BREAKING NEWS: Psychology & Self-Help

A Guy’s Neuroscientist

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 01:42:08 -0400

Dr. Joel Alexander of Western Oregon University was tragically taken from us this week. He was a brilliant neuroscientist and a regular guy—at the same time. A rare combination.

Princeton Study Uses AI to Find Autism Clues in “Junk” DNA

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 23:35:37 -0400

Recently, Princeton University-led researchers used genomics and artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning to identify the contribution of noncoding mutations to autism risk.

Rolling the Dice with Other People's Lives

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 21:49:52 -0400

For pathological gamblers, what starts out as fun turns into a compulsion that takes over their lives. And for anyone who stands in the way, the results can be deadly.

Time Management Tips for Introverted Parents

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 19:57:48 -0400

Are you an introvert looking to find balance as a new parent? Here are four tips to help you make space for you and your little one.

Serotonin Malfunctions May Be a Harbinger of Parkinson's

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 18:36:57 -0400

Years before a Parkinson's disease patient experiences dopamine-related problems with movement, the serotonin system may start malfunctioning in subtle ways, a new study reports.

Self-Compassion Can Help Prevent Re-Victimization

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 18:33:36 -0400

By practicing self-compassion former victims of child sexual abuse can help prevent being sexually re-traumatized as adults.

Anybody Can Serve

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 18:29:05 -0400

Does the question of how you can make a difference seem overwhelming? A few simple answers can help considerably.

What It Takes to Be a Champion

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 18:23:47 -0400

Part 1: How the Toronto Raptors exemplified resilience in ways we can all learn from.

Stress During Pregnancy and Mental Disorders in Children

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 17:55:38 -0400

New research suggests mothers’ subjective stress during pregnancy is linked to psychiatric disorders in their children.

A Stab to the Heart: Mothering Middle Schoolers

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 17:11:33 -0400

Does parenting a middle schooler sometimes feel like a stab to the heart? A few strategies for helping parents cope during this difficult season.

Solo Sex

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 16:41:56 -0400

Expanding your definition of what "solo sex" is may help you have a better sex life.

Do Tests Stress Out Your Child?

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 16:37:26 -0400

When kids have parental support, emotional awareness and practiced skills of emotional self-regulation, even the most challenging tests can be approached with positive attitudes.

For Some, Self-Tracking Means More Than Self-Help

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 16:32:24 -0400

What does all that self-tracked data mean to you?

How to Effectively Manage Your High Blood Pressure

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 16:25:48 -0400

Hypertension is the largest preventable and treatable risk factor for chronic disease in the world. We provided a list of ways to help keep your blood pressure under control

Toxic Behavior Can Stifle a Gratitude Attitude

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 15:14:20 -0400

Researchers suggest avoiding toxic behavior whenever possible. Just think of what happens when you touch poison ivy.

Do We Need to Respect Others' Memories When Forming Our Own?

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 14:47:49 -0400

In my last past, I discussed the role we play in forming our memories—but what if we remember things differently than someone else? Should their opinion "count" in our memories?

The Challenges and Benefits of Pet Ownership for Seniors

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 14:17:01 -0400

A new report that reveals a need for more pet-friendly housing and family conversations about worst-case scenarios.

Is Empathy Your Greatest Strength and Greatest Weakness?

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 14:16:35 -0400

Does your empathy get you into helping trouble? Here's how to manage your empathy for healthy helping boundaries.

Why Young People Are So Anxious and Depressed

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 14:05:53 -0400

A startling increase in depression for adolescents and young adults suggests they are being attacked by something very recent, like social media.

Free Live Webinar: Breaking Free from Perfectionism (Ignore that Voice in Your Head!)

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 13:30:28 -0400

(Please note: Registration is required. This free live webinar will be recorded and a copy made available to all who register.)

Perfectionism can be far too easily defined as your most reliable skill. You’re known to get the job done and make it look easy as you go. Your life is extremely busy, but you always make time for others when they need you. You’re upbeat, each smiling selfie another testament to how good your life really is. How could you possibly question the value of creating what looks to others like the perfect life? Because underneath perfectionism can lie intense loneliness and despair, stuffed away because pain or vulnerability isn’t allowed in this perfect-looking world, and never was encouraged or supported in the past.

What you can look forward to learning:

1) The ten characteristics of perfectly hidden depression (when perfectionism is masking depression).

2) Three forms of perfectionism and which one is the most dangerous.

3) How to discover the shaming inner voice (She calls hers “Bob”) that keeps you silent.

4) How to identify and question the rigid rules from your past that you’re following that no longer need to exist.

5) The specific directions you want to move toward in your life as you begin to uncover feelings long suppressed and make your own choices about how to live your life.

Dr. Rutherford will also provide a link to a questionnaire that can give you a clue of where you might fall on the spectrum of perfectly hidden depression, ten specific journal prompts that can act as a comforting and supportive guide as your work begins, and suggestions for further learning.

PRESENTER BIO:

Dr. Margaret Rutherford, a clinical psychologist, has practiced for twenty-six years in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Her work can be found at www.DrMargaretRutherford.com, as well as HuffPost, Psych Central, The Mighty, the Gottman Blog and others. She hosts a weekly podcast, SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford. Her new book, Perfectly Hidden Depression, will be published by New Harbinger in 2019.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Eastern (EDT)

This webinar is a live, 45-minute seminar with a PowerPoint presentation followed by a Q&A moderated by Gabe Howard, host of The Psych Central Show podcast. There is no charge for the webinar, but registration is required. All registrants will receive a link to the recording.

Space is limited,
so signup today!

Space is limited so please register early. Thank you.

Understanding Gaming Disorder: A New Diagnosis

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 13:28:56 -0400

Despite concerns about children and teens being overly focused on smart phones and gaming, their remains a lot to be known about gaming disorder.

Spite: What We Do for the Sweet Sake of Revenge

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 13:15:37 -0400

If you hurt yourself, thinking you’ll thereby hurt someone else much more, is that a fair price to pay for upholding your dignity and self-respect?

Are You Mean?

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 13:12:07 -0400

What do you do when your mother is mean?

Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 13:00:04 -0400

Recent research identifies how mental illness stigma varies in different communities.

Is Violence Inevitable?

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 12:17:54 -0400

To harness the power of neuroplasticity to pull us off the fatal ledge, we must begin to identify what we are feeding our nervous systems.

Why Following the Evidence Is So Hard: The Case of GMOs

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 11:57:23 -0400

How do conflicts like that about GMOs become so polarized? What can we learn from this for when we're in any kind of tough conversation?

Cat Lessons.

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 11:24:17 -0400

Pay attention to your cats. They know more than you do about living a good life and making commitments.

Joint hypermobility related to anxiety, also in animals

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 11:12:50 -0400

Researchers report the first evidence in a non-human species, the domestic dog, of a relation between joint hypermobility and excitability: dogs with more joint mobility and flexibility tend to have more anxiety problems.

'Goldilocks' neurons promote REM sleep

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 11:12:48 -0400

It has been a mystery why REM sleep, or dream sleep, increases when the room temperature is 'just right'. Neuroscientists show that melanin-concentrating hormone neurons within the hypothalamus increase REM sleep when the need for body temperature defense is minimized, such as when sleeping in a warm and comfortable room temperature. These data have important implications for the function of REM sleep.

How arousal impacts physiological synchrony in relationships

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 09:48:44 -0400

A team of researchers has examined what type of social interaction is required for people to display physiological synchrony -- mutual changes in autonomic nervous system activity. The study also looked at whether the levels of autonomic arousal people share predicts affiliation and friendship interest between people.

Anxiety vs. ADHD in a Relationship: How to Stop the Battle

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 09:39:54 -0400

The combination of an anxious partner and one with ADHD easily leads to stress and frustration. Here's how to stop the battles.

LGBT Health Is Inseparable from LGBT Rights

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 09:26:12 -0400

During Pride month, it is important to remember that LGBT individuals cannot be healthy when they are denied basic rights.

