news 2022

Changes in the brain caused by early childhood experiences are not entirely irreversible. This is the conclusion reached in a recent study by researchers at Universität Hamburg, led by the psychologist and neuroscientist Brigitte Röder. Earlier neuroscientific studies have revealed that unfavorable experiences in the first few months and years of life, for example blindness or poverty, can adversely affect the structural development of the human brain.

Differences among people are less pronounced online than offline / users particularly tend to idealize their psychological characteristics / publication in 'Current Psychology' Researchers in social and media psychology at the University of Cologne have explored digital environments in which people tend to portray themselves in an idealized way.

University of Sydney researchers surveyed Australians on their mental health experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing insights into what needs to change for an effective mental health system. A study investigating the effects of COVID-19 on Australians' mental health has surveyed Australian community members and found the pandemic placed additional pressures on an already over-burdened mental health system, leaving many without timely appropriate support.

According to a study led by Professor Anick Bérard, 23% of pregnant and postpartum women experienced major depressive symptoms during the first three waves of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Canadian women's mental health both during pregnancy and in the postpartum period, confirms the CONCEPTION study led by Anick Bérard, researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine and professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Université de Montréal.

Ph.D. candidate Philippe Laperle explores the grief experience after medical assistance in dying and natural death with palliative care. Is the grief experience different for individuals who have lost a loved one by medical assistance in dying (MAiD) compared to natural death with palliative care (NDPC)? Philippe Laperle examines this sensitive issue in a recent article published in the Journal of Death and Dying , based on his Ph.D.

When we implement complex cognitive processes, for example when making decisions, we are subject to cognitive bias. But what about simpler processes, such as those involved in the most basic learning? In a new study analyzing data from all previous research in the field, researchers from Inserm and ENS-PSL show that not only are positivity and confirmation biases present even in the simplest human and animal cognitive processes, but also that incorporating them into learning algorithms would enhance their performance.

Children whose mothers experience rising levels of depression from the period before pregnancy until the months just after giving birth are at greater risk of developing emotional, social and academic problems during their youth, UCLA psychology researchers and colleagues report. Their recently published seven-year study, which tracked mothers and their offspring from preconception until the children were 5 years old, is the first to demonstrate how changes in mothers' level of depression over time may impact early childhood behavior and emotional well-being, the authors said.

New mums can access free online self-care resources to help them cope with the challenges of motherhood, as part of an ongoing research trial by The University of Queensland. The program is investigating better ways to care for the psychological wellbeing of mothers, particularly in supporting mothers to cope with difficult thoughts and feelings about their childbirth and early feeding experiences.

Autistic individuals are more likely to have chronic mental and physical health conditions, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. Autistic individuals also report lower quality healthcare than others. This study should sound the alarm to healthcare professionals that their autistic patients are experiencing high rates of chronic conditions alongside difficulties with accessing healthcare Elizabeth Weir These findings, published in Molecular Autism, have important implications for the healthcare and support of autistic individuals.

Almost two-thirds (64%) of intensive care staff may have experienced a mental health disorder during the Covid-19 winter surge last year, according to a new study led by researchers from UCL and King's College London. A similar proportion of staff said their ability to do their job was impaired because of the state of their mental health, researchers found.

A research led by Professor Juan Carlos Meléndez, from the Department of Evolutionary Psychology of the University of Valencia (UV), concludes that in hopelessness (set of negative cognitive schemas

New statistical method applied for the first time Mindfulness is the ability to focus one's attention on the present moment and to approach the resulting impressions, thoughts, and feelings with curiosity, openness, and acceptance. A team of psychologists from the University of Vienna led by Ulrich Tran now shows in a comprehensive review that the increase of mindfulness not only explains the positive effect of meditation and similar treatments on mental health, but also of psychotherapeutic treatments in which meditation plays no role at all.

Social norms dictate when we can express our emotions and to whom. These norms are much stronger for negative emotions than for positive ones. Does this mean that we can always express positive emotions, and to everyone? No, state psychology researchers from the University of Amsterdam who mapped expression norms for eight positive emotions.

Active suppression weakens unwanted memories A natural disaster, a dented car, an injured person - memories of traumatic experiences can be controlled by deliberately suppressing the images that arise. Until now, however, it was unclear what happens to the memory in the process and how the process is reflected in the brain.

Researchers at the Department of Neurology of the University of Bern and University Hospital Bern identified how the brain triages emotions during dream sleep to consolidate the storage of positive emotions while dampening the consolidation of negative ones. The work expands the importance of sleep in mental health and opens new ways of therapeutic strategies.

As the Queen's Speech outlined plans for changes to the Mental Health Act, a study highlights the challenging experiences for family members of people detained. Family members of people with severe mental health challenges need greater support to navigate the UK-s care system following changes announced in yesterday's Queen's Speech, say the authors of a new study published in the British Journal of Social Work .

Fibromyalgia is a rheumatological disease of unknown origin, which features a chronic pain, and it usually goes together with depression symptoms. It mainly affects women and does not have a cure, although several treatments can alleviate the symptoms. Cognitive-behavioural psychological therapty is one of the tools that have proved efficient when treating this pathology.

Results of a study that asked participants to take a week-long break from social media find positive effects for wellbeing, depression and anxiety. Asking people to stop using social media for just one week could lead to significant improvements in their wellbeing, depression and anxiety and could, in the future, be recommended as a way to help people manage their mental health say the authors of a new study.

Gene editing may be a potential treatment for anxiety and alcohol use disorder in adults who were exposed to binge drinking in their adolescence, according to the results of an animal study published in the journal Science Advances. The study is issued by researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago who have been studying the effects of early life binge drinking on health later in life.

It's easy to imagine the emotional distress of both parents and children in families where there isn-t enough to eat. Especially if it happens regularly. An increasing number of studies have shown an association between food insecurity and adverse mental health outcomes. Now, new research from McGill University has looked at the impacts of food insecurity on the mental health of both parents and children separately.