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A recent review published in the Journal of European Neuropsychopharmacology looked at nutritional psychiatry and whether mental health can be improved by what you eat. The popular press often provide advice to the general public about recommendations on how to improve one’s mental health by changing what we eat – specific diets, supplements or foods. A group of researchers wanted to set the record straight and explain in an informed balanced manner, the actual data behind common claims and misconceptions. [More]

As coronavirus cases continue to climb around the world and across our country, people are being asked to stay away from each other. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is offering guidelines for reducing stress and anxiety during these uncertain times, pointing out that everyone may respond differently to the outbreak. [More]

Every industrialized country in the world has a maternity leave policy of 12 weeks or more, except the United States. Currently, women make up 47 per cent of the U.S. labor force. Despite that, only 16 per cent of employed Americans have access to paid parental leave. A new study published in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry looked at the impact of paid maternity leave on the mental and physical health of mothers and children. [More]

A new study published in the BMJ looked at infant sleep and child mental health. “We wanted to find out if infants with very persistent sleep difficulties had increased odds of experiencing mental health difficulties during childhood,” study author Falin Cook told us. “We wanted to know if there were specific types of mental disorders that they were more likely to experience.” [More]

“Keep a gratitude journal.” A common statement made to people who are depressed or experiencing other negative emotions and research says gratitude can increase happiness.And it makes us more altruistic because it biases the brain’s reward system towards rewards for others. [More]

Imagine this: You’re five years old and you've just been given your favorite treat. Maybe it's a marshmallow or maybe it’s a lollipop. Whatever it is, you want to devour it instantly but are told that if you wait a certain amount of time and don’t eat it until that certain amount of time is up, you’ll get another treat of the same variety, thereby increasing your tally to two treats. What would you do? What would you say a five-year-old would do? And why does it matter? [More]

Recreational cannabis use is associated with the relief of stress, anxiety, and depression. A study in the Journal of Affective Disorders reviews the evidence surrounding inhaled cannabis use for mental health. Most sessions reviewed showed a positive impact on stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. [More]

The tradition of making new year's resolutions goes all the way back to the Babylonians in 1894 BC. At the start of the new year, the Babylonians would make promises to their gods, return borrowed items and pay off debts. New year's resolutions continue to be popular thousands of years later. According to a recent survey completed in December, one in three people in the U.S. said they would be making resolutions for 2020. The survey also listed the most popular. Here's how to make sure you keep your resolutions all year long. [More]

According to the World Health Organization, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) begins in childhood. One in 160 children worldwide has been diagnosed with autism. But since autism was only recognized as a disorder in 1980, there are many adults who went through childhood without a diagnosis and without help. Now, a new study thought to be the first of its kind examining an autism diagnosis exclusively in middle age, found that adults diagnosed with autism in their fifties grew up believing they were ‘bad people’, ‘alien’, and ‘non-human’. The study is published in the Journal of Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine [More]

A new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) found that 88% of U.S. adults lose sleep due to staying up late to watch multiple episodes of a show. [More]