10 Mental Health Benefits of Gardening

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 07:55:24 -0400

There are many advantages to spending time in your garden—not just for your body but for your mind.

Antidepressants May Hinder Empathy for Others’ Pain

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 07:00:50 -0400

Until recently, research has suggested that severe episodes of depression can reduce a person’s ability to feel empathy, an essential skill for successful social interactions and understanding others. However, most of these studies have been conducted with groups of patients taking antidepressant medications.

Now in a new Austrian study, an interdisciplinary team of social neuroscientists, neuroimaging experts, and psychiatrists from the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna set out to disentangle the effects of acute depressive episodes and antidepressant treatment on empathy.

The researchers discovered that it is the antidepressant treatment — not the depressive episode — which can lead to impaired empathy toward perception of pain.

For the study, patients with severe depression underwent two experiments testing their empathic responses to the pain of others: First, they were tested during an acute depressive episode before they had received any medication. Then they were tested again after three months of psychopharmacological treatment with antidepressants (mostly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs).

In both sessions, patients underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while watching videos of people undergoing painful medical procedures. Their brain activity and self-reported empathy levels were compared to those of a group of healthy controls.

The findings show that, before treatment, depressed patients and healthy controls responded in a comparable way.

But after three months of antidepressant treatment, the researchers discovered notable differences: Medicated patients reported their levels of empathy to be lower, and brain activation was reduced in areas previously associated with empathy.

First author Dr. Markus Rütgen underlines that reduced empathic responses were not caused by a general dampening of negative emotions. “The lowered emotional impact of negative events in a social context possibly allows patients to recover more easily. Nevertheless, the actual impact of reduced empathy on patients’ social behavior remains to be explored,” he said.

The findings are published in the scientific journal Translational Psychiatry.

Source: University of Vienna

Inside Schizophrenia: A Look into Possible Links Between Violence and Schizophrenia

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 06:30:14 -0400

An in-depth look at violence and its relation to schizophrenia. Is violence a symptom of schizophrenia? Do mass attackers always have schizophrenia? Are schizophrenics dangerous?

Studies say people with schizophrenia are more likely to be a victim of a crime than the perpetrator. However, James Holmes, the movie theater mass murderer, was said to have paranoid schizophrenia. And a person can plead not-guilty by reason of insanity in court. This seems to be contrary to the idea of non-violence in mental illness.

Host Rachel Star Withers, a diagnosed schizophrenic, and co-host Gabe Howard delve into these intense subjects in this episode of the Inside Schizophrenia podcast. Officer Rebecca Skillern, the senior trainer within the mental health division of the Houston Police Department, joins as a special guest to explain police protocol in answering crisis emergencies and what people with schizophrenia, and their loved ones, should do when an episode puts someone in danger.

Highlights From ‘Violence & Schizophrenia’ Episode

[01:48] “Have you ever killed anyone?”

[03:21] Stigma is not knowing.

[07:10] Consequences of people finding out you have schizophrenia.

[14:22] Not guilty by reason of insanity.

[17:33] Paranoid schizophrenia and mass attackers.

[24:00] Has Rachel ever been violent due to my schizophrenia?

[25:30] Guest interview with Officer Rebecca Skillern.

[27:22] How is a mental crisis team response different than a typical police response?

[31:00] What to do if I need help for a mental health crisis.

[43:55] During a mental health crisis, what do I want to happen?

[46:00] Confusion and fear during an episode.

About Our Guest

Officer Rebecca Skillern, the senior trainer within the mental health division of the Houston Police Department, joins as a special guest to explain police protocol in answering crisis emergencies and what people with schizophrenia, and their loved ones, should do when an episode puts someone in danger.

She is an expert in CIT Training (Crisis Intervention Team) which is a program that provides the foundation necessary to promote community and statewide solutions to assist individuals with a mental illness and/or addictions. The CIT Model reduces both stigma and the need for further involvement with the criminal justice system. CIT provides a forum for effective problem solving regarding the interaction between the criminal justice and mental health care system and creates the context for sustainable change. Learn more by visiting www.citinternational.org.

