RSS Parrot

People's brain structure linked to their genetic risk of major depression, stud finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-people-brain-linked-genetic-major.html

Published: August 31, 2025 08:10

Depression is among the most widespread psychiatric disorders, experienced by an estimated 3.8% of the global population. It is characterized by persistent low mood and a loss of interest in most activities, as well as possible disruptions in eating and…

Labor Day mission: Build social ties through live events

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-labor-day-mission-social-events.html

Published: August 30, 2025 13:20

If your social life has been lived out in Zoom calls since the height of the pandemic, Labor Day weekend is prime time for a reboot.

Childhood trauma linked to mental health problems and chronic pain in later life

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-childhood-trauma-linked-mental-health.html

Published: August 30, 2025 12:20

New research from the University of Aberdeen challenges the current view that trauma in childhood increases the risk of all health conditions. The study found instead that some conditions are more affected than others and women are more affected than men.

Stomach-brain communication predicts emotional symptoms and well-being, study finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-stomach-brain-communication-emotional-symptoms.html

Published: August 30, 2025 09:30

Internal physiological states, such as digestion, breathing and heartbeat, have been consistently linked to mental, psychological and emotional experiences. This body-mind connection is known to be supported by interoception, the innate ability to sense…

Millions of women rely on contraceptives, but a new study shows they may do more than just prevent pregnancy

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-millions-women-contraceptives-pregnancy.html

Published: August 29, 2025 14:20

Hormonal birth control is a fact of life for millions of women. In the U.S. alone, more than 60 million women of reproductive age have used contraceptives according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most often to prevent pregnancy but also…

Understanding help-seeking behaviors for premenstrual symptoms

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-behaviors-premenstrual-symptoms.html

Published: August 29, 2025 05:59

Premenstrual symptoms affect millions of people across the UK—yet nearly half never seek professional help, according to Cambridge researchers.

Report indicates some mental conditions raise heart disease risk, mortality rate by nearly 100%

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-mental-conditions-heart-disease-mortality.html

Published: August 29, 2025 04:57

Every 34 seconds, someone in the United States dies from heart disease.

Broad use of psychedelic MDMA could ease devastating psychological trauma in Ukraine, study says

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-broad-psychedelic-mdma-ease-devastating.html

Published: August 28, 2025 16:23

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, and injured hundreds of thousands more. But the war has also taken a less visible toll, with millions suffering from acute PTSD. Now a study co-authored at UC…

Cancer survivors more likely to take Rx for mental health conditions

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-cancer-survivors-rx-mental-health.html

Published: August 28, 2025 14:00

U.S. cancer survivors are significantly more likely to take medications for depression and anxiety compared with noncancer survivors, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in JAMA Network Open.

Clinical trial tests speech therapy for rare neurological disorder

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-clinical-trial-speech-therapy-rare.html

Published: August 28, 2025 12:20

Researchers have led the largest clinical study to date investigating speech therapy for people with a rare, rapidly progressive and fatal neurological condition.

Why scammers fake illness for cash, according to a psychologist

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-scammers-fake-illness-cash-psychologist.html

Published: August 28, 2025 11:12

Queensland woman Amanda Maree Power has recently been jailed after faking cancer and fraudulently raising about A$24,000 from friends, family and strangers over several years—including to pay for holidays and fake medical bills.

Why the magic mushroom anti-aging claims are overblown

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-magic-mushroom-anti-aging-overblown.html

Published: August 28, 2025 10:55

How can we live longer? The eternal question, and one that scientists have long been trying to answer.

Depression linked to specific altered brain cells—findings open door to new treatments

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-depression-linked-specific-brain-cells.html

Published: August 28, 2025 10:23

Researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Institute have identified two specific types of brain cells that are altered in people with depression.

Mental time travel: A new case of autobiographical hypermnesia

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-mental-case-autobiographical-hypermnesia.html

Published: August 28, 2025 08:55

Remembering past events in minute detail, revisiting them methodically, and reliving past emotions—this is the peculiarity of people with an exceptional memory of their own lives, known as autobiographical hypermnesia, or hyperthymesia. This fascinating…

College drinking linked to poor academics and mental health for those around the drinker

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-college-linked-poor-academics-mental.html

Published: August 28, 2025 01:00

It's well known that alcohol misuse can harm not only drinkers themselves but also those around them. Now, a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs shows that, among college students, harms such as lower grades, mental distress and even…

Reducing the barriers that cause young people to quit sports

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-barriers-young-people-sports.html

Published: August 27, 2025 14:35

As much as 80% of young people from the lowest social levels drop out of sports during adolescence. "Two-thirds from the highest socio-economic class drop out, three-quarters from the middle class, while from the lowest class, 4 out of 5 drop out during…

'Unhappiness hump' in aging may have disappeared worldwide

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-unhappiness-hump-aging-worldwide.html

