Psychology

Cortisol helps our bodies cope with stress, but what about its effects on the brain? A new study appearing in the October 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry, says that in an animal model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), high doses of a cortisol-related substance, corticosterone, prevented negative consequences of stress exposure, including increased startle response and behavioral freezing when exposed to reminders of the stress. However, low-dose corticosterone potentiated these responses. This finding suggests that corticosterone levels may influence both vulnerability and…

You know how people always tell kids it's not their fault when parents get divorced?  It may be partly their fault when it comes to kids with ADHD kids, according to results of a new study in the October issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.  Parents of a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are nearly twice as likely to divorce by the time the child is 8 years old than parents of children without ADHD, the researchers say.  Moreover, among couples in the study who were divorced, marriages involving children with ADHD ended sooner…

Young people with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not only at increased risk of starting to smoke cigarettes, they also tend to become more seriously addicted to tobacco and more vulnerable to environmental factors such as having friends or parents who smoke, according to a study from Massachusetts General Hospital reseachers. The report in the Journal of Pediatrics also found that individuals with more ADHD-related symptoms, even those who don't have the full syndrome, are at greater risk of becoming dependent on nicotine than those with fewer symptoms.  "Knowing…

Heavy advertising by both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates during the 2008 election may actually make voters in battleground states more confused about which candidate to vote for, a new study suggests.  A nationwide study found that voters in heavily contested states like Florida and Ohio become more ambivalent when they are exposed to a lot of opposing messages from the two candidates. "In battleground states especially, both candidates will invest a lot of money in television commercials. So people in these states are getting a lot of competing messages from both…

The extra layer of information that you add to a message when speaking is called prosody. The most important conclusion is that prosody lies not only in the voice but also in the facial expression. Further it appears that auditory and visual information together are more effective than the same information separately.  That a text is more than a series of words becomes clear as soon as you read a story aloud, for example, Little Red Riding Hood. At the end of a sentence you drop your voice. The pitch of your voice also changes when the Wolf speaks. Certain words receive extra emphasis.…

Newswise — With the economy in crisis and foreclosures at an all time high, financial anxiety among Americans seems to be soaring to new heights. In a poll distributed by the American Psychological Association (APA) to more than 1,700 U.S. adults, eight out of 10 surveyed said the economy is a significant cause of stress. “When there is a sense of uncertainty about the future or when folks feel as if their long-term goals such as retirement or children’s college funds are being threatened, a number of emotions may surface,” says Michael Groat, PhD, a psychologist for the Professionals in…

A new study sheds light on the lives of teenage boys who abuse their girlfriends. In their own words, the young men often describe facing challenges such as growing up with troubled family lives, having little or no support when they began to fail at school, and witnessing violence in their own homes and communities. The study advocates broadening the view of abusive behaviors within dating relationships to explore the myriad environments — school, home and community — that affect boys' lives and actions. It is the first qualitative study to document the social and environmental factors…

New research provides support for the use of St. John’s wort extracts in treating major depression - Cochrane Systematic Review backs up previous research that showed the plant extract is effective in treating mild to moderate depressive disorders. Extracts of the plant Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St. John’s wort, have long been used in folk medicine to treat depression and sleep disorders. The plant produces a number of different substances that may have anti-depressive properties, but the whole extract is considered to be more effective. Cochrane Researchers reviewed 29 trials…

A couple of days ago I went to see Religulous, the investigative documentary by Bill Maher into why people believe weird things about religion. I enjoyed Maher’s laid back approach much better than the Dawkins-Hitchens style hard nose atheism, unfortunately so popular among some atheist groups. The difference is not one of substance (though Maher claims not to be an atheist, he comes very, very close), but of style. And yet style makes all the difference where belief isn’t just a matter of cold rational analysis, but also of messy human emotions. Think of Maher as a comedian-turned…

Anorexia nervosa generates a lot of interest, but advances in treatment have been slow and disappointing - especially in drug interventions. In recent years a drug often used as an anti-psychotic in the treatment of schizophrenia has drawn more attention as an aid to the anxiety and obsessional thinking that can increase when nutrition is being re-stabilized and weight gain is under way. Some research out of The Ottawa Hospital Regional Centre for the Treatment of Eating Disorders in Canada is adding to a growing interest in olanzapine during anorexia recovery. The Ottawa study…