Oxytocin is the name of a natural substance, classified as a hormone, which forms in the brain and circulates throughout the bloodstream. During childbirth, doctors can use oxytocin injections to induce labor, quicken labor or decrease the risk for bleeding immediately following labor. Scientific evidence indicates that this hormone also plays a vital role in […]
‘Love Hormone’ Oxytocin Can Also Breed Fear, Anxiety Read More »
Exposure therapy for those with obsessive-compulsive disorder combined with antidepressants is more effective in reducing symptoms than medication alone, according to a new study by New York’s Columbia University. Current guidelines favor augmentation of antidepressants with antipsychotics for those who suffer from OCD.
Exposure Therapy Boosts Antidepressant Treatment of OCD Read More »
A new study published in the July 2013 issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Practice shows that a very high percentage of psychiatric inpatients suffers from vitamin D deficiency. The study, led by Melanie Ryland, MD, and Steven Verhulst, PhD, found that 75 percent of the patients in an Illinois community hospital’s psychiatric ward had
Does Vitamin D Play a Role in Psychiatry? Read More »
It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke—women have been on the receiving end of jokes and quips about menopause in all its hot-flashing, mood-roller-coastering, sleep-destroying glory for decades—and now antidepressants can be prescribed for some of these symptoms. I can hear women all over the United States uttering their most sarcastic “really?” and
FDA Says Antidepressant Works on Hot Flashes Read More »
Almost 50 percent of U.S. women capable of bearing children weigh enough to meet the standard definitions for being overweight or obese. Without doubt, one the main contributors to excess weight in these women (and all other people) is consumption of a diet high in sugar and fat. In a study presented in August 2013
Diet During Pregnancy May Affect Child’s Risk for Alcohol, Drug Abuse Read More »
Adult ADHD is the general term for cases of the childhood condition attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that continue to produce significant symptoms in adulthood. Modern studies indicate that 30 percent to 60 percent of children with ADHD also experience the adult form of the disorder. According to the results of a new study published in July
Adult ADHD Linked to Severe Eating Disorders Read More »
You may have seen the signs. Your child, once obsessed with Little League, SpongeBob and skateboarding, now seems to be squirreled away in his bedroom for hours at a time. He has developed a jailhouse pallor. On the rare occasions you see him, it’s just long enough for him to raid the fridge before scurrying
Internet Fasting Camps to Open in Japan Read More »
Anorexia and bulimia are the two most well known eating disorders in the U.S., and until 2013 they were the only two eating disorders recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. For a long time, doctors and researchers have tried—with only partial success—to uncover the underlying causes for the onset of anorexic and bulimic eating behaviors.
Misread Hunger Signals May Cause Eating Disorders, Landmark Study Finds Read More »
Sadie was like most 10 year old girls—she liked swimming and soccer, horses and rainbows, and catching fireflies in the summertime. As a fourth-grade student, she was especially concerned about spelling bees and cared very much about keeping her straight-A record. She’d gotten a C once on a social studies test and her parents would
Childhood Eating Disorders a Growing Menace Read More »
It was 81 minutes past noon when University of Iowa police say student Samantha Lynn Goudie blew a blood-alcohol level of .341. The season-opener between the Hawkeyes and Northern Illinois was more than an hour from kick-off when news stories say she tried to jump onto the field and officers reported arresting her for public intoxication.
Samantha Lynn Goudie ‘Lucky to Be Alive’ After Blowing .341 Read More »