Speaking freely Medical News Today. Two UCSB studies shed light on stuttering treatment and a neurological deficit potentially linked to the disorder DSI-based 3-D modeling resolves the triple crossing within the white matter of the parietal lobe. Credit: UCSB Stuttering -- a speech disorder in which sounds, syllables or words are repeated or prolonged -- affects more than 70 million people worldwide. That's 1 percent of the global population. Four times as many men as women are afflicted with the disorder and, while the condition is not life-threatening, it is debilitating as it interferes with effective communication and erodes self-esteem and confidence.
Two new studies from UC Santa Barbara researchers provide new insight into the treatment of stuttering as well as understanding its physiological basis. "Together these papers break new ground, one in the treatment area and the other in neuroanatomy," said Roger Ingham, a professor of speech and hearing sciences at UCSB and an author on both papers. A New Approach. 4 in 10 infants lack strong parental attachments.
Dr. Joseph Valks - The Psychology of Saving Species. Tigers are revered, loved and feared. Millions of people from all corners of the world adore them. They enthrall us with their majesty, power and grace, yet they are still endangered. Their very survival hangs in the balance as they are trapped and killed for body parts, which can fetch a fortune on the illegal medicine market, and their forest habitat is under threat. If they were to become extinct in the wild it would be an enormous loss. There is now a huge worldwide “save the tiger”campaign involving several key television personalities, wildlife photographers, books and even strip for tigers becoming a yearly event. Take the humble Bumble Bee for example.
A keystone in an arch’s crown secures the other stones in place. Social network analysis is a widely used approach in psychology, social sciences and economics. Hue (from red=0 to blue=max) indicates each node’s centrality. Other examples of keystone species include beavers and ivory tree coral. Dr. Prosthetic hands viewed as eerie by the public new study shows. The psychology of physical cleansing. Improving the diagnostic process in mental health conditions via imaging. Our perception affects how damaging we deem willful acts to be. Children who use gestures tend to perform better on cognitive tasks. Inner Strength for Outer Stability. Our collective narrative is more and more dominated by fear and instability. Amy Edelstein explores how we need structural changes to reduce the influence of such elements in our collective psyche. A combination of advanced technology, a 24 hour media cycle, and troubled, alienated youth has splashed the unthinkable too frequently across our minds’ eye.
We’re becoming no strangers to eruptions of fear in our youngsters, to shadowy threats in fleeting moments of our common patterns of life. We are not prepared by acts of war nor trained for acts of valor. Oddly, we now live with the unthinkable in neighborhoods where Mr. The unthinkable is in our cultural psyche.
There are no doubt structural changes that we need to make to restrict access to instruments of violence. A deeper security in the face of the challenges of life comes from our own inner stability. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy. The loneliness epidemic | Society. It was only when Gay Ellis fell ill with ME four years ago that she realised how lucky she was. The 67-year-old had moved into a small cottage in a pretty cluster of buildings in Dorset, where half the properties were privately owned, and half social housing.
It wasn't just a new home she acquired, but a "second family". "One neighbour came in every day and gave me news of the outside world," she says. "There is something important about knowing I can go out and knock on any door here.'" Ellis lives in a converted holiday home, with throws over sofas and rugs on the stone floor. Tall and elegant, with her long, grey hair, swept back from her face, Ellis outlines, over a bowl of homemade vegetable soup, the benefits of her new life: "This is an intentional community, so you don't feel guilty about imposing on other people. She tells the story of her 75-year-old neighbour, Caroline, who died last year.
Many experts now believe we could be facing a loneliness epidemic. Clearing the Fog Around Personality Disorders. Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Often Suffer From Kinesiophobia, A Fear Of Movement. The Long-Term Health Consequences Of Bullying. Preventing Childhood And Adolescent Suicide. Inability To Distinguish Individuals In Other Races And Social Identity. Boosting Self-Control By Thinking Abstractly. Many Mentally Ill Americans Have Few Options. Despite the passage of the mental health parity act a few years ago, and the help that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has also brought, many Americans still fall through the cracks of our disjointed, disorganized public mental health care system. Unlike public health care, the public mental health system is a patchwork quilt of disparate systems that vary incredibly from state to state.
They also rely on significant state funding — funding that’s usually the first to be cut when state budgets are tight. The U.S. is one of the most wealthy societies in the world who’s standard of living would make people envious. Shouldn’t we do more to ensure that just because you’re poor, you have the same access to treatment as you would if you were poor and had a medical concern? Andrew Doughman at the Spartanburg Herald-Journal in South Carolina wrote a thoughtful and touching article today shedding light on this ongoing national embarrassment. Footnotes: Dr. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Found To Be An Effective Way To Combat Anxiety Disorders.
