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Health - Psychology - 25.05.2022

How Covid-19 surge impacted mental health of NHS staff
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.

Psychology - 25.05.2022

Prevention of hopelessness is a key factor in reducing loneliness in old age
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

Psychology - 20.05.2022

Mindfulness as a key to success in psychotherapy
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.

Life Sciences - Psychology - 19.05.2022

The fading of negative experiences
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.

Psychology - Health - 13.05.2022

How sleep helps to process emotions
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.

Psychology - 11.05.2022

Reform to Mental Health Act must prompt change in support for families
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 .

Health - Psychology - 09.05.2022

New psychological therapy to be efficient in women with fibromyalgia and symptoms of depression
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.

Psychology - 06.05.2022

Social media break improves mental health - new study
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.

Life Sciences - Psychology - 04.05.2022

A ’factory reset’ for the brain cures anxiety, drinking behavior
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 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.

Psychology - Social Sciences - 04.05.2022

Shielding children from food insecurity - no protection from psychological problems
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.

Health - Psychology - 02.05.2022

Feeling stressed? You’re not alone
May 2, 2022 Waterloo researchers use survey data to uncover pandemic mental health insights By by Suzanne Bowness Writer If you feel more stressed than you did before the pandemic, you're not alone. Despite high rates of vaccination and our deeper familiarity with COVID-19, Canadians are still anxious.

Psychology - Health - 28.04.2022

Thinking about suicide and self-harming alleviates stress, new meta-analysis confirms
Nearly one-fifth of teens and young adults engage in self-injury, while just as many teens seriously consider attempting suicide. Both are considered a risk for suicidal behavior, but studies of why people harm themselves, or think about suicide, haven-t been examined in a comprehensive way. Now, a new meta-analysis of 38 studies finds consistent results and themes: that people engage in self-injury and/or think about suicide to alleviate some types of stress; and that the perceived stress relief that results from thoughts and behaviors indicates potential for therapy and other interventions.

Psychology - Pharmacology - 26.04.2022

Talk therapy may alleviate depression and improve quality of life for people with dementia
Talking therapies may improve symptoms of depression for people with dementia, finds a new review led by UCL researchers, providing hope for a group who typically do not benefit from antidepressants. Feelings of anxiety and depression are common in people living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment, but the best way to treat these symptoms is currently unknown, as medicines often used to treat these symptoms may not be effective for people with dementia and may cause side effects.

Health - Psychology - 21.04.2022

Protection and Risk: Social Cohesion during Lockdown
The CovSocial Project Analyzes the Mental Health and Social Cohesion of the Citizens of Berlin during the COVID-19 Pandemic In the CovSocial project, scholars and scientists led by Tania Singer from the Social Neuroscience Research Group of the Max Planck Society are investigating how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the mental health and social cohesion of Berlin citizens during the pandemic years 2020 to 2022.

Health - Psychology - 12.04.2022

Worries about finances outstrip concerns about catching Covid-19
More people are now more worried about their finances (38%), than catching Covid-19 (33%), find UCL researchers as part of the Covid-19 Social Study. The proportion of people concerned about finances is up from 32% in January 2022 - the highest level since the start of the pandemic two years ago - and likely reflects the pressures felt by the 'cost of living crisis'.

Psychology - Social Sciences - 11.04.2022

Sense of purpose is linked to reduced risk of dementia
Feeling a sense of purpose or meaning in life is associated with a lower risk of dementia years later, finds a new review of evidence led by UCL researchers. The academics were looking at whether positive psychological constructs, which also included positive mood and optimism and found that purpose and meaning in life were the key factors consistently associated with reduced risk, they report in Ageing Research Reviews .

Psychology - Life Sciences - 07.04.2022

Genetic link between childhood and adult anxiety and depression
Hereditary factors are partly responsible for childhood anxiety and depression that persists into adulthood, according to University of Queensland researchers. In the largest study of its kind in the world, the genetics of 64,641 children, aged between 3 and 18 years, were analysed using longitudinal data from the Early Genetics and Lifeforce Epidemiology consortium.

Health - Psychology - 31.03.2022

Pandemic Lockdowns Had Severe Mental Health Consequences for Women in the Developing World
While potentially crucial to preventing the spread of COVID-19, lockdowns are associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety as well as food insecurity among women in India and other parts of the developing world, according to a new research. The study from the University of California San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy finds that women whose social position may make them more vulnerable - those with daughters and those living in female-headed households - experienced even larger declines in mental health as a result of lockdowns.

Life Sciences - Psychology - 31.03.2022

Autistic and non-autistic people share more in common
We are more alike than we might think a study published in advance of World Autism Day suggests we need a more evidence-based approach to neurodiversity. Findings published in advance of World Autism Day (Saturday 2 April) reveal there are fundamental similarities between autistic and non-autistic people in mental processing.

Psychology - Life Sciences - 29.03.2022

Scientists identify overgrowth of key brain structure in babies who later develop autism
The amygdala is a small structure deep in the brain important for interpreting the social and emotional meaning of sensory input - from recognizing emotion in faces to interpreting fearful images that inform us about potential dangers in our surroundings. Historically, the amygdala has been thought to play a prominent role in the difficulties with social behavior that are central to autism.