News
Is ‘coaching’ a shortcut to mental health care? Not so fast − here are key differences
2+ mon, 1+ week ago (929+ words) Life coach, wellness coach, business coach, weight loss coach, breakup coach – the list goes on and on. All are different titles for similar jobs, with the same limitation: Anyone can claim to be an expert. Health “coaching” alone is a…...
Magic mushrooms and Alzheimer’s: what one remarkable case can tell us
1+ mon, 1+ day ago (848+ words) Magic mushrooms are better known for producing hallucinations and altering people’s sense of reality than for treating brain diseases. Most people associate them with tripping, rather than Alzheimer’s disease. But a report on an individual patient has prompted scientists to…...
Why ‘psychopath’ is a dangerous label when it comes to criminal justice
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (724+ words) A defendant stands in the dock. An expert describes them as a “psychopath”. In an instant, one word threatens to eclipse their history, circumstances and the crime itself. In Ireland, England and Wales, judges are not supposed to add years…...
What do genes have to do with psychology? They likely influence your behavior more than you realize
10+ mon, 3+ week ago (533+ words) As a species, humans like to think that we are fully in control of our decisions and behavior. But just below the surface, forces beyond our conscious control influence how we think and behave: our genes. Since the 1950s, scientists have…...
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is associated with higher risk of suicide – here’s how we hope our new tool will help
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (956+ words) Every month, between 3% and 8% of women and people assigned female at birth will experience debilitating emotional, cognitive and sometimes physical symptoms in the week or two before menstruation. This condition, known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), is a severe mood…...
People with premenstrual dysphoric disorder have higher rates of suicidal thinking, planning and attempts
2+ mon, 5+ day ago (559+ words) People with premenstrual dysphoric disorder – a more serious form of premenstrual syndrome, commonly known as PMS – are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors than people without it. That is a key finding of our recent systematic review, published…...
Can a psychedelic-induced mystical experience really improve your mental health?
4+ mon, 3+ week ago (879+ words) Mystics once spent years meditating in caves in search of transcendence. Today, a growing number of people believe something similar can be reached in a single afternoon with the help of a psychedelic drug. Swallow a capsule of psilocybin or…...
The grief myth: it doesn’t come in stages or follow a checklist – like love, it endures
3+ mon, 3+ week ago (1823+ words) Assistant Professor in Psychology of Education, Trinity College Dublin Aoife Lynam does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond…...
Psychedelic drug MDMA could help treat PTSD – but there’s a reason it’s not widely available
3+ mon, 3+ week ago (682+ words) Professor, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne About 11% of Australians will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in their life. PTSD is a mental health disorder people may develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. In…...
The tryptophan switch? Why exercise boosts your mood
4+ mon, 5+ day ago (912+ words) Meghan McCue, Ph.D. received salary support as a post-doctoral researcher from a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) project grant, and has previously received funding from the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. McMaster University provides funding…...