Published: August 27, 2025 14:00

A new survey-based study suggests that the "unhappiness hump"—a widely documented rise in worry, stress, and depression with age that peaks in midlife and then declines—may have disappeared, perhaps due to declining mental health among younger people.…

Breathwork can induce altered states of consciousness linked with changes in brain blood flow

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-breathwork-states-consciousness-linked-brain.html

Published: August 27, 2025 14:00

Breathwork while listening to music may induce a blissful state in practitioners, accompanied by changes in blood flow to emotion-processing brain regions, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS One by Amy Amla Kartar from the…

Why religious groups are pushing for psychedelics as sacrament

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-religious-groups-psychedelics-sacrament.html

Published: August 27, 2025 12:24

Texas passed a landmark law in June 2025, supported by former Gov. Rick Perry, that allocates US$50 million to support research on ibogaine, one of the most powerful psychedelics, for treating opioid addiction and treatment-resistant PTSD.

Scientists uncover brain network controlling stress and social behavior in mice

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-scientists-uncover-brain-network-stress.html

Published: August 27, 2025 11:00

A UCLA study has mapped a critical brain hub in mice that regulates stress responses and social behavior, shedding new light on the neural roots of psychiatric conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.

Online therapy can help treat bulimia, offering hope for women lacking access to care

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-online-therapy-bulimia-women-lacking.html

Published: August 27, 2025 09:31

Bulimia nervosa (BN), or bulimia, is a mental health disorder characterized by binge eating and a fear of gaining weight, which drives people to try and avoid weight gain, usually by compensatory (vomiting etc.). Over time, this binge–purge cycle harms…

What is psychosocial therapy? And why is the government thinking about adding it to Medicare for kids?

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-psychosocial-therapy-adding-medicare-kids.html

Published: August 27, 2025 09:30

The government is considering new, bulk-billed health checks for 3-year-olds, to pick up developmental concerns and refer kids that might need additional support.

Interpersonal violence in NZ is a public health crisis, not just a social one

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-interpersonal-violence-nz-health-crisis.html

Published: August 27, 2025 09:19

More than 60% of women in New Zealand have experienced some form of interpersonal violence—an alarming statistic with serious implications for public health.

Tracking anticipatory gaze offers new way to assess memory in silent patients

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-tracking-anticipatory-memory-silent-patients.html

Published: August 27, 2025 07:10

To assess and study human memory, psychologists have so far primarily used tasks that require people to verbally recall objects they previously saw in images, past life events or other types of information. While these tasks are widely employed by…

Largest ever study into cannabis use investigates risk of paranoia, poor mental health in the general population

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-largest-cannabis-paranoia-poor-mental.html

Published: August 27, 2025 03:26

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, in partnership with the University of Bath, has found that the reasons why a person chooses to use cannabis can increase their risk of developing…

Cognitive behavioral therapy can alter brain structure and boost gray matter volume, study shows

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-brain-boost.html

Published: August 26, 2025 20:00

Psychotherapy leads to measurable changes in brain structure. Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the University of Münster have demonstrated this for the first time in a study in Translational Psychiatry by using cognitive…

Feeling good about yourself: Study explores gender differences in motivation and well-being

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-good-explores-gender-differences.html

Published: August 26, 2025 16:25

What is it that makes us feel good about ourselves? And what motivates us to do something, regardless of whether it is important or not?

Study finds afternoon classes do not help students with severe attention difficulties

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-afternoon-classes-students-severe-attention.html

Published: August 26, 2025 15:59

Several studies have shown that students who attend afternoon classes tend to perform better in school than those who attend morning classes. This is due to greater synchrony between class times and students' biological clocks. However, a study of children…

New data science methods might improve understanding of personality and psychopathology

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-science-methods-personality-psychopathology.html

Published: August 26, 2025 15:16

Alexander Christensen's recent study probably won't rewrite 40 years of history in the field of psychology, but he hopes that his research team's quantitative approach to developing and evaluating personality structures triggers a discussion about how…

As World Alzheimer's Month approaches, supporting personhood for family members with dementia is key

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-world-alzheimer-month-approaches-personhood.html

Published: August 26, 2025 12:55

One of the great challenges faced by families coping with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia is learning how to communicate effectively with the person impacted by the disease while also upholding their personhood, or sense of personal value.

Can you be aware of nothing? The rare sleep experience scientists are trying to understand

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-aware-rare-scientists.html

Published: August 26, 2025 12:50

For some people, sleep brings a peculiar kind of wakefulness. Not a dream, but a quiet awareness with no content. This lesser-known state of consciousness may hold clues to one of science's biggest mysteries: what it means to be conscious.

People with schizophrenia have higher risk of COPD, study says

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-people-schizophrenia-higher-copd.html

Published: August 26, 2025 11:36

People with schizophrenia are more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), suggesting a possible syndemic relationship between the two diseases, in addition to people not seeking appropriate medical care. A new article examining the…

Mouse neurons that identify friends in need and friends indeed

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-mouse-neurons-friends.html

Published: August 26, 2025 11:00

A special set of neurons directs mice's attention to or away from their peers, depending on the situation. The Kobe University discovery has implications for finding causes for neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism spectrum disorder or schizophrenia.