Computer Generated Transcript for “Violence and Schizophrenia” Episode

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.

Announcer: Welcome to Inside Schizophrenia, a look into better understanding and living well with schizophrenia. Hosted by renowned advocate and influencer Rachel Star Withers and featuring Gabe Howard.

Rachel Star Withers: Hello, listeners, could a change in your schizophrenia treatment plan make a difference for you? There are options out there you might not know about. Please visit oncemonthlydifference.com to find out more about the benefits of once monthly injections for adults with schizophrenia. Welcome to Inside Schizophrenia. I’m Rachel Star Withers here with Gabe Howard. Today we’re going to take an in-depth look into violence and schizophrenia. Is violence an actual symptom of schizophrenia? Do mass attackers always have schizophrenia? Basically, are schizophrenics dangerous?

Gabe Howard: This is fascinating because it comes up so incredibly often and I imagine that as somebody who lives with schizophrenia people that believe this particular misinformation campaign or myth or misunderstanding sort of visit their fears onto your life. Is that fair?

Rachel Star Withers: Yes, I’m very open about my schizophrenia and not just online and in podcasts but everyday life. OK. Most people who meet me as far as more than once, not just random strangers and I’m just screaming it out. But if you work with me you probably know at some point and I get a lot of different like crazy questions. Some people have asked me like, “What do you see colors?” Yes. I’m not colorblind. That has nothing to do with schizophrenia at all. Oh but the weirdest I’ve gotten that I’ve never quite understand why is, “Have you ever killed anyone?”

Gabe Howard: Just do they just straight up? When they’re asking questions about schizophrenia. Do they come straight out and say, “Have you killed anyone?”

Rachel Star Withers: No this is like something they lead up to. It’s like OK I’ve been like I know her you know and we’re finally talking and maybe I feel like I can finally ask this question. That would be offensive if I asked right away. But I’ve definitely been thinking about it for the past three weeks I’ve been working with her

Gabe Howard: So it’s on their mind from the moment they find out that you have schizophrenia? I mean when they find out about your illness this is something that pops into their head almost instantly?

Rachel Star Withers: I personally think so.

Gabe Howard: And does it worry you? Is it a concern?

Rachel Star Withers: To me, it doesn’t worry me. I always like to turn it into a joke. People say, “Have you ever killed anyone?” Not yet. I should like to just kind of pause there for a long time, take a nice deep breath and slowly turn my gaze to them and score right. But.

Gabe Howard: But that’s something that you have of course the privilege to do.

Rachel Star Withers: Yes.

Gabe Howard: I mean it

Rachel Star Withers: Yes.

Gabe Howard: You know just both by way of being. I’m trying not to say a tiny little white woman but . . . But you know what I mean. You don’t look physically imposing. It does. Does that make sense?

Rachel Star Withers: No, it does. Yes.

Gabe Howard: I mean if you were, if you were a giant man. If you were you know a giant African-American male? But if you weren’t as articulate or funny or as approachable or as friendly this kind of a stereotype would be? It could be really impactful to your ability to find a work or a job or housing if they think that you’re dangerous.

Rachel Star Withers: Oh absolutely. You know people hear the word stigma and you always associate it with something bad like. Okay well stigma must mean that everybody thinks schizophrenics are violent or have killed people. But I think a lot of it is also you just don’t know anything. Like the unknown. Like I don’t know what this person is capable of. I don’t know much about schizophrenia so yeah on such and such TV show that was the killer and that I think is more scary than anything.

Gabe Howard: So you think that people are taking their ignorance essentially because they don’t know if you are safe or unsafe.

Rachel Star Withers: Yes. And it’s one reason that I go out of my way to be so open about my schizophrenia. And that’s a luxury that I have. You know certain jobs I can’t go around saying that if I were to work. So I’m not saying everybody with a mental disorder should you know just tell the world hey guess what. I mean right now I’m working on this podcast with you, Gabe, Inside Schizophrenia. I don’t think I would get fired if anyone found out I actually had schizophrenia.