New Mothers Helped By Blogging. The Health Effects Of Social-Class Discrimination On Teens. Brain Development Should Be Taken Into Account When Criminal Law Involves Children. Psych Syndromes. The Influence Of Genes On Psychological Well-Being. Neurotranmitters Identified That Lead To Forgetting. What Kinds of Happy Couples Eventually Get Divorced? - Alice G. Walton - Health.
A new study identifies some traits of people whose marriages started off great but later fell apart. The warning signs? Poor communication, verbal aggression, and "inappropriate pessimism. " flickr/paulinaclemente Given the fact that a good number of marriages still end in divorce, understanding what factors are linked to divorce might actually help us predict it. And if these connections were understood early enough in the relationship - so that the skills needed to resolve the issues could be acquired in time - this might help avoid some divorces all together. In a new study, the researchers followed 136 married couples who all reported being very satisfied in the first four years of their marriages. Couples who went on to divorce were more likely to be poorer communicators, and tended to display more negative emotions and support mechanisms than people who stayed married. Though the study was small, it has some big implications. How Geniuses Think.
Behavior-Based Treatment An Option For Dementia Patients. How We Recognize Faces Has Implications For Prosopagnosia And Security Software. Why No One Is Satisfied With Psychiatric Diagnoses. Motivation To Exercise Affects Behavior. Too Much Emphasis On Time And Money Affects Happiness. TAU Study Finds Anxiety-Ridden Individuals Are Less Sensitive To Their Environments. The Secret Language Code. Are there hidden messages in your emails? Yes, and in everything you write or say, according to James Pennebaker, chair of the department of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
Pennebaker has been a leader in the computer analysis of texts for their psychological content. And in his new book, “The Secret Life of Pronouns,” he argues that how we use words like “I,” “she,” and “who” reveal secrets of our psychology. He spoke recently with Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook. COOK: How did you become interested in pronouns? PENNEBAKER: A complete and total accident. Until recently, I never thought about parts of speech. Much to my surprise, I soon discovered that the ways people used pronouns in their essays predicted whose health would improve the most.
As I pondered these findings, I started looking at how people used pronouns in other texts -- blogs, emails, speeches, class writing assignments, and natural conversation. COOK: And what have you found? PENNEBAKER: It does. Serotonin levels affect the brain's response to anger. Fluctuations of serotonin levels in the brain, which often occur when someone hasn't eaten or is stressed, affects brain regions that enable people to regulate anger, new research from the University of Cambridge has shown.
Although reduced serotonin levels have previously been implicated in aggression, this is the first study which has shown how this chemical helps regulate behaviour in the brain as well as why some individuals may be more prone to aggression. The research findings were published September 15, in the journal Biological Psychiatry. For the study, healthy volunteers' serotonin levels were altered by manipulating their diet. On the serotonin depletion day, they were given a mixture of amino acids that lacked tryptophan, the building block for serotonin. On the placebo day, they were given the same mixture but with a normal amount of tryptophan.
Using a personality questionnaire, they also determined which individuals have a natural tendency to behave aggressively. Histrionic personality disorder: Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment - by Anja Emerson. Anja Emerson's image for: "Histrionic Personality Disorder Symptoms Diagnosis and Treatment" Caption: Location: Image by: Histrionic personality disorder is a psychological condition characterized by attention-seeking behavior and excessive displays of emotion.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines this disorder as a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking behavior that begins in early adulthood, meeting at least 5 of the following criteria: The prevalence of this disorder isn't very high, only accounting for 2-3% of the population. These individuals can function well in society and attain success because of their social skills; however, their relationships are often volatile and superficial. This disorder is diagnosed by mental health professionals by using specifically designed interview and assessment tools that will provide valuable insight over a patient's personality. A Winning Survival Strategy - Self-Delusion. Purchases That Make Your Mouth Water. Juvenile Delinquency Linked To Higher Suicide Risk. How Impulsiveness Is Controlled By The Brain. 10 Myths about Happiness. I’m leaving my desk for a few days, so in my absence, thought I’d re-post one of my favorite round-up pieces, about ten widespread myths about happiness.
A while back, each day for two weeks, I posted about Ten Happiness Myths. Here they are, for your reading convenience. (Click on each myth to read a longer explanation of it.) 1. Happy people are annoying and stupid. Wrong. 2. It’s true that there’s a powerful genetic link to happiness — usually it’s estimated to be about forty to fifty percent. However, adaptation has its limits. 3. Wrong. Although we think we act because of the way we feel, in fact, we often feel because of the way we act. 4. Maybe not. 5. It depends on what you choose. 6. Well, money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can buy lots of things that contribute mightily to happiness. As the current financial downturn is making vividly clear, money contributes to happiness mostly in the negative; the lack of it brings much more unhappiness than possessing it brings happiness.
