Behavioral Medicine News and Research

RSS

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.

Stay sharp after menopause: How aerobic exercise can improve key thinking skills

Regular aerobic exercise – the kind that gets your heart pumping – can improve important thinking skills called executive functions, and the benefits appear especially strong for women after menopause, according to Rutgers researchers.

2 Sep 2026

Aerobic exercise boosts executive function in postmenopausal women

31 Aug 2026

Precision psychiatry aims to match schizophrenia patients with tailored medicines

Imagine watching a son or daughter begin college during a formative time in life, only to have schizophrenia suddenly alter their reality.

31 Aug 2026

Post-seizure psychotic episodes linked to future mental health risks

Some people with epilepsy experience delusions, hallucinations, paranoia and confusion after a seizure.

27 Aug 2026

Online training program helps clinicians track psychiatric patient progress consistently

Questionnaires that track depression, anxiety, and other symptoms can help psychiatrists see whether a patient is improving.

11 Aug 2026

Daily routines reduce pain and depression in older adults

University of Missouri researchers have identified a simple, effective way to improve quality of life. A new study found that maintaining a consistent daily routine can reduce physical pain and ease symptoms of depression, demonstrating how everyday habits can have a meaningful impact on well-being, particularly for older adults with insomnia.

28 Jul 2026

Rural youth face high firearm exposure and mental health risks

Rural youth experience higher rates of firearm exposure, handgun carrying and associated mental health risks, according to Rutgers researchers.

27 Apr 2026

High-dose motor therapy improves outcomes after perinatal stroke

In infants and toddlers who had a stroke before birth or as a newborn (28 days or younger), a treatment that combined restricting the use of the stronger arm with intensive task-oriented physical therapy led to improved function and skill gained on the weak side compared to standard care, according to preliminary late-breaking science presented today at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2026.

7 Feb 2026

Preloading Instacart online grocery carts with healthy ingredients could help improve the diets of families

University at Buffalo researchers have shown that preloading Instacart online grocery carts with healthy ingredients could be a useful tool for improving the diets of families with young kids at risk for obesity.

4 Dec 2025

Older women with comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea show worse memory performance

New research among older adults with sleep apnea reveals that verbal memory performance is significantly worse in women - but not in men - who also have insomnia.

1 Dec 2025

Expanding education boosts lifestyle medicine adoption across health systems

Expanding access to lifestyle medicine education opportunities-such as continuing medical education (CME) courses, professional certification, webinars, mentoring and peer-to-peer connections, and conference participation-can facilitate the adoption of the medical specialty across health systems, according to a new study published in Translational Behavioral Medicine.

23 Sep 2025

Wearable sensors uncover five hidden patterns of overeating

What if your smart watch could sense when you're about to raid the fridge, and gently steer you toward a healthier choice instead?

17 Sep 2025

First ESC statement on mental health and heart disease promotes integrated care

A new ESC Clinical Consensus Statement is calling for greater awareness of the multidirectional relationship between mental health conditions and cardiovascular disease to improve patient health.

30 Aug 2025

New algorithm makes fitness trackers more accurate for people with obesity

For many, fitness trackers have become indispensable tools for monitoring how many calories they've burned in a day.

19 Jun 2025

Sedentary behavior increases risk of death or cardiac events post-heart attack

People who sit or remain sedentary for more than 14 hours a day, on average, may have a higher risk of a cardiovascular event or death in the year after treatment at a hospital for symptoms of a heart attack such as chest pain, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's peer-reviewed scientific journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

19 May 2025

WayBetter’s QuitBet app wins digital health award at Society of Behavioral Medicine conference

Erika Bloom, Ph.D., Director of Product and Research at WayBetter, won the Digital Health Tech Madness Champion Award at the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s (SBM) 46th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions in San Francisco, CA, USA, for her work on QuitBet, a groundbreaking app designed to support cigarette smoking cessation.

From Bedfont® Scientific Ltd 14 May 2025

Intimate relationships may shield against cognitive decline during chemo

A satisfying intimate relationship may help diminish chemotherapy-related cognitive problems experienced by patients with breast cancer, a new study suggests.

29 Apr 2025

Weekend exercise can offer the same health benefits as daily workouts

Being physically active for one to two days a week, often called a "weekend warrior," may provide comparable health and life-prolonging benefits as smaller doses of daily physical activity if the physical effort is moderate to vigorous and totals 150 minutes a week in line with recommended guidelines for weekly physical activity, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

2 Apr 2025

Pain can motivate young adults to co-use alcohol and cannabis

Contrary to popular belief, young adults can experience significant acute and even chronic pain - which can motivate them to use cannabis.

26 Mar 2025

Coalition of experts reaffirms vaccines as essential for public health

In response to growing concerns over vaccine misinformation, declining public trust in science, and recent outbreaks of preventable diseases, a coalition of 34 scientific and medical organizations, led by the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) and the American College of Physicians (ACP), has issued a unified statement emphasizing the critical role of vaccinations in public health.

18 Mar 2025