Gabe Howard: In this particular case it was an advantage. Obviously the show was looking for somebody who had a lot of knowledge about schizophrenia. Somebody who was open to talking about schizophrenia and somebody who was living publicly with schizophrenia. Do you believe, Rachel, that the people who think this are just mean malicious people who just dislike you? You sort of alluded to the fact that you think that it’s just all misunderstanding?

Rachel Star Withers: I’m not going to say all of it’s misunderstanding. There’s horrible people all over the world who are going to believe whatever they want. But I’d say the majority of the people who’ve actually asked me the question, “Have you ever killed anyone?” They weren’t mean people. It was just kind of like someone who was genuinely curious and honestly didn’t know anything about schizophrenia really except for the media.

Gabe Howard: Once you do your humor thing and I agree with you I think that humor has a lot of benefits. It diffuses situations it makes people comfortable in a way. After that sort of dissipates and people are like OK now I’ve realized that accusing you of killing somebody or even thinking that can be really hurtful. Do good conversations come out of that and how do you handle those?

Rachel Star Withers: I usually like to follow that with actually people with schizophrenia are more likely to be the victim of a crime than to be committing the crime and people be like. “Oh really?” Like it that’s just kind of like oh they’re like completely kind of change their thoughts like I just had no clue. I’m like Yeah. So it’s a nice little segue into some fun learning.

Gabe Howard: When you say that people with schizophrenia are more likely to be the victim of a crime, do people believe you? Did they give pushback? Do they ask why that is?

Rachel Star Withers: No one in real life has ever challenged me on that, but definitely over the Internet. People write, “Well, that’s just stupid. I don’t see how that’s possible.” Or they’ll say well schizophrenics hurt lots of people. And I just say again that goes back to kind of not all of it’s ignorance is just refusing to want to look at facts and believe what is true.

Gabe Howard: I think that everybody in America understands why comforting lies are better than uncomfortable truths in the short term. I would rather have somebody tell me that I’m completely right and I don’t have to change. That’s really really easy. But of course you can’t grow and be open to new experiences and the danger of believing these things about people with schizophrenia is that you may be avoiding a diagnosis yourself because after all if you believe that all people with schizophrenia are violent and you think that you might have it, you’re thinking to yourself I’m not violent therefore I don’t have to go get help. You could think this about a loved one you could think Oh my God I’m really worried about my son, daughter, niece, nephew, brother, sister, or best friend but they would never hurt a fly. So I’m not going to get them a diagnosis. I’m not going to take them in . How does that strike you?

Rachel Star Withers: Back years ago the very first time I sat my parents down I tell them Look I have went to the doctor and this is what happened. I’ve been diagnosed with schizophrenia. My mother did not want me to tell anybody, like anybody. When I made the first video I did about schizophrenia she was mortified and she repeatedly was like, “You can’t talk about this, Rachel.” And she was so scared that I was gonna get kicked out of college, that no one would ever hire me, that people would be scared of me. Which is just, you’re never going to get married, you’re never gonna have a job, you’re never gonna finish school. All of those things weren’t real reasons for her to think that, it was just she was frightened of what that word labeled on me. You know what it would do when other people saw that label.

Gabe Howard: So she was more concerned about the reactions of the general public than she was about the illness that you were battling? That does add an extra layer though, right? If everybody thinks that you, and then by extension your family, are violent or dangerous or scary that makes it that much harder to get care. Because like you said, your family’s initial thought was OK how do we manage this information. It wasn’t, how do we manage the illness?

Rachel Star Withers: And I think whenever you have something like a mental illness versus a physical illness you know some sort of disorders and whatnot obviously run in families. But if you hear oh well that person their daughter has schizophrenia they kind of tend to think Oh I bet the whole family’s crazy. My parents never came out and said it. But I think they were worried that if people found out I had schizophrenia they were going to assume my brother did also. So I’m not only potentially ruining my life, but I could be ruining my little brother’s life because well she has it why doesn’t he?

Rachel Star Withers: And it is. It’s a very scary diagnosis to get. And if you aren’t used to anything with mental illness, you’re not used to hearing about bipolar, you’re not used to even hearing about depression, and then suddenly you got schizophrenia on the line. I feel like that can really scare a family.

