Mindfully Healing

Anxiety has an unexpected effect on memory. People with manageable levels of anxiety did better in a memory test, recalling more details, new research finds. Anxious people’s memories are particularly good when they are in a negative mindset, even if the things they are trying to remember are neutral. This is ironic since anxious people often feel their memory is worse than others and spend longer self-questioning. Anxiety also serves to taint memories, however, the researchers found. Events that might seem neutral to most people can seem negative to those

Study tests if antidepressants really help depressed people feel better in the long run. Over nine years, depressed people were better off if they had no treatment at all than if they took antidepressants, new research finds. In addition, depressed people that got adequate treatment without medication did better nine years later than those who got adequate treatment with medication. It may be that taking antidepressants causes more harm than no treatment whatsoever in the long run. These effects could be the result of many factors that others have suggested.

Study of over 1 million people diagnosed with dementia in France reveals biggest avoidable risk factor. Alcohol is the biggest avoidable risk factor for dementia, according to new research. The conclusions come from over 1 million people diagnosed with dementia in France. The damage done by alcohol was particularly striking for early-onset dementia: that which occurs before 65-years-old. Of the 57,000 cases of early-onset dementia in the sample, 57% were related to chronic heavy drinking. Heavy drinkers are defined as those consuming an average of 4-5 standard US drinks per

Psychologists tested the effect of a week-long break from Facebook on people’s mental health. Here’s what they found. There is a brand new treatment available which can increase your concentration, boost your social life and increase your happiness. It’s totally free. You can start right now. It doesn’t require any drugs, or meeting psychologists or anything else at all. Want to try it? Of course you do. It’s called ‘Taking-A-Week-Off-Facebook’. The ‘treatment’ is based on a study by the Happiness Research Institute, which is a Danish think-tank. They split 1,095

Depressed and suicidal people use these unexpected words more often. People who are depressed use language that focuses more on themselves, research finds Depressed people tend to use the words “I”, “myself” and “me” more than those who are not depressed. This reflects the fact that depressed people often feel disconnected and alone. A second linguistic signal of depression is the use of more ‘absolutist’ words, such as “totally”, “completely” or “always”. Depressed people tend to have a more black-and-white view of the world — there is little room for

The every day coping mechanism that is naturally used by resilient people. Nostalgia can help fight loneliness and may also protect mental health, a study finds. Thinking back to better times, even if they are tinged with some sadness, helps people cope with challenging times. People who are more resilient naturally use nostalgia to help themselves feel better, the researchers also found. The study’s authors write: “Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, is a self-relevant and social emotion: The self almost invariably figures as the protagonist in nostalgic narratives

The cause of Alzheimer’s is not just in the brain. Alzheimer’s disease could be a problem that involves the whole body, according to new research. Alzheimer’s — the most common form of dementia — has usually been thought of as only a brain disease. However, research now suggests the disease could be triggered elsewhere in the body. Chinese research has shown that amyloid-beta — the protein thought central to Alzheimer’s — can contribute to the disease even when it comes from outside the brain. The findings suggest drugs that might

Depression frequently recurs but therapy and drugs are not the only answers. Seeking out social relationships may help people to recover from depression. Building a social support system helps people stay depression-free. In addition, people who find activities they enjoy recover better from depression. By contrast, people who are aggressive loners are at a heightened risk of depression recurrence, research finds. Those who do not seek out social relationships find it harder to recover from depression. Aggression can also make it difficult to for these type of people to heal.

Study finds beneficial effect of these two personality traits together on depression. Being extraverted and conscientious helps to reduce the risk of depression in neurotic people, new research finds. People who are highly neurotic typically look at the world in a negative way. They also find it hard to deal with stress and can experience a lot of negative emotions. However, it seems being social and organised helps to ameliorate the effect. Dr Kristin Naragon-Gainey, the study’s first author, explained: “If someone has high levels of extraversion they might be

New brain cells in the hippocampus — an area critical for memory — were reduced by 40%. Even moderate alcohol intake could reduce the brain’s ability to produce new cells by 40%, research suggests. Regularly having as little as 3 to 4 alcoholic drinks could reduce the structural integrity of the adult brain. Ms Megan Anderson, the study’s first author, said: “Moderate drinking can become binge drinking without the person realizing it. In the short term there may not be any noticeable motor skills or overall functioning problems, but in