Tag: research
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How Mindfulness Affects the Brain and Body
Marianna Pogosyan Ph.D. Neuroscientist David Vago begins each day with meditation. Like millions worldwide, Vago sees his mindfulness practice as good medicine holistically promoting health. Inspired by the staggering power of the human mind, Vago has studied the neurobiological mechanisms of mind-body practices for almost 15 years. Mindfulness – a moment-to-moment, nonjudgmental awareness of one’s internal states and surroundings…
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Losing Home: Rediscovering a Sense of Self
Elizabeth Heaney MA, LPC KEY POINTS It is essential to have a stable, clear sense of self. Sometimes, our identities go through profound changes, and we need to be able to rebuild a sense of who we are. Losing self may be a normal pattern, and rediscovering a sense of self is a crucial skill…
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Generative AI Could Help Solve the U.S. Mental Health Crisis
Ashley Andreou & ChatGPT At ten years old, I considered I, Robot a scary movie. To this day, it lives on as a flashbulb memory in my mind—loss of control and existential threat don’t sit well with me. A similar uneasiness took hold when I recently read the news: ChatGPT can handle questions on the US medical licensing exam…
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Long-Term Cannabis Use, Cognitive Decline, and the Hippocampus
Timmen L. Cermak MD New data shows the negative impact of long-term cannabis use on cognition and hippocampal volume at age 45. IQ declines by a mean of 5.5 points and hippocampal volume decline by 12 percent after decades of persistent cannabis use. Changes caused by long-term cannabis use resemble risk factors for dementia later…
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The Road to Deep Emotional Connection With Yourself
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Lawrence J. Cohen Ph.D. Playful Parenting Acknowledge the emotions you have, and accept them all as normal and universal Adults still need all of their emotions to be seen, recognized, reflected, and validated, just like toddlers, kindergartners, school-age children, and adolescents. Adults still act in less-than-ideal ways (to put it mildly) because of…
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Student mental health crisis worsening nationwide
1. 1 in 5 high school students considered suicide within last year, CDC says Full story 2. The size of 4 big payers’ behavioral provider networks Full story 3. Cherry Health to place Narcan vending machines in Michigan Full story 4. How 4 health systems fill gaps in behavioral health with automated care programs 5. UC San Diego anesthesiologist creates app for fentanyl overdose rescue Full…
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CDC report shows concerning increases in sadness and exposure to violence among teen girls and LGBQ+ youth
Center for Disease Control Schools can offer a critical lifeline for students facing trauma New trend data from CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) reveal that teen girls and teens who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ+) are experiencing extremely high levels of mental distress, violence, and substance use. With the right programs…
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Teen Influencers as Social Media Psychiatrists
Joseph E. Davis Ph.D. “I can’t; no matter how much I try, it’s like my brain won’t let me do it,” said a teen in a user-generated TikTok video, responding to a challenge to put her hand on a stove for $100. When the teen said her brain was stopping her, the challenger (same teen) quickly drew…
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Pregnancy-Related Brain Changes May Help New Mothers
Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D. and Brain & Behavior Staff Pregnancy is a time of profound changes in the female body, including the endocrine system—the system that secretes and regulates hormones. Changes in female sex hormones such as estrogen orchestrate numerous adaptations throughout the body, including the brain. Yet there is notably little data reflecting the impact of the reproductive process on the female…