-
ADHD and Memory: Differences in What is Remembered
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD (formerly known also as ADD) are classically seen as the kids in class who have trouble staying in their seats and paying attention during long lessons. Underlying these problematic behaviors is a confluence of factors, with evidence pointing to genetics, neural function, and environmental factors (including parenting…
-
The silver lining: research on personal growth after trauma
Research on stressful life events like receiving a terminal diagnosis or the impact of losing a job has focused primarily on the negative psychological effects of such events. However, clinicians and researchers began to realize that many of their patients were reporting positive changes after experiencing adversity. Interviews with cancer patients and other samples found,…
-
Possible link between poverty and health
About a year ago I went on a field trip to the California Science Center to dissect cow eyes with a class of third graders. I am a mentor for a 3rd grade student through an organization called I Have a Dream (IHAD). I was awestruck by how smart, funny, adorable, and happy these children…
-
Even when you know it’s fake: The strength of the placebo effect
Almost everyone has heard about the placebo effect – the finding that treatment that have no particularly relevant effect (like a sugar or vitamin pill, or a behavioral equivalent) can make patients feel better. The placebo effect is actually the reason that all FDA approved drugs have to go through a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial…
-
Underestimating How Often Others Experience Negative Emotions May Lead to Increased Loneliness and Decreased Life Satisfaction
A series of recent studies suggests that people consistently underestimate the prevalence with which others experience negative emotions – and that this error may lead to increased loneliness, more brooding over personal problems, and decreased life satisfaction. The authors of these studies propose at least two reasons why individuals may underestimate the frequency with which…
-
Neurodiversity and Autism
“She’s autistic.” I explained to the cashier as ten year old Peggy ran her hand lovingly along the wall of the skating rink and screeched about Teletubbies. “Artistic?” The cashier was confused in a way that few people would be now, six years later. Autism has become a well known word for a condition that…
-
Is ADHD a real disorder?
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence that approximately 5 percent of children have a specific deficit in attention compared to children of their same age and sex, many people still question whether ADHD (and some still call it it’s former name: ADD) is a real disorder. A recent article in the New York Times takes on this…
-
Women’s Health and Perceptions of Gender
For many pressing health issues, including HIV/AIDS, cancer (in particular lung cancer), and suicide completion, women have lower rates than men. Women are the minority at birth, but the number of women (in the national surveys) far surpass men in survival rates across the lifespan, with a broad gender difference easily noticed when visiting my…
-
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Veterans
Recent interest has been paid to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and rates among returning soldiers. But understanding what PTSD does to those veterans who have been diagnosed is another important line of research. A recent study has investigated a potential link between veterans who are diagnosed with PTSD their future rates of being diagnosed with…