Suicide Risk Linked to Brain Inflammation, Loss of Protective Mechanisms

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers found that lost brain protection systems and overactive inflammation may contribute to the risk of suicide. The results provide additional justification for investigating the potential of anti-inflammatory drugs as a preventive measure, particularly in scenarios of early suicidal ideation detection. “As suicide rates continue to rise, we must develop additional evidence-based strategies…

Pharmacogenomic Testing Could Improve Depression Treatment

According to new research from the University of British Columbia, a particular type of genetic test that helps determine the best antidepressant for patients with moderate-to-severe depression could generate significant healthcare savings and greatly improve patient outcomes. The study found that pharmacogenomic testing might save the provincial public health system $956 million over the course…

Embodied Learning Improves Children’s Literacy Skills

Children who form letter sounds with their bodies outperform those who learn spelling in a traditional classroom, according to new research. Children who are at risk of having reading difficulties can benefit from the learning strategy just as much as those with normal literacy development. Literacy skills development is a crucial element of a child’s…

The Benefits of Keeping Good News to Yourself

Though people often want to share good news as soon as they learn it, a new study has found that keeping good news a secret before telling someone else could make people feel more energized and alive. “Decades of research on secrecy suggest it is bad for our well-being, but this work has only examined…

Depersonalization vs. Dissociation Disorder: Key Differences

Depersonalization and dissociation are both complex psychological phenomena, but they manifest differently and involve distinct features. Understanding the key differences between them is important for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Depersonalization is a specific type of dissociative experience characterized by feelings of unreality and detachment from one’s own thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. People with…

Key to Infantile Amnesia Could Be Autism Brain States

Researchers in the field of neuroscience have found an interesting link between being able to remember things from your childhood and the way brains develop in people with autism. Most of us have little recollection of our lives prior to the age of two. The term infantile amnesia refers to this seeming complete loss of episodic…

How Much of Mindfulness Meditation Research is Pseudoscience?

In 2019, Debra Halsch was diagnosed with smoldering multiple myeloma, a rare blood and bone marrow disorder that can develop into a type of blood cancer. Her doctors recommended chemotherapy, she said, but she feared the taxing side effects the drugs might wreak on her body. Instead, the life coach from Piermont, New York tried…

Pet Ownership Didn’t Help Well-being During COVID-19 Pandemic

There is a widespread belief that pets are beneficial to one’s health. A new study from Michigan State University discovered that, while pet owners stated that their pets improved their lives, there was no reliable relationship between pet ownership and well-being during the COVID-19 epidemic. The study, which was published in the journal Personality and…

Could a Pre-trauma Treatment Prevent Post-traumatic Stress Disorder?

When people encounter trauma, medication can help prevent or minimize post-traumatic stress disorder by reducing overly powerful memories that produce severe flashbacks and nightmares. However, the treatment is only effective if the pills are taken immediately after a stressful encounter. An enhanced approach that could prevent PTSD-strength memories from ever arising is possible, according to…