Gabe Howard: Do you think that the number one reason that people are scared of schizophrenia is its link to violence in pop culture in the media and in the minds of the public?

Rachel Star Withers: Yes. I think it’s just, and I always say this, that schizophrenia it is just a scary sounding word. It has a Z in it. Like it just sounds like oh my gosh. It’s just so great. I have I’m writing in a movie like Oh man I’m gonna have the character say schizophrenic or schizophrenia and she’s automatically like whoa. And I’ll even have people try and combat me online and they’ll say well you’d understand because most crime and what not it’s caused by people with mental illness and you know you have to be crazy to go and do all these bad things. Yes I believe a lot of us just in the world, not a lot of schizophrenics, but a lot of people in the world we do suffer from different things. You know if you are in a relationship and you get your heart broken you’re probably going to have some depression. It might not be long term depression and it could be just related and it might have you know ease up after a few months but you’re going to go through some sort of mental situation that is not just optimal mental health. However when you have crime, I think an easy way to just explain it is say, “Oh, they were crazy. Oh, they had schizophrenia. Let’s ignore the fact that they were on drugs. Let’s ignore the fact that they’ve already shown issues with let’s say beating their wife and things like that now because they have schizophrenia.” There’s no other health issue that automatically is linked to violence the way mental illnesses are.

Gabe Howard: I have often postulated that one of the reasons that people are so quick to believe this is because extreme violence. I mean your mass shootings your you know even just murder in general. It is so far outside of the realm of what a typical person is comfortable doing. I understand why people are like well. Doesn’t that have to be mental illness? I mean taking somebodies life is extreme. I mean it’s just really really extreme. There has to be a component of mental illness in there, but that’s not actually what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about does schizophrenia make you kill people? Does it make you hurt people? Is there something innate about the illness that violence is a likely outcome? And that’s where it gets tricky right. Because nobody is saying that people with schizophrenia have never committed a violent crime. You’re just saying that the majority of people with schizophrenia have never committed a violent crime.

Rachel Star Withers: Yes. When you have people mental illness or you’re specifically talking about schizophrenia and you know the majority of us don’t hurt anyone. You’re like, “Well, Rachel, I mean but some of you do.” That still sounds scary. But not all husbands beat their wives. Some of them do but not all of them and that’s not going to keep me from getting married. That’s not going to keep me and or most people from finding a husband.

Gabe Howard: But when it comes to mental illness, we’ve decided that somehow that connects. That all violence is caused by people with schizophrenia and that connection just doesn’t exist in any study that’s been looked at and it’s kind of scary that people are so desperate to believe it. Why do you think that people want to believe this so much?

Rachel Star Withers: I think one of the main reasons is just being able to say somebody who did this horrible thing has mental illness. It makes you feel safer. OK. So I don’t know anyone personally like that so I can feel safe and if I ever met anyone like that I could obviously tell you know they’re like twitching and screaming and things. That’s the person I should be scared of. You know you hear these horrible stories of like a disgruntled employee who comes in and unfortunately does something you know very violent at the office. And a lot of times are like well so-and-so he was suffering from depression for so long. Well you know he was being treated by a psychiatrist. It’s never oh he broke his leg last year. You’d be like well what about him breaking his leg?

Gabe Howard: And even in the cases of schizophrenia the very very very tiny percentage of people with schizophrenia that do have a dangerous or violent outcome. They’re almost universally uncared for or untreated. They’re almost always left to their own devices with a very very very serious illness that isn’t being maintained or managed.

Rachel Star Withers: And many times that’s unfortunately being self managed by taking illegal drugs. So that plays a big part in it. Also we talk about mental health. Mental health is for everybody. Like that’s just a blanket term for all of us and too many people hear it and think oh well you only need mental health if something is wrong with your head. And it’s not. It’s working too much. You know that work life balance with your family. It’s being able to enjoy being out with people, like mental health is so many things. It’s not just dealing with disorders.

