A widely used suicide screening tool can help determine who is most at risk for suicide by pinpointing the threshold at which a person’s suicidal thinking is severe enough to warrant professional intervention, according to a recent study published online ahead of print November 8, 2011, in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Background Developing effective [...]
Children with autism have more brain cells and heavier brains compared to typically developing children, according to researchers partly funded by the National Institutes of Health. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Nov. 9, 2011, the small, preliminary study provides direct evidence for possible prenatal causes of autism. “Earlier studies of [...]
Reminders of God hurt motivation to succeed but help resist temptation WASHINGTON—Being reminded of the concept of God can decrease people’s motivation to pursue personal goals but can help them resist temptation, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. “More than 90 percent of people in the world agree that God or [...]
Gene expression databases reveal “consistent molecular architecture” Despite vast differences in the genetic code across individuals and ethnicities, the human brain shows a “consistent molecular architecture,” say researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. The finding is from a pair of studies that have created databases revealing when and where genes turn on and [...]
Accurate assessments for poor performance better for self-esteem, research finds WASHINGTON—People who try to boost their self-esteem by telling themselves they’ve done a great job when they haven’t could end up feeling dejected instead, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. High and low performers felt fine when they assessed themselves accurately, [...]
Make same distinction even for objects they’ve never seen before WASHINGTON—Children as young as 3 are likely to say that things made by humans have owners, but that natural objects, such as pine cones and sea shells, are not owned, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association. “Determining whether an unfamiliar [...]
Depressed teens with anhedonia, or the inability to experience pleasure, have lower levels of the neurotransmitter GABA in a key mood-regulating region of the brain, according to an NIMH-funded study published online October 3, in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The researchers note that focusing on specific symptoms and using different types of measures may [...]
Expressing Emotions May Give Players Mental Edge, Research Finds WASHINGTON—While there’s no crying in baseball, as Tom Hanks’ character famously proclaimed in “A League of Their Own,” crying in college football might not be a bad thing, at least in the eyes of one’s teammates. Although college football players feel pressure to conform to some [...]
Teenagers who don’t get enough sleep on school nights may be more likely to take risks with their health, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control. It found that high school students who sleep less than eight hours on school nights are more likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, seriously consider suicide, [...]
Harvard University researchers explore link between thinking styles and faith WASHINGTON—Intuition may lead people toward a belief in the divine and help explain why some people have more faith in God than others, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. In a series of studies, researchers at Harvard University found that people with [...]
People who have suffered from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at an increased risk of developing schizophrenia, a new study asserts. Published in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin, the study found that people with TBI are 1.6 times more likely to develop schizophrenia and the risk was particularly high in those with a family history [...]
Psychologists explore myths, realities and offer guidance for parents WASHINGTON—Social media present risks and benefits to children but parents who try to secretly monitor their kids’ activities online are wasting their time, according to a presentation at the 119th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. “While nobody can deny that Facebook has altered the [...]
Rates of thinking of and attempting suicide much higher than for college students in general WASHINGTON—Nearly half of college students who are U.S. military veterans reported thinking of suicide and 20 percent said they had planned to kill themselves, rates significantly higher than among college students in general, according to a study presented at the [...]
An extract of the herb St. John’s Wort and a standard antidepressant medication both failed to outdo a placebo in relieving symptoms of minor depression in a clinical trial comparing the three. The results of this study, consistent with earlier research, do not in support the use of medications for mild depression. Background St. John’s [...]
NIMH-funded study examines whether switching to a different antipsychotic can reduce side effects while maintaining effectiveness Patients experiencing cardiovascular or metabolic side effects while taking an antipsychotic medication may fare better if they switch to a different medication provided they are closely monitored, according to an NIMH-funded study. The study was published online ahead [...]
WASHINGTON—People with personality traits of high neuroticism and low conscientiousness are likely to go through cycles of gaining and losing weight throughout their lives, according to an examination of 50 years of data in a study published by the American Psychological Association. Impulsivity was the strongest predictor of who would be overweight, the researchers found. [...]
Traumatic brain injuries more than double the risk of dementia in veterans, a new study finds. Researchers who reviewed the medical records of 281,540 veterans ages 55 and older found that the dementia risk among veterans who sustained a traumatic brain injury was 15.3 percent. Among those who didn’t suffer a brain injury, the risk [...]
Veterans with mental health conditions often face long and “unconscionable” waits for treatment, according to a report by the Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General. An evaluation of the electronic waiting lists used at several mental health clinics in the Atlanta area found a “significantly high number” of patients waited for more than a month [...]
Pets provide social and emotional support equal to human friendship, according to psychologists. Researchers conducted three experiments to examine the potential benefits of pet ownership. Reporting in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, they found that pet owners had greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely, were more conscientious, were [...]
Feeling of control over one’s life a strong influence WASHINGTON—Self-esteem increases during adolescence, then slows in young adulthood, but contrary to popular belief, there is no significant difference between men’s and women’s self-esteem during either of those life phases, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. In addition, the researchers found that in [...]