Behavioral Health News

Mood and behavior
An international team of researchers recently documented how mood influences behavior. The findings have implications for parenting and politics. March 1, 2010

Digest This: Office politics
There?s more to climbing the career ladder than just being qualified. Professional success often has a lot to do with who you know in an organization, how you act and what you will do to advance. Join Dan Gottlieb for an online conversation about how to cope with office politics in today?s workplace February 23, 2010

Depression and anxiety rise on campus
Colleges around the country report an increase in students seeking help at mental health counseling centers. And a new study looking at the mental wellness of college kids over the course of several decades found a steady rise in depression and severe anxiety. February 22, 2010

Treating trauma after disasters
When natural disasters like the earthquake in Haiti strike, relief workers rush to address the physical wounds and needs of people affected. What about their mental health needs in the wake of a traumatic experience? February 8, 2010

The meaning of apologies
Tiger Woods had to do it, so did Mark McGwire, John Edwards and Harry Reid.... they had to make an apology. But - there's lots more to a real apology than saying "I'm sorry". WHYY's Behavioral Health reporter Maiken Scott spoke with psychologists Dan Gottlieb about apologies - what makes them sincere, and how they affect relationships: February 1, 2010

Volunteering has mental health benefits
Thousands of residents in the region are honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King with a day of service today. Volunteering doesn't just help people and communities, it also has mental health benefits for the volunteers. Maiken Scott spoke with psychologist Dan Gottlieb: January 18, 2010

The Art of Listening
We listen to people talk all day long - but do we really hear what they are saying? Tuning out has become easier - and more tempting - with modern technology. Who hasn't been at a dinner where everybody is busy checking emails, facebooking, or text messaging. What does being a good listener really mean - and can you learn it? January 11, 2010

Healing after the death of a loved one
A new book called "The Other Side of Sadness" challenges some long-held beliefs about grief after the death of a loved one. WHYY's Behavioral Health reporter Maiken Scott spoke with psychologist Dan Gottlieb about grief - and how we deal with it. January 4, 2010

Mental health ? the year and decade in review
As the year is winding down, a tumultuous and difficult decade is coming to a close. WHYY's Behavioral Health reporter Maiken Scott spoke with psychologist Dan Gottlieb about America's mental health during the past ten years - and what's next for the field. December 28, 2009

Meaningful holidays
The holiday season is a time to celebrate family and love - but for Dan Gottlieb, host of WHYY's Voices in the Family - it marks the anniversary of a personal loss. 30 years ago yesterday, a tire flew off a truck on the highway, and crashed through his windshield. He was paralyzed from the neck down as a result. WHYY's Behavioral Health reporter Maiken Scott spoke with Gottlieb about what this time of year has come to mean to him. December 21, 2009

Fake Nostalgia for a Pre-Therapy Past
Navigating difficult years with the help of someone who gets it. March 8, 2010

Judge Orders New York to Move Mentally Ill Out of Large, Institutional Housing
The ruling gave 4,300 residents the right to leave housing that is compared to warehouses. March 2, 2010

Depression?s Upside
Is there an evolutionary purpose to feeling really sad? February 28, 2010

A Murder Suspect?s Worth to Science
In Web postings, some suggest that Amy Bishop, the suspect in six shootings, three of them fatal, could still contribute to medicine. February 23, 2010

An Apology With Echoes of 12 Steps
Sex addiction is not yet recognized as a psychiatric disorder, but doctors have long realized that some patients ruin their lives because of sex. February 23, 2010

Police Are Criticized in ?86 Shooting
The authorities who investigated a 1986 shooting missed an opportunity to order a psychiatric evaluation of Amy Bishop, said Representative William D. Delahunt, a former prosecutor. February 23, 2010

For Many Latina Teens, Gang Life Adds to Stress
The experiences of a young Hispanic girl, formerly a gang member, typify the pressures such girls face. February 21, 2010

Insanity Plea Likely in Boy?s Death
The lawyer for a woman accused of killing her son in a luxury hotel in Manhattan called it one of the ?saddest cases? he had ever seen. February 17, 2010

Arizona Inmate, Oldest Person on Death Row in the U.S., Dies of Natural Causes
Viva Leroy Nash, who spent most of his life behind bars, has died of natural causes at age 94 in Arizona. February 15, 2010

Study Suggests More Veterans May Be Helped by Talking About Killing
Killing is the one thing many combat veterans avoid discussing when they return home, whether out of shame, guilt or a deep fear of being misunderstood. February 14, 2010

When Children Are Overweight, Changes for the Whole Family
Parents can do a lot to prevent or rectify childhood obesity. It?s a case of home economics: exercise and healthier food are the easiest, cheapest approach. February 11, 2010

