Behavioral Medicine News and Research

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Behavioral medicine (BM) is a newly developing field of study which integrates behavioral, psychosocial, and biomedical concepts and practices to prevent, diagnose, and treat patients with psychosomatic disorders. The practice of BM targets the relation between how both thought and behavior can affect mental and physical health.

Study: Multiple combinations of activities reduced risk of early death by 30%

A new study from Columbia University and an international team of researchers identifies multiple ways to achieve the same health benefits from exercise--as long as the exercise "cocktail" includes plenty of light physical activity.

19 May 2021

Lockdown has encouraged older people to embrace technology, reconnect and build new relationships

The COVID-19 lockdown was a catalyst for many older people to embrace technology, reconnect with friends and build new relationships with neighbors, according to University of Stirling research.

14 May 2021

Study explores link between text anxiety and poor sleep

College students across the country struggle with a vicious cycle: Test anxiety triggers poor sleep, which in turn reduces performance on the tests that caused the anxiety in the first place.

28 Apr 2021

Mental health disorders increased sharply among Americans during first 9 months of COVID-19 pandemic

Confirming anecdotal evidence that the spread of the coronavirus has strained Americans' mental health, Boston College researchers found reports of anxiety increased to 50 percent and depression to 44 percent by November, 2020 - rates six times higher than 2019 - according to a new report in the journal Translational Behavioral Medicine.

22 Apr 2021

Study finds dramatic increases in rates of insomnia, sleep apnea among US military members

Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea have increased dramatically among active-duty military members over a 14-year period, 2005 through 2019.

31 Mar 2021

New Columbia University center provides specialized care for Lyme and tick-borne diseases

A new center that will provide specialized care for patients with Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases will begin seeing patients this summer at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

31 Mar 2021

Scientists explore the negative effects of prenatal stress on offspring mental health

The link between psychological stress and physical health problems generally relates to a stress-induced immune response gone wild, with inflammation then causing damage to other systems in the body. It's a predictable cascade - except in pregnancy, research suggests.

16 Mar 2021

Toddler sleep habits could help explain the association between household poverty and BMI

Establishing a consistent sleep schedule for a toddler can be one of the most challenging aspects of child rearing, but it also may be one of the most important.

22 Feb 2021

Study broadens the definition of self-injury mortality to encompass most drug overdose deaths

Classifying a death as suicide may be easiest for medical examiners and coroners in the western United States, which reports the highest suicide rates officially. Suicide by firearm is the leading method there, and usually clear in terms of evidence.

15 Feb 2021

Mortality study combines drug overdose deaths with all suicide rates into a self-injury category

Classifying a death as suicide may be easiest for medical examiners and coroners in the western United States, which reports the highest suicide rates officially.

9 Feb 2021

Scientists publish guidelines for conversing with children about overweight, obesity

Parents, caregivers and health care professionals are increasingly concerned about childhood obesity. Compounding their concern are fears of inadvertently provoking disordered eating, such as unhelpful dieting, when discussing a child's weight status (i.e. normal weight, overweight or obese).

18 Dec 2020

Expansion of telepsychiatry may outlast the COVID-19 pandemic

Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, a lot of things will go back to normal. We'll stop wearing masks. We'll crowd into restaurants. We'll walk whatever direction we want to down grocery store aisles. But some changes that the pandemic spurred might be here to stay. Among them: the expansion of telepsychiatry.

11 Dec 2020

Maternal stress may lead to preterm births, accelerate child's biological aging

Why do some people age faster than others? One potential answer, a new UCLA-led study indicates, is that a mother's stress prior to giving birth may accelerate her child's biological aging.

30 Nov 2020

Researchers shed new light on stigma and conspiracy theories about coronavirus

The World Health Organization calls the spread of false information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) an "infodemic," and the results are broadly visible across society.

10 Nov 2020

Researchers receive $1.35 million grant to reduce impact of substance abuse in Appalachia

McDowell County--in the southern coalfields of West Virginia--is the second-most at-risk in the nation for an HIV outbreak related to drug injection. Neighboring Wyoming and Mercer Counties follow close behind. All three have some of the highest rates of acute hepatitis B and hepatitis C in the United States.

14 Oct 2020

WVU receives $1.2 million to bring telehealth capabilities to rural emergency departments

Rural emergency departments often lack the medical specialists who staff larger, urban hospitals. Yet rural patients have the same conditions--and need the same prompt care--that people in cities do.

9 Oct 2020

Smoking linked to frequent substance use and poor mental health in sexual minority population

Cigarette smoking is associated with frequent substance use and poor behavioral and physical health in sexual and gender minority populations, according to Rutgers researchers.

9 Sep 2020

Diminished biological arousal before global pandemic may predict PTSD symptoms

People who did not have a large heart rate response to a stress task surprised researchers later -- after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic -- when they showed more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder related to the crisis than others who also did the stress task and COVID-19 stress ratings.

1 Sep 2020

Online assessment tool helps patients make informed decisions

About one in five U.S. adults, an estimated 47 million people, lives with a mental illness. Fewer than half of them receive treatment, counseling or medication. In recent years, smartphone apps have emerged as potentially cost-effective means of expanding access to mental healthcare.

26 Aug 2020

WVU-led study seeks to identify, treat mental health issues caused by COVID-19

With anxiety and depression on the rise amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, a West Virginia University-led study seeks to identify mental health issues and test online treatments among West Virginians at home - particularly those in rural areas, where access to clinical services is limited.

25 Aug 2020