Reuters had a story a couple days ago on new research from Norway on sugar intake and psychological problems. The study was done on 5000 10th graders in Norway, and they concluded that there was a significant relationship between sugary soft-drink consumptions and psychological symptoms like hyperactivity and various forms of distress.
“For hyperactivity, […]

While The Smoking Gun sticks by its reporting that Terrell Owens tried to commit suicide, others remain unconvinced. Michael Silver, over at Sports Illustrated, believes Owens has a moodier, darker side that many people don’t know, but which he has seen.
Owens himself has denied the attempt, suggesting instead that he took natural supplements and […]

Bipolar Disorder Awareness Day is part of Mental Health Awareness Week (1-7 October). It was created by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Abbott Laboratories, in 1990, to increase awareness of bipolar disorder, promote early detection and accurate diagnosis, reduce stigma, and minimize the devastating impact on the 2.3 million Americans presently affected by the disorder.

Top Ten Terrific Things About Bipolar Disorder

Creativity. Visual arts, performance, writing, music; in all the arts bipolar talent is common and sometimes exceptional. Patty Duke, Ernest Hemingway, Trent Reznor, Sylvia Plath, many more. The link between bipolar disorder and creativity is well-established, though further study is needed. One research finding: as many as 60% of […]

Evertone knows someone who is just flat out weird about (not) eating certains foods. A lot of children go through phases of refusing to eat certain things and then eating other for every meal, but a significant number of adults have similar issues. NPR ran a story on the topic, and the guests on the […]

One of the favorite things for psychology entrepreneurs is to find a new behavior and throw “addiction” after it, publish a book, establish a weekend workshop series, and rake in the dollars. As the DSM-V is prepared over the next handful of years there will be more and more talk about disorder additions to the […]

The New York Times basically published a full page ad for Xanax disguised as a story about people taking medication for air travel anxiety. The piece discusses how more and more flyers are turning to prescription drugs to take the edge off a flight, which has become more anxiety provoking in the age of terrorism. […]

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http://psychcentral.com/survey/public/survey.php?name=consumer2006

We missed blogging this last week, but an attentive reader helped us out!
Researchers in Spain discovered that by using a specific type of psychotherapy called “early behavioral intervention” (EBI), people can reduce the amount of weight gained while taking antipsychotic medications (Risperdal, Haldol or Zyprexa). This is good news, as a common side effect of […]

A report hit the nreswires about a new study that did brief phone-based therapy for people who recently experienced a miscarraige. Depression and anxiety are common struggles after a miscarraige and can range from mild to severe. The phone intervention was done as a way to help people who were uncomfortable with face-to-face therapy or […]

Citing chronic underfunding for its safety division and the lack of clear regulatory authority, a blue-ribbon panel yesterday released its findings and suggested 25 sweeping changes to the U.S.’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Washington Post reports

The FDA should reevaluate safety and effectiveness data of such new drugs within five years after initial approval, the […]

According to the AP, the FDA will review a magnetic pulse device that is designed to alleviate depression, without surgery, drugs, or electrical impulses.

The Neurostar system uses magnetic pulses targeted at specific areas of a patient’s brain to relieve major depression, according to Neuronetics. The company says its device could be marketed to the approximately […]