The Morning the Milking Was Finished
A 59-year-old dairy farmer killed his cows and himself last month in Copake, N.Y., highlighting the struggles of many dairymen reeling from last year?s disastrous drop in prices. February 4, 2010

Homeless, Shoeless, Even Nameless
A young woman who received treatment at a psychiatric ward in Portland, Ore., lamented the loss of the voices in her head. February 2, 2010

Super Bowl Is Unlikely Stopover on Player?s Journey to Sobriety
The Saints? Anthony Hargrove turned his life around in South Florida and now he?s headed back to play in the Super Bowl. February 1, 2010

Stuck in Neutral? Reset the Mood
Pessimism inhibits economic activity, which can be hard to stop and can stretch the financial system past its breaking point. January 31, 2010

Lacosamide validated as promising therapy for uncontrolled partial-onset seizures
A recent multi-center study has confirmed earlier study results that 400 mg/day of lacosamide provides a good balance of efficacy and tolerability for patients with uncontrolled partial-onset seizures, and doses of 600mg/day may provide additional benefit for some patients. March 9, 2010

Researcher presents risk-free treatment for low female sexual desire
Researchers are currently testing a new drug, flibanserin, which was developed as an antidepressant and affects neurotransmitters in the brain, to treat women with low sexual desire. However, experts are concerned about the side effects of this possible treatment. Now, a researcher has found evidence that a low-cost, risk-free psychological treatment is effective and may be a better alternative to drugs that have adverse side effects. March 9, 2010

Preventing or reversing inflammation after heart attack, stroke may require two-pronged approach
Researchers are releasing results of a study this week that they say will help refocus the search for new drug targets aimed at preventing or reversing the devastating tissue inflammation that results after heart attack and stroke. March 9, 2010

Repeated anesthesia can affect children's ability to learn
There is a link between repeated anesthesia in children and memory impairment, though physical activity can help to form new cells that improve memory, reveals new research. March 9, 2010

Divine intervention? New research looks at beliefs about God's influence in everyday life
Most Americans believe God is concerned with their personal well-being and is directly involved in their personal affairs, according to new research. March 9, 2010

New light shed on how retina's hardware is used in color vision
Biologists have identified, in greater detail, how the retina's cellular hardware is used in color preference. The findings enhance our understanding of how eyes and the brain process color. March 9, 2010

Exposure to letters A or F can affect test performance
Seeing the letter A before an exam can improve a student's exam result while exposure to the letter F may make a student more likely to fail, according to a new study. March 9, 2010

Women who drink moderately appear to gain less weight than nondrinkers
Normal-weight women who drink a light to moderate amount of alcohol appear to gain less weight and have a lower risk of becoming overweight and obese than nondrinkers, according to a new article. March 9, 2010

Abused children more likely to suffer unexplained abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting
Children who have been abused psychologically, physically or sexually are more likely to suffer unexplained abdominal pain and nausea or vomiting than children who have not been abused, a new study concludes. March 9, 2010

Genealogical tourism redefining leisure travel market, professor says
For the work-weary, the word "vacation" may conjure images of leisurely, carefree days at the beach sipping umbrella drinks. But according an expert in tourism and recreation, genealogical tourism is one of the fastest growing markets in vacation travel because it represents a conscious shift away from relaxation and into the realm of personal enrichment and fulfillment. March 9, 2010

Male batterers consistently overestimate rates of violence toward partners, study finds
Men who engaged in domestic violence consistently overestimated how common such behavior is by two or three times, and the more they overestimated it the more they engaged in abusing their partner in the previous 90 days. March 9, 2010

HaptiMap project aims to make maps accessible through touch, hearing and vision
If you are walking or cycling, and do not want to (or are unable to) spend most of your time focusing on a screen, the use of mobile devices tends to be a frustrating experience. The same is true in bright sunlight or if your eyesight is not good enough to see every detail on the mobile screen. March 9, 2010

Smelling scenery in stereo: Desert ants perceive odor maps in navigation
Desert ants are well-known for their remarkable orientation: they use a compass along with a step counter and visible landmarks to locate their nest. After researchers discovered that these ants can navigate also by using olfactory cues, they now found that the animals even can take advantage of the distribution of different odors in a map-like manner by utilizing their antennae to smell their environment in stereo. March 9, 2010

Massage eases anxiety, but no better than simple relaxation does
A randomized trial shows three months after 10 massages, patients' anxiety symptoms were halved -- an improvement like that previously reported with psychotherapy, medications, or both. But the trial also found massage no more effective than simple relaxation. March 9, 2010

New scale to measure anxiety outcomes developed
A new questionnaire and outcomes measurement scale has proven to be a reliable and valid measure of anxiety. The scale can easily be incorporated into routine clinical practice when treating psychiatric disorders. March 9, 2010