January 20, 2025
(Discover Magazine) – Colloquially, a constant concern for health is known as hypochondria. But medically speaking, when this concern tips over to obsessive or harmful behavior, it’s referred to as illness anxiety disorder. Fear or concern of serious illness can … Read More
January 17, 2025
(Axios) – A growing number of states are banning cellphones in schools — almost always with bipartisan support. Why it matters: Parents are divided over these policies, which are meant to reduce distractions and boost students’ socialization. Where it stands: … Read More
January 16, 2025
(Undark) – The Netherlands allows medically assisted euthanasia for extreme mental suffering. Some doctors question the guardrails. In recent years, Dutch psychiatrists have seen a steep upswing in requests for medical assistance in dying, or MAID, on psychiatric grounds, rising … Read More
January 16, 2025
(New York Times) – Digital mental health platforms were supposed to expand access for the neediest patients. Researchers say that hasn’t happened. The increase in psychotherapy has occurred among groups that already enjoyed more access: people in higher-income brackets, living … Read More
January 15, 2025
(KFF Health News) – Only in recent years have the psychosocial hazards of construction work moved onto the public radar. Studies paint a grim picture, said Douglas Trout, an occupational medicine physician and deputy director of the Office of Construction … Read More
January 13, 2025
(Men’s Health) – Artificial intelligence might present some handy shortcuts, but it makes a terrible wingman Much has been made of the loneliness epidemic. During the summer of 2023, over in the US the surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy laid … Read More
January 13, 2025
(NPR) – If you want to get high in Texas, your options are almost limitless. This law-and-order state of guns, God and capital punishment is awash in cannabis. Today, Texas has more than 7,000 cannabis dispensaries, almost twice as many … Read More
January 9, 2025
(New York Times) – D.D.D. is often associated with a history of emotional abuse or neglect. The symptoms can be brought on by anxiety, depression, the resurfacing of early trauma, major life stressors, cannabis and hallucinogens like LSD, said Dr. … Read More
January 8, 2025
(BBC) – One in five children and young people between the ages of eight and 25 in England are now thought to have a mental health disorder, according to official figures. Unsurprisingly, the NHS is struggling to keep up. In … Read More
January 7, 2025
(The New Yorker) – A scientist tried to discredit the theory that ultra-processed foods are killing us. Instead, he overturned his own understanding of obesity. When people were fed an ultra-processed diet that was calorie-dense and hyper-palatable, they ate around … Read More
January 6, 2025
(Vox) – “Glow up” challenges were all over my feed. So I tried one. Through my steadily more depressing TikTok algorithm, I learned that the worst thing you can do in life is let yourself get fat, and the second … Read More
January 3, 2025
(KFF Health News) – The mix of stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamines with fentanyl — a synthetic opioid 50 times as powerful as heroin — is driving what experts call the opioid epidemic’s “fourth wave.” The mixture of stimulants … Read More
December 31, 2024
(New York Times) – Early intervention tries to rein in psychotic disorders before they can ruin young lives. For Kevin Lopez, everything is on the line. An estimated 100,000 people experience a first episode of psychosis every year, roughly four … Read More
December 31, 2024
(ProPublica) – Health insurers frequently review patients’ progress to see if they can be moved down to a lower — and almost always cheaper — level of care. That can cut both ways. They sometimes cite a lack of progress … Read More
December 31, 2024
(The Guardian) – More than a third of 15-year-old girls are repeatedly drunk, compared with less than a quarter of boys, according to OECD research It is unclear why teenage girls appear more susceptible than boys to getting drunk regularly, … Read More
December 30, 2024
(The Hill) – A report from the Senate Intelligence Committee offers a critical look at the CIA’s handling of cases of unexplained health incidents, determining its approach hindered its ability to care for staff and alienated employees. The Friday report on … Read More
December 27, 2024
(ABC) – From a pig kidney transplant to restoring genetic deafness, 2024 was a year full of medical breakthroughs. The breakthroughs include the discovery of a cause of an autoimmune disease, the development of a “game-changing” drug and potential hope … Read More
December 26, 2024
(NPR) – Whether it’s volunteering at a local food bank, or taking soup to a sick neighbor, there’s lots of evidence that when we help others, it can boost our own happiness and psychological well-being. But there’s also growing research … Read More
December 26, 2024
(New York Times) – Experts share how shifting from self-focused goals to thinking about others can have a positive impact on the year ahead. There is ample research — including one of the longest-running studies on human happiness — to … Read More
December 24, 2024
(KFF Health News) – Of the 3 million Americans over age 50 who identify as gay, bisexual, or transgender, about twice as many are single and living alone when compared with their heterosexual counterparts, according to the National Resource Center … Read More
December 23, 2024
(U.S. News & World Report) – Nearly 3.1 million U.S. residents died in 2023, according to final data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – roughly 189,000 fewer than in 2022. The age-adjusted rate of mortality in 2023 … Read More
December 20, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – Gamblers Anonymous meetings are filling up with people hooked on trading and betting. Apps make it as easy as ordering takeout. Doctors and counselors say they are seeing more cases of compulsive gambling in financial markets, … Read More
December 19, 2024
(Science) – A brace of new studies probes benefits and risks for an understudied group Profound feelings of unity, transcendence, ineffability, and awe—as well as improved mental health. Those were among the testimonials in a recent survey of 233 people … Read More
December 19, 2024
(The Guardian) – At the last minute, Zoë decided to call off her euthanasia. But how do you start over after you’ve said all of your goodbyes? Everybody gathered round the bed. Evelien was standing at the head. She had … Read More
December 18, 2024
(NPR) – What happened to Gomez is common enough that some have coined a term for it: “cancer ghosting.” This social isolation and loss of support – even from close friends and family members – is a devastating and often … Read More
