Phobia News and Research

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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.

Internet-based CBT programme can help women suffering from severe FOC

Women expecting their first child but who are experiencing severe fear of childbirth (FOC) stand to dramatically benefit in reducing their anxieties with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) delivered via the internet, according to the results of new research.

4 May 2016

Study shows bullied preemies more likely to develop mental health problems as adults

Babies born at an extremely low birth weight (ELBW) are miracles, but they are more likely to be bullied as children, and this can significantly increase their risk for mental health problems as adults.

17 Feb 2016

SLU clinical psychologist helps patients battle fears, phobias

Some fear is rational, keeping us appropriately cautious in the face of dangerous animals, hot stoves and contagions that could make us ill. But rational caution can turn to irrational panic about imagined terrors that are unlikely to occur or cause much actual damage if they did.

31 Jan 2016

College students with Problematic Internet Use report positive and negative effects on family relationships

College students who are addicted to the Internet report positive and negative effects on their family relationships, according to new research from Georgia State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

22 Jan 2016

Study explores role of genetic and environmental factors in development of social anxiety

Genes play a crucial role over time although environmental factors matter most in the short term, according to a major study into social anxiety and avoidant personality disorders from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

21 Jan 2016

Teens with moderate mental health problems vape e-cigarettes

Teenagers with moderate mental health problems who may not have considered smoking conventional cigarettes are turning to electronic cigarettes, a new USC study has found.

20 Dec 2015

Findings may lead to new treatment strategy for phobia

A new study published in the latest issue of Biological Psychiatry reports the successful and instant reduction of fear in spider-fearful participants following a 2-minute exposure combined with a single dose of a regular pharmacological treatment.

11 Dec 2015

Cognitive behavioural therapy benefits people with dental phobia

Cognitive behavioural therapy could help many people with a dental phobia overcome their fear of visiting the dentist and enable them to receive dental treatment without the need to be sedated, according to a new study by King's College London.

27 Nov 2015

Glide Technologies, Cilian collaborate to develop solid dose formulation of recombinant influenza vaccine

Glide Technologies, the development company focused on solid dose formulations of therapeutics and vaccines, today announced that it has entered a collaboration with German biotechnology company Cilian AG to develop a solid dose formulation of Cilian's experimental recombinant influenza vaccine, CiFlu, for delivery using Glide's patient-friendly SDI delivery device.

21 Sep 2015

Comorbid anxiety ‘a crucial target’ for treatment in bipolar disorder

Almost half of patients with bipolar disorder will have comorbid anxiety disorder in their lifetime, show the findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

1 Jul 2015

Study: Watching cartoons can help reduce pain in children undergoing immunisation

Watching cartoons can reduce pain and distress in children undergoing immunisation before, during and after the procedure, a study in Italy has found.

29 Apr 2015

Comorbid OCD not uncommon in bipolar disorder

Co-occurrence of obsessive compulsive disorder in patients with bipolar disorder type I is not uncommon and is associated with increased functional disability, research findings indicate.

7 Jan 2015

Childhood affective features may guide adult psychiatric diagnosis

Clinical features that can appear many years ahead of a psychiatric diagnosis may help doctors to predict whether patients will develop bipolar disorder or unipolar depression, say researchers.

20 Nov 2014

Oxytocin hormone inhibits fear center in brain, shows study

Frightening experiences do not quickly fade from memory. A team of researchers under the guidance of the University of Bonn Hospital has now been able to demonstrate in a study that the bonding hormone oxytocin inhibits the fear center in the brain and allows fear stimuli to subside more easily.

14 Nov 2014

‘Priming’ may improve schizophrenia patients’ social skills

Study findings suggest that social priming can increase the use of nonverbal social behaviours in patients with schizophrenia.

10 Oct 2014

Dentist educates patients about sedation dentistry

The American Dental Association estimates that as much as 10 percent of the American population have dental phobia. Dental phobia is a severe anxiety or dread of making a trip to the dentist.

7 Aug 2014

Study shows link between insomnia-related mental health conditions among teens

A study of high school students by University of Adelaide psychology researchers has shed new light on the links between insomnia-related mental health conditions among teens.

31 Jul 2014

Parkinson's disease drug could also help people with phobias or PTSD

A drug used to treat Parkinson's disease could also help people with phobias or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Scientists of the Translational Neurosciences Research Center at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz are currently exploring the effects of psychotherapy to extinguish fears in combination with L-dopa.

10 Jul 2014

PD MED trial: Levodopa drug better for long-term treatment of newly diagnosed PD

For long-term treatment of newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease (PD), the old drug levodopa provides better mobility and a higher quality of life than the two main alternatives, dopamine agonists (DA) and monoamine oxidase type B inhibitors (MAOBI), according to the largest-ever trial of PD treatment (PD MED), published in The Lancet.

13 Jun 2014

Racial discrimination linked with increased risk of mental health problems in African-American youth

The vast majority of African-American and Afro-Caribbean youth face racial discrimination, and these experiences are associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 3, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

5 May 2014