November saw further publication of studies about COVID’s mental and physical health impacts, one of which claims the toll is especially heavy on older adults. We learned about the byproducts of sustained discrimination from UCLA and saw more positive reviews of MDMA assisted therapy for PTSD, depression and anxiety. Peruse my greatest hits below and enjoy the satisfaction of feeling informed.
1)Prior research shows people with a mental health diagnosis are at far greater risk of contracting COVID than their peers. Now the CDC is adding bipolar, schizophrenic and depressed individuals to the “high risk” category.
2) Stanford’s Medical School conducted research on the efficacy of high doses of magnetic brain stimulation in the treatment of depression and found a whopping 80% of participants benefited.
3) Researchers observed the brains of people as they responded to a challenging task. Study scans identified a specific irregular action in the brains of participants diagnosed with a mental illness or cognitive disorder.
4) McMaster University found that older adults are especially damaged by COVID’s psychological strain.
5) Further support for the efficacy and expanded use of teletherapy was published by Yale University’s School of Medicine.
6) The Lancet says that more youth involvement and task shifting will help close the access gap between poor communities of color and the middle class.
7) There is a lot of research being published right now about the negative effects of cannabis on mental health. This study has different findings, underscoring the benefits of cannabis in managing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
8) Sibling rivalry and the bullying it produces in childhood has lasting psychological effects on bullied siblings says this new study. Chances of poor mental health later in life increase for kids who’d been mistreated by siblings.
9) The type of thoughts we have when our mind wanders are useful in determining our present mental health status according to this study.
10) This one may not strike you as shocking: a new study shows that children who eat more fruits and vegetables have better mental health.
That’s it for October! We’ll see you next month with more of the most newsworthy developments.
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