Psychology

Dr Roman Raczka says artificial intelligence can’t replace therapist-led care, even though it can offer benefitsIt is absolutely right that children “need a human, not a bot” for mental health support (‘I feel it’s a friend’: quarter of teenagers turn to AI chatbots for mental health support, 9 December). Overuse of AI for mental health support could well lead to the next public health emergency if the government does not take urgent action.We shouldn’t be surprised that teenagers are turning to tools such as ChatGPT in this way. NHS waiting lists are rising, and one in five young people are living with a mental health condition. It is unacceptable that young people who re..

I understand the temptation to run away – I have felt it too. Try to stay in the room, and in the moment. You’ll be glad you didThis is my last column for you. I am shocked and delighted that I’ve been allowed to carry on for almost two years, saying such controversial and true things as: the oedipal complex is real and all of us have one; psychodynamic psychotherapy is an effective and vital mental health treatment and we must fight for it in the NHS; and Midnight Run is the best film of all time. It has been a joy and an honour, and, now we are here, I’ve been thinking about the significance of endings.Because they are significant. Sometimes, having no time left can make it possibl..

When I see those final House credits roll, I won’t even feel any sense of achievement – I will just be deciding on my next joylessly sisyphean taskThere are 177 episodes of House, the 00s hospital drama starring Hugh Laurie as a brilliant but cantankerous doctor. What this means, to my dismay, is that I spent five entire days, five hours and 15 minutes of this autumn watching this series. In my defence, when I embarked on this rewatch, I was going through quite a trying time in my life. But I would find it difficult to excuse the fact that I didn’t just watch some House to take the edge off things, but attempted every single episode.It’s a deranged television programme. It’s a tall..

I am a clinical psychologist and researcher with a focus on children, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. Here are some things to keep in mindAs the community begins to grapple with the horror and tragedy of the Bondi shootings on Sunday, children will probably have questions. Parents may also be wondering how to talk to their young kids and teenagers about what happened.I am a clinical psychologist and researcher with a focus on children, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. Here are some things to keep in mind when talking to children about the tragedy in Bondi (though many of these apply to any bad thing happening in the world).Some bad men used guns to shoot some people near the beach in Sy..

It’s natural to want information about a traumatic event but graphic imagery can cause a significant stress responseWhat we know about the Bondi terror attackLike everyone else, I watched news of the Bondi attack unfold last night with shock, horror and dismay. As I did so, I was immediately assailed by imagery of bodies lying on the ground, barely hidden from view. I closed these videos immediately, knowing the way this imagery can stick in your mind.When terrible events such as yesterday’s attack occur, we often race to find out as much as possible about what happened. We do so by trawling social media and news sites. This is a natural way of making sense of events, and reflects a huma..

New research shows that buying second-hand gifts is typically a thoughtful, intentional decision rather than an impulsive one.

New research reveals that when gut bacteria closely resemble the myelin sheath that protects nerve fibers, the immune system can become confused and attack both — accelerating multiple sclerosis.

정신의학신문 ㅣ 안성우 정신건강의학과 전문의 안녕하세요, 삼성공감 정신건강의학과의 안성우 원장입니다. 오늘은 조울증의 치료에 사용되는 약물, 기분조절제의 가능한 부작용과 대처법에 대하여 말씀드릴까 합니다. 기분조절제에는 리튬, 데파코트, 카바마제핀, 라믹탈 등의 약물이 있으며 오늘은 이 중 사용 빈도가 높은 리튬, 발프로산, 라모트리진 성분의 약물들에 대해서 말씀드리겠습니다. 이 약물들의 부작용은 발생할 시 스스로 조절하시기는 어렵고, 부작용이 있을 시 담당 선생님과 상의하여 조절할 필요가 있는 ..

Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - Top Stories NewsCreepy, zany, and demonstrably fake content is often called "slop." The word's spread online—thanks to the availability of generative artificial intelligence—landed it Merriam-Webster's 2025 word of the year. "It's part of a transformative technology, AI, and it's something that people have found fascinating, annoying and a little bit ridiculous," said Merriam-Webster's president Monday in an interview. "Slop" was first used in the 1700s to...

Source: Al JazeeraProsecutors have indicted former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for insurrection, accusing him of seeking to provoke military aggression from North Korea to help consolidate his power. Special prosecutor Cho Eun-seok told a briefing on Monday that his team had indicted Yoon, 5 former cabinet members, and 18 others following a six-month probe into his declaration of martial law in December of 2024—a decree quickly overruled as...

A large international study of more than 45,000 people shows that narcissism is a universal personality trait—not one concentrated in any single country.

Source: CBS News - World NewsAt least eleven people were killed Sunday when gunmen targeted Jewish attendees of a Hanukkah holiday celebration that drew more than 1,000 people on Australia's popular Bondi Beach. Another 29 people were hospitalized with injuries, including a child and two officers, according to police, who are calling the tragedy an antisemitic terrorist attack. One suspected gunman was also killed—Naveed Akram, 24, a Pakistani national based in Sydney.

