This month’s issue of the Archives of General Psychology includes the results of a seven year study investigating the association between media exposure in adolescence and depression in young adulthood. Of the 4,142 participants (47.5% female and 67.0% white) who were not depressed at baseline and who underwent follow-up assessment, 308 (7.4%) reported symptoms consistent… Read More »
In a comedic piece about euphemisms, George Carlin reminded us that what we now call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, was called “shell shock” in World War I and “battle fatigue” in World War II and “operational exhaustion” during the Korean War. Carlin reminded us that buried under all this jargon is the pain and… Read More »
In the News and Opinions section of its January 23 issue, The Week magazine reports that the Pentagon has decided soldiers afflicted with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are not eligible for a Purple Heart because, the Pentagon claims, “psychic wounds are hard to diagnose.” A study by the Rand Corporation estimates 300,000 U.S. troops have… Read More »
How do people deal with difficult events that change their lives? How have you dealt with the most trying circumstances in your life? The death of a loved one, loss of a job, serious injury or illness, being victimized by violence and other traumatic events are some of life’s most challenging experiences. Many people react… Read More »
The Associated Press reports, “State budget cuts are forcing some of the nation’s youngest criminals out of counseling programs and group homes and into juvenile prisons in what critics contend is a shortsighted move that will eventually lead to more crime and higher costs.” Original Source: foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2008Dec26/0,4675,MeltdownJuvenileJustice,00.html What’s more beneficial to young people and society at… Read More »
In a study published online (December 4) by the British Medical Journal, scientists from Harvard University and UC San Diego indicate that happiness spreads through social networks of family, friends and neighbors – even three degrees removed. The scientists, who examined the relationships of 4,739 people for a period of twenty years (1983 – 2003),… Read More »
An investigation by the Associated Press reveals that the number of ‘mentally disabled’ people who are confined to institutions in Texas is six times the national average. The federal government has concluded that the Texas care system is “stubbornly out of step with modern mental health practices. Critics allege that Texas remains stuck in an… Read More »
In an article published today by the Bradenton Herald in Florida, psychotherapist Jeff Anglin is quoted as saying, “Hard financial times can break people apart or pull them together. The variable that makes the difference is what I call the emotional bank account.” Anglin said couples who don’t have high emotional bank accounts turn bitter… Read More »
New research led by Dr. Mary A. Whooley of the VA Medical Center in San Francisco found that patients with depression had a 50 percent greater risk of cardiovascular events. They also determined that physical inactivity was associated with a 44 percent greater rate of cardiovascular events. Heart patients with depression are less likely to… Read More »
A news release published at MarketWatch.com reports that the garden at Lee Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Pennington Gap, Virginia is just one example of a growing nationwide trend toward extending various types of garden or horticultural therapy into healthcare settings, senior facilities, schools, prisons and community gardens for people with special needs. Barbara D.… Read More »