Gabe Howard: But to bring it back around to schizophreni

Gut Microbes Linked to Temperament Traits in Infants

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 06:00:53 -0400

A new Finnish study of 303 infants finds that the gut microbiome of a two-month-old appears to be associated with the child’s temperament traits at six months of age.

The University of Turku researchers found that different temperament traits are connected with individual microbe genera, microbial diversity and different microbe clusters. For example, greater diversity in gut bacteria was connected to lesser negative emotionality and fear reactivity.

“It was interesting that, for example, the Bifidobacterium genus including several lactic acid bacteria was associated with higher positive emotions in infants,” said doctoral candidate Anna Aatsinki from the FinnBrain research project at the University of Turku, Finland.

“Positive emotionality is the tendency to experience and express happiness and delight, and it can also be a sign of an extrovert personality later in life.”

The study, published in the journal Brian, Behavior, and Immunity, is the first to investigate the link between microbes and behavior in infants so young. Previously, rodent studies have shown that the composition of gut microbiota and its remodelling is connected to behavior. In humans, research has shown that gut microbes can be associated with different diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, depression and autism spectrum disorders. But few studies have been conducted on infants.

The new study also considered other factors that can significantly affect the diversity of the microbiota, such as the delivery method and breastfeeding.

Strong fear reaction and negative emotionality can be connected to depression risk later in life. However, the association with later diseases is not straightforward and are also dependent on the environment.

“Although we discovered connections between diversity and temperament traits, it is not certain whether early microbial diversity affects disease risk later in life. It is also unclear what are the exact mechanisms behind the association,” Aatsinki said. “This is why we need follow-up studies as well as a closer examination of metabolites produced by the microbes.”

Source: University of Turku

Plastic Perfection: Wanting the "Love Island" Body

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 05:40:26 -0400

The message of "Love Island" is that bodies matter – and only if you have a perfect body can you succeed, can you be loved, can you be good enough.

Lack of Sleep Linked to Mental Health Problems for College Students

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 05:31:33 -0400

Source: Reuters - Health

Poor sleep may be linked to a greater risk for poor mental health on college campuses, new research suggests.

White House Envoy Calls for Armed Guards at Every Jewish Synagogue

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 05:31:24 -0400

Source: MSNBC - Newsweek

"If you go after the Jews, we're coming after you," the White House's anti-Semitism envoy said.

How This Honolulu Bike Exchange Supports Community Mental Health

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:30:18 -0400

Every day at 3:30 p.m., young men in a neighborhood near downtown Honolulu participate in a culture circle at the Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange (KVIBE), where they learn how to repair bikes. For the young men in Kalihi Valley, KVIBE is a second home that offers play, mentorship, and skill-building. They begin each culture circle by sharing their names, homes, and ancestors. This opening practice reinforces their sense of identity and why they matter.

Jeffrey Acido, an education and training specialist who works with KVIBE, says, “Anyone who can say these things with confidence has love for themselves — this is mental wellbeing.”

KVIBE is set within Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services (KKV), a comprehensive community health center that uses the community’s cultural traditions to help community members—many of whom are immigrants who feel dislocated from their homelands—heal and thrive. KKV recognizes that social connection and physical activity directly impact mental health, which is why 15 of their programs focus on improving the physical, mental, and spiritual health of more than 10,000 people each year.

The bike exchange is a creative example of how to improve community mental health and address larger community needs like social cohesion, a sense of belonging, and physical activity. This is especially important in Kalilhi Valley, where structural inequities that perpetuate poverty, loss of cultural identity, and low-educational attainment have put men and boys at risk of depression, stress, and chronic physical health conditions.

Recreation and Social Connections Boost Mental Health and General Wellness

Positive self-image, environmental stewardship, and physical activity are at the core of what it means to be a young man in the bike exchange, where members support one another as mechanics and athletes. In addition to their daily culture circles, each year KVIBE youth leaders host the Kalihi Ahupua`a Ride, an educational bike ride open to the public where cyclists ride from mauka (mountain) to makai (ocean).

