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Adults across the country are feeling festive but overwhelmed this holiday season. A new poll by the American Psychological Association found 89% of respondents are stressed about not having enough money for the holidays, missing loved ones and family conflict. [More]

A new study published in PubMed looked at the case for screening and evidence-based intervention in pregnant Black people to detect depression, anxiety, and stress. “As part of a larger randomized clinical trial to determine whether a newly created cognitive-behavioral skills building intervention is effective in improving the mental health of pregnant people of color, we screened Black pregnant women for anxiety, depression, and stress,” study author Susan Gennaro RN, PhD, FAAN told us. [More]

A recently published study looked at benzodiazepine prescriptions for homeless veterans affairs service users with mental illness. “People experiencing homelessness are at high risk for substance use disorders, overdose, and death,” study author Dr. Katherine A. Koh told us. “Benzodiazepines are medications that are known to increase risk of overdose particularly when combined with other sedating medications. [More]

A recent review in the Journal of Trends in Pharmacological Sciences was written by four scientists from different universities -- Dr. Bernhard Luscher from Penn State University, Dr. Jamie Maguire from Tufts University, Dr. Uwe Rudolph from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Dr. Etienne Sibille from the University of Toronto -- who have a longstanding interest in the role that GABAA receptors play in the brain, specifically for the development and therapy of depression. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Youth and Society looked at the influence of the neighborhood environment on stress among Black American adolescents. “My study uses this scoping review method to explore what is known about various aspects of the neighborhood environment and how these aspects contribute to stress among Black children and youth aged 10-18 years old. We were hoping to identify specific characteristics of the neighborhood environment and home in on how these characteristics have contributed to stressors among Black children and youth – with the goal of brainstorming some strategies for resolving this relationship," study author Dr. Melissa L. Villodas told us. [More]

People who bought firearms at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic have higher rates of mental health problems and political extremism. Research published in PLOS One found those who bought firearms during the pandemic had higher rates of self harm, suicidal thoughts and intimate partner violence when compared with those who don’t own firearms or other firearms owners who bought firearms outside the height of the pandemic. [More]

A new study published in the Journal of Emotion looked at whether daily worries about the coronavirus are linked to negative effects experienced during mind-wandering and dreaming. "We investigated whether and how worry about COVID-19 is associated with the emotional quality of daydreaming and nighttime dreaming,” study author Pilleriin Sikka told us. “Many studies have reported increased negativity of dreams and increased number of nightmares during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, most of these studies have used questionnaires and asked about whether people think that their dreams are different during the pandemic as compared to the pre-or post-pandemic periods.” [More]

A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine looked at adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and aging-associated functional impairment in a national sample of older community-dwelling adults. “In recent years, there has been growing interest and research in how stress and traumatic events that happen in childhood can impact people’s health in their early adult years, from increasing people’s risk of depression all the way to other diseases like diabetes,” study author Victoria M. Lee told us. [More]

Rates of prolonged grief disorder are likely to be higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers from the UK found that rates of prolonged grief disorder are already three times higher than pre pandemic. [More]

A new study published in JAMA Neurology looked at the characteristics of emergency department visits among older adults with dementia. “This study provides the first estimates of how often older adults with dementia utilize emergency services and the main reasons that drive such care,” study author Lauren Gerlach told us. “We anticipated that patients with dementia would utilize emergency services frequently but were unaware of what the main drivers of care were.” [More]