Download PsychDigest 200901 Vol 2 no 9
IN THE NEWS
Alzheimer's & aging
"In my day": The aging brain allows negative memories to fade
Strategic video game improves cognitive skills in older adults
"Cognitive reserve" hypothesis-delaying Alzheimer's symptoms
Dementia linked to inability to comprehend sarcasm
Reliability of another cognitive assessment tool questioned
Combination of CBT, support groups, Taiji and qigong benefits those with dementia
Anxiety & stress
First self-help relaxation DVD in sign language
Dopamine and anxiety
Anxious parents extend their fears into their children's world
Child & adolescent development
Let the children play: why it's good for them
"Cascade effect" can explain some adolescent violence
Boy-girl bullying in middle grades more common than previously thought
New method of scoring IQ tests benefits children with intellectual disabilities
Bipolar affective disorder
Bipolar I disorder hospitalizations lower with adjunctive multifamily therapy
Bipolar and eating disorders linked
Prodromal interventions have limited efficacy in bipolar disorder
Mixed hypomania potentially misdiagnosed in bipolar children
Bipolar disorder often misdiagnosed
Bipolar patients with alcohol use disorder receive inadequate treatment
Physical and/or sexual abuse common in bipolar disorder youths
Decision-making
Conscious vs unconscious thought: which is best for decision-making?
Powerful people are the best decision-makers
Two studies presented at Neuroscience 2008
Depression
CBT works best for recurrent depression
Depression in adolescents: relapse less likely if medication is followed by CBT
Test to predict future risk of depression
Recurrent brief depression a valid diagnostic category
Treated depression patients may spend the next decade fighting lingering symptoms
Symptoms of depression associated with increase in abdominal fat
Social rejection linked to pain in depression
Memory & learning
Space yourself for better learning and recall
The psychological benefits of nostalgia
Mind & body
Fainting linked to psychological issues
Cleanliness and godliness: the effect of cleanliness on moral judgment
Childhood IQ predicts adult mental health
Neuroscience
Scientists produce illusion of body-swapping
Sleep, learning and memory
EEG shows effect of socio-economic status on a child's brain
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
OCD patients effectively treated over the telephone
Deep brain stimulation shows encouraging results in OCD
Sex, gender & marriage
Gender gap in spatial skills starts in infancy
Marriage improves when children leave home
Choosing a mate--what are we really looking for?
Oxytocin induces more positive behaviour in arguing couples
Social psychology
Relationship with parents influence how people relate to others
Happiness is contagious
Substance abuse
Technology can help addicts evade the "reward radar"
PSYCHLITS: ON THE PSYCH RADAR
'Placebo gene' discovered
Panic attacks increase risk of heart attacks and heart disease, especially in younger people
Exercise dependence strongly associated with perfectionism
Norway takes top honours in gender equality
Genetic link to gender identity
Babies who receive incubator care less likely to develop depression as adults
Adolescent smoking risk higher if parents started early
Newborns exposed to maternal smoking more irritable, difficult to soothe
Father's age linked to social abilities in boys
Siblings of mentally disabled face their own lifelong challenges
Cell phone conversations significantly impairs driving performance
Coerced medication used in psychiatric care despite lack of clinical evidence
Scientists use stem cells to reverse brain damage in animals
As young as you feel
Religion may help you live longer
BOOKS & PUBLICATIONS
Textbook of psychotherapeutic treatments
