Mindfully Healing

The common drug could treat schizophrenia, ADHD, bipolar disorder, addiction and other mental health problems. Nicotine can normalise brain connections that are disrupted in schizophrenia, new research finds. It could help to explain why those with schizophrenia frequently smoke so heavily. Around 90% of those suffering from schizophrenia are smokers. This compares to a rate of around 20% of the general population and around 50% for those with mental health problems. Many speculated that they could be self-medicating. The research could eventually lead to a new treatment for schizophrenia that

Lonely people quickly move to the edges of social networks — here’s why. Loneliness makes the areas of the brain that are vigilant for threat more active, a new study finds. This can make people who are socially isolated more abrasive and defensive — it’s a form of self-preservation. This may be why lonely people can get marginalised. Professor John Cacioppo, an expert on loneliness, speaking about an earlier study on the marginalisation of the lonely, said: “We detected an extraordinary pattern of contagion that leads people to be moved