Source: Science Daily - Top HealthResearchers found that both how often and how much someone drinks significantly shape their cancer risk, even at moderate levels. Vulnerability varies across groups, with genetics, socioeconomic status, obesity, and lifestyle behaviors amplifying harm. The review, base on 62 studies, also uncovered gender differences, beverage-specific risks, and biological pathways that intensify cancer development. The findings appear in the journal Cancer...

Source: United Press International - Health NewsPresident Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that limits states' ability to regulate artificial intelligence companies. The order is designed to "enhance the United States' global AI dominance through a minimally burdensome national policy framework," according to a release by the White House. The order marks a victory for tech companies like Google and OpenAI, which have as much as $100 million to spend on next year's midterm...

Source: PsyPostA new review challenges the assumption that highly intelligent people possess a heightened capacity for feeling the emotions of others. The analysis suggests that individuals high in intelligence often use a type of empathy that relies heavily on cognitive processing rather than emotional reactions. Published in the journal Intelligence, the paper proposes that these individuals may intellectualize feelings to maintain composure in difficult...

Source: NPR Researchers have built a prosthetic hand that, with the help of artificial intelligence, can act more like a natural one. The key is to have the hand recognize when the user wants to do something, and then share control of the motions needed to complete the task. The approach, which combines AI with special sensors, helped people missing a hand simulate drinking from a cup, says the lead author of the study, published in the journal Nature...

Source: Science Daily - Top SocietyResearchers discovered that children who went back to school during COVID experienced far fewer mental health diagnoses than those who stayed remote. The study found that anxiety, depression, and ADHD all declined as in-person learning resumed, and that girls showed the largest improvements. Healthcare spending tied to these conditions also dropped. The report was published on December 8, 2025, in the journal Epidemiology.

Individuals with diabetes were more likely to experience sleep disorders, poor sleep quality, and irregular sleep duration, with people who have prediabetes showing similar but milder trends.

정신의학신문 ㅣ 신재현 정신건강의학과 전문의 이 글은 강박증(OCD)에 대한 개념적 이해를 제공하기 위한 것이며, 임상적·의학적 진단이나 처방을 대신하지 않습니다. 치료는 반드시 정신건강 전문가와 상의하시기 바랍니다.들어가며 : 완치보다 중요한 것 강박증을 어느 정도 극복했더라도, 불안이나 강박적 사고가 조금 남아 있을 수 있습니다. 많은 분들이 치료 후에도 “어느 날 문득 예전 불안이 재발하면 어떡하나” 하고 염려하는데, 이것은 흔히 있는 일입니다. 치료를 열심히 받았다고 해서 불안과 생각이 모조리 사라..

Source: NPR The U.S. State Department has reversed a Biden-era font change intended to make its paperwork more accessible to readers with disabilities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed diplomats around the world to switch from Calibri to Times New Roman 14-point font in all official documents, the State Department told NPR. Rubio said that the 2023 change by Biden's Secretary of State was part of misguided diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

Source: ProPublicaA new investigation based on previously unreported documents and interviews with dozens of people reveals the extent to which the government violated legal and procedural norms to make a case that UCLA tolerated antisemitism. It also showed how the University of California system's dependence on federal money inhibited its willingness to resist the shakedown—a vulnerability the Trump administration's tactics brought into sharp focus.

Pain perception in affected individuals is more strongly influenced by learned fear than in healthy individuals. Changes along the gut-brain axis related to chronic inflammation may explain this.

Researchers have developed an AI-driven brain model that can track fear as it unfolds in real-world situations, offering a major shift from traditional lab-based approaches.

New research shows that blood from older animals can speed up Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain, while young blood may slow them down.

정신의학신문 ㅣ 황성연 정신건강의학과 전문의 우리가 살아가다 보면 부탁을 받거나 요청을 듣는 순간이 자주 있습니다. 그 부탁이 내 상황에 맞고 내가 원한다면 흔쾌히 응할 수 있겠지요. 하지만 때로는 부담스럽고, 지금 내 형편에는 도저히 받아들이기 힘든 부탁인데도 불구하고 쉽게 거절하지 못하는 분들이 있습니다. 그리고 거절하지 못한 뒤에는 마음속에 불편함, 억울함, 심지어는 분노가 쌓이기도 합니다. 어떤 분들은 이런 상황이 반복되면서 인간관계가 점점 더 힘들어지고, 자기 자신에 대한 불만도 커져 결국 심리..

A new UBC Okanagan study found that people who microdose psychedelics feel better on the days they take them-but those boosts don't seem to last.

Do your kids play a lot of computer games? Some may end up gaming a little too obsessively. Researchers have identified the most important warning signs.

Distinct psychiatric disorders have more in common biologically than previously believed, according to the largest and most detailed analysis to date of how genes influence mental illness.

A new study shows that precisely manipulating brain activity during sleep can help mice retain memories that would normally fade, offering a potential pathway for treating memory loss conditions.

New research shows that rats with naturally higher baseline stress hormone levels are significantly more likely to self-administer cannabis vapor.