Stress is leading to insomnia
A new study is the first to identify specific coping behaviours through which stress exposure leads to the development of insomnia. Results show that coping with a stressful event by giving up on dealing with the stress or by using alcohol or drugs, each significantly mediated the relationship between stress exposure and insomnia development. The coping technique of self-distraction, such as going to movies or watching TV also was a significant mediator between stress and incident insomnia. The study also found that recurrent thoughts about the stressor accounted for 69 per cent of the total effect of stress exposure on insomnia.
Emotions can be contagious online
Feelings, like viruses, can spread through online social networks. A face-to-face encounter with someone who is sad or cheerful can leave us feeling the same way. A team of researchers, led by Adam Kramer at Facebook in Menlo Park, California, manipulated the news feed posts of more than 6,00,000 Facebook users to find out whether that phenomenon occured online as well. For one week, some users saw fewer posts with negative emotional words than usual, while others saw fewer posts with positive ones. Digital emotions proved somewhat contagious, too. People were more likely to use positive words in Facebook posts if they had been exposed to fewer negative posts throughout the week, and vice versa.
Violence among adolescents
Of adolescents visiting the emergency department for any reason, one in five girls and one in eight boys reported dating violence in the past year. According to a study, dating violence among adolescents was also strongly associated with alcohol, illicit drug use and depression. “An enormous number of youth and adolescents have already experienced violence in their dating lives”, said lead study author Vijay Singh, MD, MPH, MS of the University of Michigan Injury Center and Department of Emergency Medicine in Ann Arbor, Mich. He said, “Patterns that begin in adolescence can carry over to adulthood. Intervention among youth with a history of dating violence can be critical to reducing future adult intimate partner violence.”
Physical and financial Health Factor
Poor physical health and financial health are driven by the same underlying psychological factors, finds a new study. Researchers found that the decision to contribute to a 401(k) retirement plan predicted whether or not an individual will act to correct poor physical health indicators revealed during an employer-sponsored health examination. “We find that existing retirement contribution patterns and future health improvements are highly correlated,” the study says. “Those who save for the future by contributing to a 401(k) improved abnormal health test results and poor health behaviors approximately 27 per cent more than non-contributors.”
App To Track mental health
A new technology is poised to transform the way patients with mental illnesses are monitored and treated by clinicians. Their new smartphone-based system detects changes in patients' behavioural patterns and then transmits them to professionals in real time. It has the potential to greatly improve the response time and efficacy of clinical psychiatrists. “Bipolar disorder starts with a manic episode. Who usually makes five or 10 calls a day might suddenly start making dozens of calls. A change in phone usage can be tracked through this application,” says Dr Nevo of Tel Aviv University.