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A new study published in PLOS Biology looked at recommendations for daytime, evening, and nighttime indoor light exposure to best support physiology, sleep, and wakefulness in healthy adults. “It has been known for some time that our daily patterns of light exposure exert important influences on health and well-being by regulating our internal body clock, cycles of hormone release, night-time sleep and daytime alertness,” study author Timothy Brown told us. [More]

A new study says perinatal mental illness rates have tripled during the pandemic. The study looked at the experiences of 670 women in the U.S. between February and July 2020. The women completed an online survey that contained the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Researchers found that one in three women screened positive for postpartum depression and one in five had major depressive symptoms. [More]

A new study published in the Health Environments Research and Design Journal looked at hospital greenspaces and the impacts on wayfinding and spatial experience. The study was an explorative experiment using immersive virtual environment techniques. “The study compares people’s performances and spatial experiences during hospital wayfinding in two scenarios: the virtual hospital with window views of nature and greenspaces, and the virtual hospital without window views,” study author Shan Jiang told us. [More]

A significant number of people who die by suicide may have undiagnosed autism. Researchers from the University of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre and the University of Nottingham found in a study that a notable number of people who die by suicide have evidence of autistic traits at elevated levels. [More]

Those living with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic are experiencing high levels of depression and anxiety. Researchers from Yale, Oregon State University, Olin College of Engineering, Hiram College and Macalester College found that there has been a significant increase in the number of people with disabilities living with depression since the start of the pandemic. [More]

March 5th is Dissociative Identity Disorder Awareness Day. Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID for short, is the body-mind response to chronic childhood trauma. When a child experiences abuse or other forms of trauma on a regular basis, often perpetrated by caregivers or loved ones, he/she has no escape and unconsciously draws on this coping strategy. A new memoir titled, Crazy: Reclaiming Life from the Shadow of Traumatic Memory, by author, Lyn Barrett, looks at her life identifying and healing from DID. Barrett is a retired school teacher, principal, and pastor. [More]

Botulinum toxin is a medicine that is often used for wrinkles, to help ease migraines, for muscle spasms, and to assist with incontinence. Now research published in Scientific Reports has found that people who had botox injections across four different areas of the body reported less anxiety than their peers. [More]

For the first time since nation-wide data has been recorded, stigma towards those with depression has dropped significantly. A study from Indiana University found that stigma associated with depression has dropped to a record low, but stigma surrounding other mental illnesses has either remained the same, or increased. [More]

A new study published in JAMA Network looked at trends in public stigma of mental illness in the United States. “The National Stigma Studies are designed to monitor the cultural climate surrounding mental illness and addiction,” study author Bernice A. Pescosolido told us. “This involves not only what people understand, what they can recognize as a problem, what they might do about it (or advise others to do), but also the prejudice and potential discrimination that individuals, families and certain groups face if they have mental health issues.” [More]

A new, first-of-its-kind survey by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) investigated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on 2SLGBTQ+ youth and young adults at risk of, and experiencing, homelessness in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and surrounding areas. “I approached this study with the understanding that, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness have been found to experience higher rates of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and suicidality, often resulting from identity-based discrimination, violence, and a lack of support,” study author Dr. Alex Abramovich told us. “I wanted to address these gaps and identify appropriate measures to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness and promote mental health during future waves of COVID-19 or future pandemics." [More]