Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Psychology / Psychiatry News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/psychology-psychiatry/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156258.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156258.php The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it is requiring manufacturers to put a Boxed Warning on the prescribing information for the smoking cessation drugs Chantix (varenicline) and Zyban (bupropion). The warning will highlight the risk of serious mental health events including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs. Mental Health Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156260.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156260.php A Decade-Long campaign by the British Psychological Society to have statutory regulation for practitioner psychologists comes to fruition. From the 1 July the Health Professions Council (HPC) takes over the regulation of the majority of practitioner psychologists. Psychology / Psychiatry Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156309.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156309.php Patients will continue to be unprotected if statutory independent regulation is not extended to counsellors and psychotherapists, according to leading national charities Mind and WITNESS. On the day that psychologists are to be regulated by the Health Professions Council (HPC), the charities welcome the advancement and urge counsellors and psychotherapists to follow suit. Psychology / Psychiatry Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156396.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156396.php As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed about the implications of being overweight as a step toward reversing current trends. Now, a new University of Missouri study has found that overweight children, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten. Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156360.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156360.php Sexist jokes (and all the variants of this kind of humour) favour the mental mechanisms which urge to violence and battering against women in individuals with macho attitudes. Psychology / Psychiatry Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156403.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156403.php In times of doubt and uncertainty, many Americans turn to self-help books in search of encouragement, guidance and self-affirmation. The positive self-statements suggested in these books, such as "I am a lovable person" or "I will succeed," are designed to lift a person's low self-esteem and push them into positive action. Psychology / Psychiatry Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156404.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156404.php Hurricane Katrina was the largest natural disaster in U.S. history, claiming the lives of more than 1,800 victims and causing well over $100 billion in damage along the Gulf Coast. The 2005 storm breached every levee in New Orleans, flooding almost the entire city as well as the neighboring parishes. Yet a surprising number of people stayed behind and rode out the storm. Aid / Disasters Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156433.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156433.php Psychotherapy consists of a series of techniques for treating mental health, emotional and some psychiatric disorders. Psychotherapy helps the patient understand what helps them feel positive or anxious, as well as accepting their strong and weak points. If people can identify their feelings and ways of thinking they become better at coping with difficult situations. According to Medilexicon's Psychology / Psychiatry Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156322.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156322.php Researchers in Sweden found that people who have the APOE Alzheimer's gene and who live alone in middle age after being widowed or separated from a life partner, are at higher risk of developing dementia. The study is the work of Dr Krister Hakannson, a research fellow at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues, and is published in the 2 July online issue of the BMJ. Alzheimer's / Dementia Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156223.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156223.php Dartmouth researchers have determined that movie characters who smoke, regardless of whether they are "good guys" or "bad guys," influence teens to try smoking. Smoking / Quit Smoking Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156285.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156285.php PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is triggered by a traumatic event - it is a kind of anxiety. The sufferer of PTSD may have experienced or seen an event that caused extreme fear, shock and/or a feeling of helplessness. Most of us experience a brief period of difficulty adjusting and coping with traumatic events. However, we gradually get better with time and healthy coping methods. Psychology / Psychiatry Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156184.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156184.php Selected highlights from a new study on immigration, health and gender roles: Mexican wives who stay home when their husbands immigrate to the United States for work have poorer mental health than a comparison group. Shifting gender roles seem to be equally as stressful as the husbands' absence. "Popular American psychology would suggest that their newfound independence might ease the stress of single-handedly managing the household. Psychology / Psychiatry Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156115.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156115.php Researchers at Radboud University Medical Centre, together with UK Medical Research Council scientists at Oxford University, have uncovered some of the central characteristics of genes underlying mental retardation. The research, which shortens the list of genes whose changes lead to this disorder from thousands to several dozen, is published June 26 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. Genetics Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156131.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156131.php So-called 'empty nest syndrome' does not affect parents living in rural areas as much as previously thought, according to a new study carried out in Thailand. In fact, parents whose children have all migrated to urban areas of Thailand are less likely to experience depression than parents whose children stay at home. Psychology / Psychiatry Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156095.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156095.php A multi-national group of investigators, including a scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has discovered that nearly a third of the genetic basis of schizophrenia may be attributed to the cumulative actions of thousands of common genetic variants. The effects of each of these genetic changes, innocuous on its own, add up to a significant risk for developing both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Schizophrenia Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156104.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156104.php Major scientific contributors within the bariatric and psychiatric industries publicized the results of a recent study demonstrating that LAP-BAND(R) patients who regularly attend support groups experience considerably higher rates of post-surgical weight loss. Authors Dr. Kathryn A. Kaiser, Dr. Susan Franks and Dr. Adam Smith discussed their findings at the 26th Annual American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Meeting. Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156114.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156114.php A new study by a large international consortium found that many common genetic variants contribute up to a third of a person's risk of inheriting schizophrenia and many of the same DNA variations are also involved in bipolar disorder. While the study helps to explain the complexity of the genetic make up of these diseases it also suggests that developing a test to predict these diseases will take some time. Schizophrenia Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156067.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156067.php Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced results from a Phase 3b study that found VYVANSE® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) CII demonstrated significant efficacy at 14 hours after administration during a simulated workplace environment study in adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156043.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156043.php Researchers have found that men and women who feel sensitive to rejection based on their physical appearance are more likely to express interest in having cosmetic surgery than those who are less sensitive to appearance-based rejection. This effect is particularly true when people recall negative comments about their physical appearance. The study, which appeared in the June issue of the journal Body Image, was conducted by Lora E. Park, Ph.D. Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156041.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156041.php It is well documented that police officers have a higher risk of developing heart disease: The question is why. In the most recent results coming out of one of the few long-term studies being conducted within this tightly knit society, University at Buffalo researchers have determined that underlying the higher incidence of subclinical atherosclerosis -- arterial thickening that precedes a heart attack or stroke -- may be the stress of police work. Heart Disease Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156036.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156036.php A front portion of the brain that handles tasks like decision-making also helps decipher different phonetic sounds, according to new Brown University research. This section of the brain - the left inferior frontal sulcus - treats different pronunciations of the same speech sound (such as a 'd' sound) the same way. In determining this, scientists have solved a mystery. "No two pronunciations of the same speech sound are exactly alike. Neurology / Neuroscience Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156024.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156024.php An observer feels more empathy for someone in pain when that person is in the same social group, according to new research in the July 1 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The study shows that perceiving others in pain activates a part of the brain associated with empathy and emotion more if the observer and the observed are the same race. The findings may show that unconscious prejudices against outside groups exist at a basic level. Psychology / Psychiatry Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155945.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155945.php Many young smokers want to quit but don't know what methods work. The University of Illinois at Chicago is leading a $2.9 million National Cancer Institute project to increase demand for evidence-based, Internet-based smoking cessation treatment among young adults. Smoking / Quit Smoking Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155943.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155943.php Spain hosts this week, for the first time in history, this event, the most renowned international symposium on humour and laughter, where scientists and experts from four continents will discuss the latest advances and research of this field of study. Psychology / Psychiatry Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155882.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155882.php In a study published online by the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, UC Davis researchers report that it takes at least a year for former methamphetamine users to regain impulse control. The results tell recovering substance abusers, their families and drug-treatment specialists that it can take an extended period of time for the brain functions critical to recovery to improve. Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs