When Chronic Disease Overlaps with Anxiety

As we age, the composition of our gut biome changes, and we become more prone to diseases related to our gut or gut bacteria. Researchers are investigating how disruptions in the gut biome may contribute to the onset of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases. The evidence is mounting that...

Anosognosia in right hemisphere stroke offers one of the models to understand insight impairment. The loss of a representation of the “body schema of the mind” may underlie a lack of insight into mental conditions. Assessment of “lack of insight” may benefit from a broader perspective of impairments...

Some people seem to make poor life choices, a problem identified in new research as a “faulty compass.”. The four causes of a faulty compass can be traced to deficits in emotional memories. By understanding the causes of your own poor choices, you can set off on a more...

People who are more anxious try to give some of their anxiety to those who are less anxious. Anxiety tends to be polarized into rigid gender roles in heterosexual couples. Some men try to "solve" their female partner's anxiety in order to avoid feeling negative emotions themselves. Accepting more of...

Whether or not dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder, is "real" is a much-debated question. Different models agree that identities in DID are "enacted" but disagree about just what that means. It's likely that the meaning of enacted identities in DID varies across cultures, social settings,...

Therapy vs. medications for depression can feel like an either-or proposition. There are pros and cons to each that are worth knowing. For some people, both together create the best synergy. "I'm thinking about starting therapy but maybe an antidepressant would be faster and easier. Which one should I pick?"

Interacting with natural environments improves emotional states and cognitive functioning. The more immersive and uninterrupted the experience in nature, the more likely you will benefit from it. You can still benefit from short, non-immersive nature exposure, but eliminating distractions and choosing places you like is crucial. Are you one of...

The challenge with atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN)—both for providers trying to assess it and for people wondering if they have it—is its presentation. People with AAN have all the same symptoms as people with “regular” anorexia except one: They’re not underweight. So it can go unnoticed, sometimes for years.

Tinnitus can have a significant impact on someone's life and mental health. Feeling a sense of loss, of silence and control, is common for chronic tinnitus sufferers. Part of managing tinnitus is to learn how to accept it, rather than struggle against it. It engulfs when the house is quiet....

New research develops a machine learning algorithm to predict whether a psychology study will replicate or not. This machine learning algorithm uses word choices in psychology papers, not other key information, to make predictions. The algorithm has low accuracy overall (68%) and is based on existing replications that don't cover...

Affective forecasting, or the process of predicting how one will feel at a future point in time, is often involved in decisions. Predictions about happiness and other emotions are often inaccurate. While happiness is an important factor in decision-making, it's also important to learn how to make one's predictions stronger.

Midlife isn’t completely magical nor completely miserable. The truth is somewhere in the middle. There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all experience of midlife. Midlife is a time for figuring out who you’ve been, who you are, and who you are becoming. Midlife can be messy—especially for...

Despite limited research, cannabis is being used to treat various conditions. Patients' acceptance of cannabis is wide, even among the elderly. Legal and funding obstacles prevent cannabis research. A lot has changed in the world of cannabis in the decades since Professor of Medicinal Chemistry Raphael Mechoulam’s breakthrough research. A...