One in three people avoid learning about their own serious health risks, finds study

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-people-health.html

Published: August 26, 2025 10:09

A new review study by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development shows that nearly 1 in 3 people choose to avoid medical information about serious health conditions if they fear they may be affected. One of the main reasons driving this behavior is a…

Viewing catastrophes as growth opportunities linked to lower depression and inflammation

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-viewing-catastrophes-growth-opportunities-linked.html

Published: August 26, 2025 07:00

Catastrophes, by definition, are devastating, but they can often be catalysts for lasting, positive change—and if people can adopt that perspective, they may see some real benefits, a Stanford-led study suggests.

Altered FGFR1 pathway in hippocampus may underlie depression, especially in elderly

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-fgfr1-pathway-hippocampus-underlie-depression.html

Published: August 26, 2025 04:29

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses worldwide, but its molecular causes have still not been clearly identified. A research team has discovered that depression may not simply be caused by neuronal damage, but can…

AI chatbots found to be inconsistent in answering questions about suicide

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-ai-chatbots-inconsistent-suicide.html

Published: August 26, 2025 04:00

Three widely used artificial intelligence chatbots generally do a good job responding to very-high-risk and very-low-risk questions about suicide, but they are inconsistent in answering questions about suicide that may pose intermediate risks, according to…

High concentration THC associated with schizophrenia, psychosis and other unfavorable mental health outcomes

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-high-thc-schizophrenia-psychosis-unfavorable.html

Published: August 25, 2025 17:00

A systematic review analyzed the associations of high-concentration delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabis products with mental health outcomes. The review found that high-concentration THC products are associated with unfavorable mental health…

Having a sense of purpose may protect against dementia

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-purpose-dementia.html

Published: August 25, 2025 15:42

Research into Blue Zones—regions of the world where people tend to live longer—shows that having a sense of purpose in life may help people live longer.

Neural activity linked to self-preoccupied thinking

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-neural-linked-preoccupied.html

Published: August 25, 2025 13:00

People tend to be self-preoccupied. Self-interest is good when it ensures that one's needs are met, but it can also be maladaptive; research shows that the tendency to self-focus promotes the occurrence of depression and anxiety and can even prolong these…

Rural women are at a higher risk of violence, and less likely to get help

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-rural-women-higher-violence.html

Published: August 25, 2025 11:58

I have been teaching a course on rural criminology since 2014, and most of my students are surprised by the information on violence against women presented to them.

Shame linked to lower quality of life in chronic gut disorders

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-shame-linked-quality-life-chronic.html

Published: August 25, 2025 11:55

Feelings of shame are linked to reduced quality of life—as shown by the first study to measure shame as a factor influencing the connection between chronic gastrointestinal disorders and mental health.

Is your diet influencing your dreams? Here's what our research says about food and nightmares

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-diet-food-nightmares.html

Published: August 25, 2025 11:15

Have you ever wondered if a bizarre dream was caused by something you ate the night before? If so, you're not alone. We all have strange or unsettling dreams now and then, and when we do, we want to know what might cause them.

Firearm suicides increasing among older women at an alarming rate, study finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-firearm-suicides-older-women-alarming.html

Published: August 25, 2025 11:00

Older men are 13 times more likely to die by firearm suicide than women, but a new study by Boston University School of Public Health and the University of California, Los Angeles Luskin School of Public Affairs has found that suicides by gun are…

Like likes like: Partner preferences may be explained by genetics

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-partner-genetics.html

Published: August 25, 2025 10:50

It is no secret that people are often drawn to romantic partners who seem similar to themselves. This tendency, called assortative mating, has been established in humans as well as other species. Fish, for example, demonstrate the behavior frequently.

Study shows relationship between baby's developing social brain and mother's postpartum depression, anxiety

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-relationship-baby-social-brain-mother.html

Published: August 25, 2025 09:55

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Chan Medical School is completing the first phase of data collection for a longitudinal study of the baby's developing social brain.

Strangers whose brains respond alike to movie clips often become friends later, study finds

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-strangers-brains-alike-movie-friends.html

Published: August 25, 2025 09:10

People often bond with strangers over the books they read or the movies they watch and build friendships that last. Scientists may now have some insight into why this happens. A study published in Nature Human Behaviour found that participants who…

Cutting alcohol use linked to reduced hospital visits for mental health treatment among primary care patients

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-alcohol-linked-hospital-mental-health.html

Published: August 25, 2025 09:08

Changes in unhealthy alcohol use over time can be measured by a simple questionnaire at annual primary care visits. A study published in Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research found that in a primary care population that is regularly screened for…

The national suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth went dead. States are scrambling to help

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-national-suicide-hotline-lgbtq-youth.html

Published: August 25, 2025 08:30

On July 17, the option went dead for LGBTQ+ youth to access specialized mental health support from the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.