Danish Study Finds Better 10-year Outcomes in Patients Off Antipsychotics
Study finds that 74% of patients with a psychotic disorder off antipsychotics at end of 10 years are in remission.
Minority and Immigration Status Associated with Psychosis Risk
Ethnic minorities and those who migrated during childhood have an elevated risk for psychosis, study finds.
Mindfulness of Body Linked to Heightened Resilience
“To handle stress and adversity more effectively, we should probably pay closer attention to what is happening inside our bodies,” Gretchen Reynolds writes in the New York Times Well blog. “To me, this study says that resilience is largely about body awareness and not rational thinking,” said Dr. Martin Paulus, the scientific director of the Laureate Institute for Brain Research in Tulsa, Okla., and the senior author of the study.
How Do We Prevent Loneliness?
Loneliness has been linked to negative health outcomes, but there are no interventions clearly proven to ‘fix’ the problem.
Study Finds Meditation Can Reduce Trauma Symptoms for Inmates
Researchers found that Transcendental Meditation could significantly decrease anxiety and depression, among others symptoms.
Research Progresses on Mindfulness Based Interventions for Adolescents
A new meta-analysis analyzes randomized control trials of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for adolescents.
Community-Driven Healthcare for the Homeless Reduces Hospital Costs
Direct access to care in safe locations is key in reducing healthcare costs and increasing quality of life for homeless populations.
Childhood Trauma May Alter Immune Function
A new study finds an important link between childhood trauma, immune activation, and the development of psychiatric disorders.
Loneliness Increases Risk of Severe ‘Common Mental Disorders’
Loneliness was found to both predict and be reinforced by severe common mental disorders.
“Is Time Outdoors the Key to Helping Veterans Overcome PTSD?”
Abbie Hausermann, MSW, LICSW, discusses why ecotherapy works for former service members. “The aim of these ecotherapy programs and services is to connect veterans...
Critical Psychologist On How Scientific Research Can Influence Public Policy
Critical participatory action research conducted on the higher education programs offered in prison leads to mobilized advocacy and shifts in public policy.
What Stops People From Using Exercise to Treat Depression?
New research examines important factors of adherence when prescribing exercise to treat depression.
Can a Conceptual Competence Curriculum Bring Humility to Psychiatry?
Training for conceptual competence in psychiatry provides a new way forward to address theoretical and philosophical issues in mental health research and practice.
How to Change Psychology to Address Racial Health Disparities
Psychology can only deal with racial health disparities effectively by incorporating critical race theory and intervening at a structural level.
New York Times Issues Correction on RAISE Study Report
Last Tuesday, The New York Times and several other outlets (including Mad In America) reported on the highly-touted results of a study on psychosocial treatment for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Now, claims made about the study, which the ‘Times called “the most rigorous trial to date,” are coming under increased scrutiny.
Letters to the Editor: “The Treatment of Choice”
Readers respond to the New York Times article, “The Treatment of Choice,” about innovative programs for psychosis and schizophrenia that involve patients and their families in treatment decisions. “Narratives of success counter a drumbeat of faulty links of mental illness and violence, inaccuracies which serve only to further stigmatize and isolate individuals with psychiatric illness.”
“Mindfulness at Risk of Being ‘Turned into a Free Market Commodity’”
The Guardian reports growing concerns from the Buddhist Society conference: “Jon Kabat-Zinn, who created the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine at the University of Massachusetts medical school, warned last week that some people feared a ‘sort of superficial ‘McMindfulness’ is taking over, which ignores the ethical foundations of the meditative practices and traditions from which mindfulness has emerged, and divorces it from its profoundly transformative potential.’”
New Findings Suggest Masculinity is a Risk Factor for Suicidal Thinking
Men who report being self-reliant may be at greater risk of suicidal thinking.
Critical Psychiatry: Importance of Interviewing
For the Critical Psychiatry blog, Duncan Double writes that psychological formulation and psychosocial assessment may provide a way forward to a “new psychiatry” that moves on from modern concepts of mental illness as chemical imbalance or some other abnormality of the brain.
Mediterranean Diet Improves Mental Health, Study Finds
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish has repeatedly been found to improve mental health.
Debate Ensues Over Rights-Based Approach to Mental Health
Debate ensues as scholars and policymakers discuss how to bring a rights-based approach to mental health policy.
JAMA Article Challenges CBT as Gold Standard for Psychotherapy
A review of CBT research findings raises questions about its status as the “evidence-based” psychotherapy of choice.
“Programs Expand Schizophrenic Patients’ Role in Their Own Care”
Benedict Carey at the New York Times covers the push for new programs that emphasize supportive services, therapy, school and work assistance, and family education, rather than simply drug treatment.
Hope for Everyone
I am a very optimistic psychologist, but with reason. For 25 years I've been working with people who have had psychological problems in every conceivable area. Many psychologists have problems with burnout, especially early in their careers. For me, this has been very different. By using the treatment techniques that I do, I feel anti-burned out. It is so gratifying to see people get out of their serious problems, that I look forward to every day of clinical work.
Research Finds Parents’ Trauma May Impact Children’s Health
Study uncovers some of the intergenerational consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
