by British Medical Journal Non-surgical brain stimulation should be considered as alternative or add-on treatments for adults with severe forms of depression, suggests a study published by The BMJ today. The findings also suggest that more established techniques should take priority over new treatments with a more limited evidence base. Depression is a common and debilitating illness that is usually treated with drugs and psychological therapies....
Tag: <span>Mental Health</span>
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Can music slow mental decline? Rice researchers aim to find out
Can music therapy slow the progression of degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia while promoting well-being? A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will fund a new lab at Rice University that will explore this possible new inroad in the fight against such disorders. Principal investigator Christopher Fagundes, an...
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5 Things Suicide Loss Survivors Should Know — from Someone Who’s Attempted
How we see the world shapes who we choose to be — and sharing compelling experiences can frame the way we treat each other, for the better. This is a powerful perspective. It was a late January afternoon in 2018, just two days after I had major surgery. Drifting in and out of a painkiller...
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Women can build positive body image by controlling what they view on social media
Social media use is often described as being problematic for mental health and body image. But is all social media use bad? Our new research shows that viewing body positive Instagram content may actually improvewomen’s body image, at least in the short term. With more awareness, social media users might be able to curate a social media environment that promotes positive body image by unfollowing or...
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Adults with autism can read complex emotions in others
Psychologists at the University of Kent used eye-tracking technology to monitor participants as they read stories in which a character made a decision then experienced a positive or negative outcome. New research shows for the first time that adults with autism can recognise complex emotions such as regret and relief in others as easily as those without the condition. The lead author Professor Heather Ferguson,...
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How to live your life to the fullest
Although most people strive to live their lives in a meaningful and purposeful way, they may still question whether they are truly living their lives to the fullest. Baylor College of Medicine’s Dr. Karen Lawson gives her advice on what it can mean to live your life to its full potential. Credit: CC0 Public Domain “Living life to the fullest has different meanings to different people....
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Your brain on imagination: It’s a lot like reality, study shows
Imagine a barking dog, a furry spider or another perceived threat and your brain and body respond much like they would if you experienced the real thing. Imagine it repeatedly in a safe environment and soon your phobia–and your brain’s response to it–subsides. That’s the takeaway of a new brain imaging study led by University...
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Regular trips out guard against depression in old age
Regular visits to the cinema, theatre or to museums could dramatically reduce the chances of becoming depressed in older age a new study has found. Researchers at University College London found a clear link between the frequency of ‘cultural engagement’ and the chances of someone over 50 developing depression. It is the first such study...
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Older people can come to believe their own lies
What happens when older adults lie? A new study suggests that in as little as 45 minutes they can come to believe it’s the truth. Associate professor of psychology Angela Gutchess and her colleagues published the research online in the journal Brain and Cognition. Gutchess and her collaborators used electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor the brain activity of...
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Playing high school football changes the teenage brain
A single season of high school football may be enough to cause microscopic changes in the structure of the brain, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The researchers used a new type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)...