The eight-mile ride includes “story stops” where riders can learn about the cultural and historical significance of each place. KVIBE uses physical activity strategically, linking it back to cultural identity and social connection, which addresses many of the issues that community members in Kalihi face.

Mental Health Is Impacted by Community Conditions

KVIBE is part of the Making Connections for Mental Health and Wellbeing Among Men and Boys initiative, funded by the Movember Foundation. Making Connections is made up of 13 community-based coalitions that are working to improve the community conditions that exacerbate mental health challenges and support wellbeing for men and boys of color and military servicemembers, veterans and their families. All the Making Connections sites—like the one in Honolulu—are taking innovative approaches to improving mental health and wellbeing by focusing on strategies like increasing social connection, creating opportunities for sports and recreation, and improving the availability of safe, affordable housing.

They also make sure the men and boys who are part of their programs—whose voices are often left out of the conversation about mental health, despite experiencing depression, anxiety, and social trauma first-hand—are part of the decision-making about what the programs will focus on. At KVIBE, the young men and boys are encouraged to lead the design of program activities, become mentors to younger boys, advocate for community improvements like increased and improved bike lanes with policymakers, and coordinate major efforts like the Kalihi Ahupua`a Ride.

The deliberate culture that KVIBE has created should not be the exception to the rule. The ability to build a community where young people can talk about their ancestors with pride while literally keeping their blood flowing, is a crucial support to their mental health. Our nation’s mental health stands a lot to gain from incorporating opportunities for recreation and physical activity into all neighborhoods and communities.

This post courtesy of Mental Health America.

Afraid of food? The answer may be in the basal forebrain

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:20:42 -0400

A brain circuit in the mouse basal forebrain that is involved in perceiving the outside world, connects with and overrides feeding behaviors regulated by the hypothalamus.

Remote Lets Disabled People Control TV with Their Eyes

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:17:24 -0400

Source: USA Today - Technology

Comcast launches a free X1 TV remote that lets customers with physical disabilities change channels, surf and sets recordings with their eyes.            .

Blood Pressure Pill Has Potential to Slow Down Alzheimer’s Disease

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:16:54 -0400

Source: Yahoo News - Science

A cheap blood pressure pill could slow down Alzheimer's disease by improving flow of blood to parts of the brain linked to memory, research suggests. Dutch research found that those given the pills for six months saw a 20 per cent increase in circulation of blood to the hippocampus.

Taylor Swift Releases Song and Petition Calling for LGBTQ Equality

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:16:17 -0400

Source: Reuters - Top News

Pop singer and songwriter Taylor Swift on Monday released a star-studded music video that scolded social media trolls and urged fans to sign a petition demanding U.S. legal protections for gays, lesbians and transgender people.

New Eating Disorders App Teaches Healthy Eating Behavior

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:15:56 -0400

Source: Psych Central

Swedish researchers have developed a pioneering method to help people with anorexia learn to eat again. The scientists take the position that eating disorders should be considered just that...

MasterCard Allows Transgender People to Use Chosen Name on Cards

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:14:47 -0400

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - Canadian News

MasterCard is working with Canadian banks to issue a new credit card called True Name that will allow transgender people to use their chosen names on their card.

Social Media Making You Anxious? How to De-Stress Over E-Stress

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:14:16 -0400

Source: Star Tribune

Tips on reaping the benefits of social media without letting it harm your mental health.

Photographer Captures the Humanity of South Africa's LGBT Community

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:11:02 -0400

Source: CNN - Top Stories

Last week, Botswana's High Court made history when it overturned colonial-era laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relations. The ruling, which came mere weeks after Kenya's High Court ruled to uphold its own 19th-century laws criminalizing "carnal knowledge against the order of nature," is being seen as a landmark victory for LGBTQ activists across the continent.

Cognitive Decline May Speed Up After Heart Attack, Study Suggests

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:10:27 -0400

Source: United Press International - Science News

Having a cardiovascular episode may affect the brain as well as the body, new findings show.

Lady Gaga Expands Teen Mental Health Program

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 13:09:25 -0400

Source: MSNBC - Newsweek

It aims to teach high schoolers about mental health.