Money Can't Buy Happiness. WASHINGTON—Freedom and personal autonomy are more important to people’s well-being than money, according to a meta-analysis of data from 63 countries published by the American Psychological Association. While a great deal of research has been devoted to the predictors of happiness and life satisfaction around the world, researchers at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand wanted to know one thing: What is more important for well-being, providing people with money or providing them with choices and autonomy?
“Our findings provide new insights into well-being at the societal level,” they wrote in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by APA. “Providing individuals with more autonomy appears to be important for reducing negative psychological symptoms, relatively independent of wealth.” In short, they found, “Money leads to autonomy but it does not add to well-being or happiness.” Dr. Fischer can be contacted by email. Truth About Antidepressants & Chemical Imbalance, Psychology Psychologists Call For Prompt End To Restrictive Practices In Disability Sector, Australia. Psychologists Ask How Well-or Badly-We Remember Together. Social psychology: What is social facilitation and social inhibition. Dr. Manura Nanayakkara's image for: "Social Facilitation Social Inhibition" Caption: Location: Image by: Did you notice that the speed of an athlete increases, in the presence of more competitors.
Above scenarios can be explained by a concept in social psychology called social facilitation and social inhibition. What is social psychology? In social psychology scientists study how human behavior is shaped by the real or imagined presence of others. What is social facilitation? Social facilitation is defined as “boosting effects of co actors and audiences on performance”. When is social facilitation seen? Social facilitation occurs when the task is simple and well learned. In addition social facilitation increases when the co actors are competing with the participant.
What is social inhibition? Social inhibition is defined as “derailing effects of performance in the presence of co actors and audiences”. Social inhibition occurs when the task at hand is complex and not well learned. Some People's Climate Beliefs Shift With Weather. New Approach To Understanding Infants' Patterns Of Communication. How Marijuana Affects The Way The Brain Processes Emotional Information. Stepchildren Relate To Stepparents Based On Perceived Benefits, Researchers Find.
Hippocampal Volume And Resilience In Posttramatic Stress Disorder. Computerized Systems Reduce Psychiatric Drug Errors. APA Survey Finds Many U.S. Workers Feel Stressed Out And Undervalued. A New Troublesome Long-Term Effect Of Antidepressant Drugs; Tardive Dysphoria. Groundbreaking Study Finds That Asian Americans Are Not Viewed As Ideal Leaders. Neural Mechanisms Linked With Vulnerability To Anxiety. Sociologist Publishes Research On Religion And Adolescents. Jaktraks Veterans and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Conversation with Dr. Frank Ochberg #p.
Drug Abuse Linked To Inability To Recognize Basic Emotions. People Who Believe In Justice Also See A Victim's Life As More Meaningful After Tragedy. Does the Modern World Promote Schizoid Personality Disorder? - Personality Disorders. Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D. Updated: Dec 10th 2010 I receive an enourmous number of E.
Mails like the following: I feel the same way too - - I am 21 years old and a jr. in college... iI have zero friends here. During the 1950's and '60's, the U.S. government built huge housing projects for the poorest segment of urban America. Recently, it was decided to move people out of these projects, bull doze them and place residents in more user friendly communities that are smaller and more attractive. Then, something surprising happened. It has been my observation that more individuals than ever before are coming to the office because of feelings of loneliness, isolation and desolation.
Judging From These Examples, Has the world become Schizoid? We know that there is a psychiatric diagnosis called Schizoid Personality Disorder. According to Rollo May, more people than ever are coming to the office with these symptoms? Here is a quote from that book: You and I cannot change the world. Allan N. New Ground Broken On Aggression Research. ADHD In Children Linked To Depression And Higher Suicide Risk During Teens. Circadian Rhythms: Their Role And Dysfunction In Affective Disorder. Stalked, drugged and raped: Is it happening in San Antonio? | kens5.com | San Antonio News, Weather, Sports, Traffic, Entertainment, Video and Photos. Cynthia Vurbeff is moving. Her home, she says, has become a house of horrors.
“I feel that I've lost my mind, lost my life,” Vurbeff said. Incident reports from law enforcement tell the tale: Numerous break-ins at the address. She suffered vandalism to her car, motorcycle and computer. Vurbeff believes she was being targeted. “Everything... But sheriff’s detectives had little to go on, because the vandals -- though often destructive -- stole nothing. 'He told me ... Vurbeff says her troubles didn’t start until she met two men. One would become her ex-boyfriend; the other was his partner in a San Antonio pain clinic, Dr. Vurbeff said: “The very first time I met him, we went to his house on the Fourth of July, and he told me that because I was already there in his house, that I would be the next victim, that I would be stalked.” Vurbeff found the doctor’s prophecy to be correct. Lights left on. “As soon as you walked in the house, you smelled gas," one friend said. Book about 'gang stalking' That's Impossible Mind Control (4 of 5)
Psychology & Mind.