During economic recessions, overall public health improves. Sounds wrong, right? Well, think about it. Less work, less stress. Less people die, fewer heart attacks are reported and general morbidity decreases, according to research from the World Health Organization. On the other hand, a recent study from the University of Georgia shows that mental illness might…
Category: Psychiatry
How We Learn Under Stress
When someone has to learn new knowledge under stress, the brain uses unconscious rather than conscious learning processes. Now, neuroscience researchers at the Ruhr-Universität in Germany have found out that the switch from conscious to unconscious learning systems is triggered by the functioning of mineralocorticoid receptors. The receptors are activated by stress hormones released by…
Addicts Cravings Have Different Roots In Men And Women
When it comes to addiction, gender matters. A new brain imaging study by Yale School of Medicine researchers suggests stress robustly activates areas of the brain associated with craving in cocaine-dependent women, while drug cues activate similar brain regions in cocaine-dependent men. The study suggests men and women with cocaine dependence might benefit more from…
Ketamine For Depression Relief In Treatment Resistant Bipolar Disorder
A single intravenous dose of the anesthetic agent ketamine appears to reduce symptoms of depression within 40 minutes among those with bipolar disorder who have not responded to other treatments, according to a report[1] in the Archives of General Psychiatry. “Bipolar disorder is one of the most severe psychiatric disorders and ranks in the top…
Does High Blood Pressure Influence Bipolar Disorder?
Almost half of patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder may also suffer from hypertension, according to a new study. The younger a person is diagnosed with the psychiatric condition, the more likely they are to develop high blood pressure. The study assessed 99 patients hospitalized for bipolar disorder, a condition sometimes called manic-depressive disorder and characterized…
Schizophrenia and Diabetes Linked
A Medical College of Georgia study has shown that individuals with schizophrenia are at high risk for type 2 diabetes. In the study, 50 people newly-diagnosed with schizophrenia or related psychotic disorders with no other known risk factors were looked at. 16 percent either had diabetes or an abnormal rate of glucose metabolism, says Dr.…
Borderline Personality Disorder Patients Show Weakened Emotion-Regulating Circuits
Differences in the working tissue of the brain, called grey matter, have been linked to impaired functioning of an emotion-regulating circuit in patients with borderline personality disorder. People with borderline personality disorder (BPD) had excess grey matter in a fear hub deep in the brain, which over-activated when they viewed scary faces. In contrast, the…
Apathy in Aspergers Syndrome
Did you know that apathy was a symptom of Aspergers Syndrome? It is not always seen or even connected, but there is a very real link between an individual with Aspergers Syndrome experiencing stress, and there suddenly being a response of severe apathy. Some have likened it to feeling stuck in a vat of sinking…
Lexapro and OCD
Lexapro, or the scientific name Escitalopram, is one of the popular treatments for anxiety and in some cases Obsessive Compulsive disorder. This article is intended for the reader that is going to take this product to become well-known with its side effects. The most common dosage of Lexapro is 10-20mg daily. The drug is not…