Phobia News and Research

RSS

Fears are a common part of an individual’s life. However, a phobia is more than a simple fear. It starts and develops into something massive when the affected person begins to organise their life around avoiding the feared object – be it an animal, insect, place, situation or just about anything.

Individuals with social anxiety disorder show large differences in personality traits

Individuals with social anxiety disorder have markedly different personality traits than others. Emotional instability and introversion are hallmarks, according to a new study from Uppsala University published in PLOS ONE.

29 Apr 2020

Study shows efficacy of parent-based treatment for childhood anxiety

A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, reports that an entirely parent-based treatment, SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), is as efficacious as individual cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders.

2 Apr 2020

NICU babies have higher risk of mental health problems in later life

Children who spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit at birth have a higher risk of mental health issues later, regardless of their birth weight, say McMaster University researchers.

28 Jan 2020

A small region of the brain represents all our emotions

The entire set of our emotions is topographically represented in a small region of the brain, a 3 centimeters area of the cortex, report scientists in a study conducted at the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy.

24 Jan 2020

Specialized psychiatric care helps woman with bipolar depression to achieve motherhood

Rebecca Jo Manzella, 31, of Mount Clemens, was diagnosed with bipolar depression her junior year of high school. Lithium, the medication doctors prescribed for her, was the game changer. Its therapeutic benefits allowed her to return to her studies and continue to maintain healthy relationships with family and friends.

6 Aug 2019

Stress may cause vocal disorders

Do you feel anxious about talking in front of the crowd and feel as if there’s a frog in your throat? New reseach says that stress may be the culprit for such vocal issues.

25 Jul 2019

Anorexia may be as much a metabolic disorder as it is a psychiatric one, say scientists

A study has found that anorexia nervosa may have a metabolic component that makes some patients lose weight more easily and be harder to treat.

16 Jul 2019

Doctors urged to prescribe woodland walks for mental health problems

The Woodland Trust says the Japanese practice of “forest bathing” should be prescribed by doctors to tackle stress and other mental health problems.

10 Jun 2019

Psychologists study how application of cortisol affects exposure therapy for anxiety disorders

Bochum-based psychologists have studied how the application of the stress hormone cortisol affects exposure therapy for anxiety disorders.

25 Apr 2019

UMN study shows impact of opioids on pain and survival in sickle cell disease

New UMN research recently published Blood Advances, Kalpna Gupta, PhD, Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, demonstrates the impact of opioids on the survival of humanized mouse models with sickle cell disease, compared to normal mice.

3 Apr 2019

Virtual reality shows promise for reducing fears and phobia in autistic adults

In a new pilot study, autistic adults showed real-life, functional improvement after a combination treatment approach that included graded exposure to fear and anxiety-producing experiences in a virtual reality environment.

23 Feb 2019

Researchers suggest link between personality type and attitude towards others' bodies

Studies show there is a major link between personality traits and personal body image, but the relationship between personality and attitudes toward others' bodies has gone largely unexplored.

16 Jan 2019

Imagination can help overcome fear and anxiety-related disorders, shows study

Imagine a barking dog, a furry spider or another perceived threat and your brain and body respond much like they would if you experienced the real thing.

11 Dec 2018

Study: 12% of frequent marijuana smokers experience cannabis withdrawal syndrome

As the number of Americans who regularly use cannabis has climbed, so too has the number of those experiencing cannabis withdrawal symptoms.

23 Oct 2018

Report: Half of parents say young children are afraid of doctor's visits

A trip to the pediatrician's office can be a nerve-wracking experience for both children and their parents, especially when efforts to calm young patients down dominate the visit.

15 Oct 2018

T-CALM Phase 2 clinical study results offer hope for essential tremor patients

Cavion, Inc., a leading clinical stage biotechnology company committed to developing novel therapeutics for people with neurological diseases, today announced promising results of the T-CALM Phase 2 clinical trial of its first-in-class T-type calcium channel modulator CX-8998 in essential tremor.

7 Oct 2018

Oxford VR raises £3.2m to boost innovation in VR for mental health problems

Oxford VR, a spinout company from the University of Oxford, has raised £3.2m with investors including Oxford Sciences Innovation, University of Oxford, Force Over Mass, RT Capital and GT Healthcare Capital Partners.

24 Sep 2018

Ferring announces FDA approval of ZOMACTON for injection in four new pediatric indications

Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved ZOMACTON for injection in four additional pediatric indications

20 Jul 2018

Virtual reality could offer psychotherapy for fear of heights, study shows

A virtual reality (VR) coach can effectively deliver psychotherapy to help overcome a fear of heights in people with this phobia.

13 Jul 2018

Less than a quarter of youth treated for anxiety disorder stay in remission over long term

For the majority of affected youth, anxiety disorders are chronic, even after a successful course of evidence-based treatments, reports a study published in the July 2018 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

28 Jun 2018