aeon: While research shows that having financial resources contributes to our happiness and satisfaction, borrowing money and being in debt add to our dissatisfaction and...

Many are Depressed Because They’re Expected not to be

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From The Conversation: New studies suggest that Western cultural values - specifically the high value we place on happiness - may be the reason that...

One in Four Resident Physicians Suffer from Depression

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A new study in JAMA reveals that, on average, 25% of beginning physicians meet the diagnostic criteria for major depression. In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Thomas Schwenk, added: "Everybody asks me, because of some of my prior studies, should we have more intense work in diagnosing depression in students? Of course, the answer is 'yes,' but how do you go about that without further stigmatizing them, further labeling them, further singling them out to even greater stigma? It's not just an issue of, 'Let's make better diagnoses and let's provide better treatment'; it’s more complicated than that."

When the Cure is the Cause

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From Undark Magazine: In late 1970, a pharmacologist discovered that an antibiotic drug designed to cure a disease called SMON (subacute myelo-optic neuropathy) was actually causing...

Research Finds Parents’ Trauma May Impact Children’s Health

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Study uncovers some of the intergenerational consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

“Pharmaceutical Prosthesis and White Racial Rescue in the Prescription Opioid ‘Epidemic’”

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Critical psychiatry researcher, anthropologist and NYU professor Helena Hansen writes: “Opioid maintenance acts as a kind of pharmaceutical prosthesis which promises to return white ‘addicts’ to regaining their status as full human persons and middle-class consumers. Meanwhile, black and brown users are not deemed as persons to be rescued, but rather dangerous subjects to be pharmaceutically contained within the public discipline of the state.”

Knowing Patient’s Story Improves Odds of Happy Ending

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The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has released a toolkit that will help physicians identify and respond to key social determinants impacting their...

Why More American Teens Than Ever Suffer From Severe Anxiety

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In this piece for The New York Times, Benoit Denizet-Lewis explores the social, cultural, and economic factors that have contributed to the significant rise in...

Seattle-caught Salmon Found to Contain Drugs

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From My Science Academy: In a recent study, up to 81 drugs and personal care products were detected in the flesh of salmon caught in Puget...

Depathologize Shyness Now!

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In this piece for Medium, Jenny Karlsson makes the case for depathologizing shyness by removing "social anxiety disorder" from the DSM. "Shyness, under the label of,...

How Do We Prevent Loneliness?

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Loneliness has been linked to negative health outcomes, but there are no interventions clearly proven to ‘fix’ the problem.

Doctors Too Reliant on Pfizer’s Depression Questionnaire

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From The Telegraph: Depression is being overdiagnosed due to doctors' reliance on a nine-question form designed by pharmaceutical company Pfizer to assess patients for depression. Article...

Western ‘Depression’ is Not Universal

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Derek Summerfield, consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley National Health Service Foundation Trust, challenges the assumption that Western depression is a universal condition.

Is Mental Illness Real?

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From The Guardian: Conceptualizing emotional distress or suffering as the result of a biological, genetic illness may be stigmatizing and inaccurate, and may lead to...

Lay Health Worker Intervention Effective at Decreasing Symptoms

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Compared with standard care, results of a lay health worker intervention in Zimbabwe suggest that this is effective for reduction of common mental health symptoms

Can Precision Medicine Work for Depression?

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From STAT: The idea of using precision medicine to treat depression is quickly gaining new ground. But many researchers and experts worry that the idea...

Eating Oily Fish While Pregnant Could Prevent Schizophrenia

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From The Conversation: According to a recent study from Japan, pregnant mice that are deprived of an essential fatty acid, called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are...

The Paradox of White Americans’ Mental Health

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Are White Americans’ poor mental health outcomes caused by Whiteness?

Challenging the Relentless Rise of Depression in Young People

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In this piece, Dave Traxson discusses the social and cultural factors contributing to the rise of depression among young people in Britain, arguing that...