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Sense of Smell, Memories and Emotions

  • Older adults, Patients and Families, Serious mental illness, Trauma

Many people have had the experience of a familiar smell bringing up a memory or a feeling. That is just one of several ways our sense of smell is associated with mental health and emotions. Memories associated with a specific odor may be particularly strong. In writing about the relation of these odor-evoked memories to our mental health, psychologist Rachel Herz, Ph.D., concludes that “from numerous perspectives it is evident that the autobiographical memories and emotional associations that ar

The Menstrual Cycle and Mental Health

  • Patients and Families, Suicide and self-harm, Women

Premenstrual exacerbation (PME) of psychiatric symptoms (worsening of mental health conditions just prior to a woman’s period), is not a new term or idea. Yet PME of psychiatric symptoms such as depression, mania, and psychosis, to name a few, has been understudied compared to other illnesses related to the menstrual cycle. The work that has been done surrounding this idea has mostly asked women to report past experience of worsening psychiatric symptoms around their menstrual cycle. This is pro

The Mental Health Benefits of Simple Acts of Kindness

  • Healthy living for mental well-being, Patients and Families

There are many reasons acts of kindness are good for the giver and the receiver. New research looks at the mental health benefits, finding that performing acts of kindness may help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.(1) “Acts of kindness” refer to benevolent and helpful actions intentionally directed towards another person, motivated by the desire to help another and not to gain reward or to avoid punishment

Not “Just a Teenage Girl in Her Twenties”: A New Approach to Human Development

At the turn of the 21st century, research by developmental scientist Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D., led to his proposal of the term “emerging adulthood” to describe the interval from the end of compulsory high school to adulthood (ages 18-30). A new American Psychiatric Association publication authored by Karen J. Gilmore, M.D., and Pamela Meersand, Ph.D., of Columbia University builds on Arnett’s work, arguing for the value of distinguishing two phases within this period: early emerging adulthoo

In Light of Potential Supreme Court Ruling, APA Reiterates Support for Legal Abortion

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has held the position for decades that abortion is a medical procedure for which physicians should respect the patient’s right to freedom of choice. Further, APA opposes all constitutional amendments, legislation, and regulations curtailing family planning and abortion services to any segment of the population.  

Hoarding: A Look at the Motivations to Save Things

Possessions have a magical quality for all of us. Our most cherished ones contain an essence that goes beyond their physical qualities, like a ticket stub from a favorite concert, a gift from a dear friend or a piece of clothing belonging to a lost loved one. Most of us own many things of this sort, but our ownership does not interfere with our ability to live. For some people, however, ownership goes awry, and possessions accumulate and clutter living spaces, making them unusable.

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