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.

Singapore study finds video game addiction exists globally

A new study by an international research team -- including an Iowa State University psychologist -- found further evidence that video game "addiction" exists globally and that greater amounts of gaming, lower social competence and greater impulsivity were risk factors for becoming pathological gamers.

20 Jan 2011

Excessive video gaming may lead to mental ill health problems for kids, experts warn

A new study shows the risk factors for “pathological,” or obsessive, video gamers. It shows that these children become more depressed and anxious the more they play. The risk factors that made a child a pathological gamer include the child being impulsive, socially awkward, and played more games than the average child.

17 Jan 2011

7,8-Dihydroxyflavone holds potential for treatment of fear based disorders

Living a traumatic experience favours the persistence of fear associated with an aversive stimulus, known as fear conditioning and such effect, in mice, can be suppressed with a single dosis of 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone, a type of flavonoid which boosts the ability to acquire new emotional learnings.

13 Jan 2011

Neural pathways in amygdala regulates fear response

Fear arises in the almond-shaped brain structure known as the amygdala. It is the amygdala which processes the strange noise, shadowy figure or scary face and not only triggers palpitations or nausea but can also cause us to flee or freeze. That much has long been known about the function of this part of the brain. What remains largely unclear, however, is precisely how fear develops, and which of the countless neurons in the amygdaloid region are involved in this process.

12 Nov 2010

Neuron subtypes control level of fear output from amygdala

The eerie music in the movie theater swells; the roller coaster crests and begins its descent; something goes bump in the night. Suddenly, you're scared: your heart thumps, your stomach clenches, your throat tightens, your muscles freeze you in place. But fear doesn't come from your heart, your stomach, your throat, or your muscles. Fear begins in your brain, and it is there specifically in an almond shaped structure called the amygdala that it is controlled, processed, and let out of the gate to kick off the rest of the fear response.

11 Nov 2010

Semantic Stimuli Response Measurement technology measures response of subconscious mind

The National Mental Health Association reports that over 65 million Americans suffer from some type of mental illness and that 1 in 5 people will experience some mental illness during their life. By 2020, mental illness is projected to be the leading cause of disease burden in North America, an obviously staggering problem with total costs to society running into the hundreds of billions every year.

21 Sep 2010

Researchers present study results of psychosocial trauma experienced at 2006 Dawson College shooting

A research team from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and Fernand-Seguin Research Centre of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital presented today the results of its three-year study, a world first, into the 2006 Dawson College shooting to the Government of Quebec's Ministry of Public Security.

10 Sep 2010

Specific feedback signals from fMRI controls brain regions: Study

There is new evidence that people can learn to control the activity of some brain regions when they get feedback signals provided by functional magnetic resonance brain imaging (fMRI).

10 Sep 2010

Students with ADHD less likely to finish high school graduation: Study

Teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder - the most common childhood psychiatric condition in the United States - are less likely to finish high school on time than students with other mental-health disorders that often are considered more serious, a large national study by researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine has found. The study found that nearly one third of students with ADHD, twice the proportion as students with no psychiatric disorder, either drop out or delay high school graduation.

28 Jul 2010

Nano-patch to replace needles for vaccination soon: Study

Those who fear needles have good news awaiting them. Australian researchers have developed a new method of vaccine delivery using needle-free nano-patches. These could also be mailed to people during pandemics. This breakthrough is published in the latest edition of the journal Small.

26 Jul 2010

Chiasma successfully completes Phase I clinical study of Octreolin

Chiasma, Inc., a privately held biopharma company, announced that it has successfully completed a Phase I clinical study evaluating the safety and pharmacokinetics (PK) of its proprietary product Octreolin, which contains the active ingredient octreotide actetate and is administered orally

14 Jun 2010

Mood and anxiety disorders associated with poor health outcomes

Rates of mood and anxiety disorders appear to decline with age but the conditions remain common in older adults, especially women, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 May 2010

PTSD symptoms more common among childhood cancer survivors

Young adult survivors of childhood cancers are four times more likely to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than their control group siblings, a Childhood Cancer Survivors Study has found.

4 May 2010

Young adult survivors of childhood cancer more likely to develop PTSD: Study

Young adult survivors of childhood cancers are four times more likely to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder than their control group siblings, a Childhood Cancer Survivors Study has found.

4 May 2010

New classification of depressive subtypes of depression proposed

Lichtenberg and Belmaker propose a new classification of depressive subtypes of depression in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. They argue that a simple diagnosis is no longer sufficient to guide treatment.

3 May 2010

The OCD Project challenges six severe OCD sufferers to face fears in a bold move to better their lives

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a disorder of the brain where people experience obsessive thoughts, images, ideas or impulses – and they can't get past them. The day-to-day existence for severe OCD sufferers is dire. Untreated, they lead lives of self-punishment, fear and isolation that can result in job loss, broken families, bankruptcy and in some cases death.

29 Apr 2010

Psychological acupuncture successful in reducing food cravings in obese people: Study

Psychological acupuncture has been shown to be successful in reducing food cravings for up to six months in people who are overweight or obese.

24 Apr 2010

No more needles for vaccines – a two minute Nanopatch may suffice, say researchers

Vaccines have been associated with painful injections for a very long time. In a new and important discovery researchers have developed special ‘nano patches’ that can deliver vaccines without needles in just two minutes using 100 times less dose than used conventionally.

22 Apr 2010

Homeopathy – Is it a safer and effective alternative?

Studies have shown that nearly 45% Britons rely on Homeopathy, a branch of medicine that has been doubted by many and loved by an equal number.

20 Apr 2010

Teletherapy as effective as face-to-face session

Obtaining therapy via teleconference is just as effective as face-to-face sessions, according to a new research by St-phane Guay, a psychiatry professor at the Universit- de Montr-al.

24 Mar 2010