Mindfully Healing

Allow yourself to consider these question for better mental health. Asking yourself the ‘big questions’ about life is linked to lower depression and anxiety, new research finds. People who do not resist existential concerns about the meaning of life have better mental health. Fear of confronting these kinds of questions, though, is linked to problems regulating the emotions. Professor Julie Exline, study’s co-author said: “Religious and spiritual struggles — conflicts with God or religious people, tough questions about faith, morality, and the meaning of life — these are often taboo

New blood tests could take the guessing out of antidepressant prescriptions. Up until now doctors have essentially been guessing which antidepressant medication might work for patients. But now researchers have identified a blood test that could help. Dr Madhukar Trivedi, who led the research, said: “Currently, our selection of depression medications is not any more superior than flipping a coin, and yet that is what we do. Now we have a biological explanation to guide treatment of depression.” The blood test measures the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). They tested

Magnets could eventually be used to compensate for memory problems caused by dementia. Scientist have used magnetic stimulation to improve people’s memory, new research reports. Transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, helped people remember things they had heard more accurately. The magnetic stimulation worked when it matched the natural theta waves of the brain. Dr Sylvain Baillet, one of the study’s authors, explained: “For a long time the role of theta waves has been unclear. We now know much more about the nature of the mechanisms involved and their causal role

Depression is the leading cause of disability and ill health worldwide. There are over 300 million living with depression around the world. This represents an increase of 18% between 2005 and 2015, according to figures put out by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Almost 50% of people who are depressed do not get any treatment, even in high-income countries. Two important reasons are: Lack of support for people with mental health problems, and stigma. The WHO is currently running a year-long campaign called “Depression: let’s talk”. Dr Shekhar Saxena, Director

Study tests if personality can possibly beat looks… Women say they prefer the personality traits of friendliness and respectfulness, but new research reveals it’s really all about looks. When tested, women pick men who are physically attractive over those with better personality traits. Younger women, in particular, pay little attention to whether men are trustworthy, respectful and honest — just whether they are fit. Older women do pay a little more attention to personality, but only when choosing between attractive men. The conclusions come from a study of 80 women

If you want to get pumped up before a big event, what type of music should you choose? Music has already been shown to have all kinds of effects on the mind, like making you happier, reducing pain and bringing people together. Now a new study finds that music of the right kind can transform the listener’s sense of power. The study, published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, was inspired by the pre-game routines of athletes (Hsu et al., 2014). Dennis Hsu, who led the study, explains:

The single factor which helps 38% of formerly suicidal people back to complete mental health. Having someone to confide in is one of the most important factors in recovery from mental illness, a new study suggests. People in the study were experiencing suicidal thoughts, usually as a result of mental illness or substance abuse. Mr Philip Baiden, the study’s lead author, said: “We found that among formerly suicidal individuals, those who have someone they could confide in were seven times more likely to have complete mental health, after adjusting for

The psychological factor that affects colds. People who have strong social networks have less severe colds than those who are lonely, new research finds. Lonely people, though, were no more or less likely to get a cold than socially connected people. Loneliness has already been linked to other physical problems, said Ms Angie LeRoy, the study’s first author: “Loneliness puts people at risk for premature mortality and all kinds of other physical illnesses. Previous research has shown that different psycho-social factors like feeling rejected or feeling left out or not

What really underlies obsessive-compulsive disorder? Confusing imagination with reality and being out of contact with reality are linked to OCD, a new study finds. People with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) are known to dissociate themselves from reality. Instead they rely heavily on their imagination. A survey of 75 people with OCD found that they experienced ‘inferential confusion’: essentially getting fantasy and reality mixed up. Dr Frederick Aardema, who led the research, said: “It seems that people with OCD are so absorbed by their obsession due to inferential confusion that there is

There are two types of motivation you need to reach goals. People motivate themselves in different ways depending on where they are in pursuing a goal, new research finds. At the start, people motivate themselves with hopes and dreams of reaching their goal. For example, someone wanting to lose weight might think about the clothes they will be able to wear. Psychologists call this ‘promotion motivation’ as the study’s authors, Dr Olya Bullard and Dr Rajesh V. Manchanda, explain: “Promotion motivation encourages people to focus on hopes and aspirations, it