Psychotherapy News and Research

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Psychotherapy is “talk” therapy. It involves talking with a mental health professional to treat a mental illness. Psychotherapy can occur one-on-one or in a group. Research shows that support from family and friends can be an important part of therapy.

Ecstasy may cause long-term brain damage

Ecstasy - the illegal "rave" drug that produces feelings of euphoria and emotional warmth - has been in the news recently as a potential therapeutic. Clinical trials are testing Ecstasy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

4 May 2011

Study explores link between alexithymia and auto-immune disease

This paper, which explores the link between the inability to express emotions and an auto-immune disease, failed to find any statistical significant associations.

29 Apr 2011

Unintentional prescription opioid overdose deaths have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S.

Unintentional overdose deaths in teens and adults have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. In some 20 states in 2007 the number of unintentional drug poisoning deaths exceeded either motor vehicle crashes or suicides, two of the leading causes of injury death.

26 Apr 2011

Cognitive behavior therapy eases depressive symptoms, improves cardiovascular health in diabetics

Frequently, depression and diabetes go hand in hand. And depression can be a major obstacle for people living with diabetes, making it less likely they'll stick to a medicine schedule or exercise regimen.

20 Apr 2011

Pupil measurements can predict patients' response to cognitive therapy

The scientific foundation of psychiatry is growing rapidly, yet it is a branch of medicine distinctive for the relative absence of biological tests in routine clinical practice.

19 Apr 2011

New study shows neurophysiological impacts of psychotherapy

The use of cognitive-behavioural therapy to treat tics in Tourette syndrome may be as effective as and even superior to medication in certain cases.

15 Apr 2011

Catherine Zeta Jones treated for bipolar disorder

Catherine Zeta Jones – the 41-year-old Welsh actor checked into a day clinic in Connecticut for five days earlier this month for the treatment of bipolar disorder. “After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check in to a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her Bipolar II Disorder,” said publicist Cece Yorke said in a statement adding, “She's feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films.”

13 Apr 2011

New study outlines clinical characteristics of self-injury during treatment

A new study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics by a group of British investigators outlines the clinical characteristics of self-injury during treatment.

12 Apr 2011

Canadian political parties called upon to focus on health system during election campaign

The Health Action Lobby today called on all political parties to focus on the health system during the federal election campaign. HEAL is a coalition of 35 national health organizations that represents a broad cross-section of health providers, health regions, institutions & facilities.

8 Apr 2011

Study suggests depression treatment may have long-term benefits

Ian Colman, an epidemiologist in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, recently completed a study that suggests that treatment of depression may have long-term benefits.

8 Apr 2011

Money increasingly emerging as a psychotherapy topic

In the latest issue of National Psychologist, a major publication for practicing psychologists, FinancialPsychologyCeus.com's CEO and Founder Joe Lowrance, Psy.D., discusses how money is increasingly emerging as a psychotherapy topic.

7 Apr 2011

Early recognition and treatment can control obsessive-compulsive manifestation

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is often diagnosed too late in children and adolescents. In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Susanne Walitza and her colleagues point out that appropriate early recognition and treatment can positively affect the course of the disease.

1 Apr 2011

GoodTherapy.org launches new syndicated advice-column for psychotherapy problems

GoodTherapy.org recently launched its new, syndicated bi-weekly column "Dear GoodTherapy.org"; aimed at answering real questions for real peoples' problems about psychotherapy, marriage counseling and mental health issues.

23 Mar 2011

Prolonged exposure to antidepressants can induce tardive dysphoria

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics a new important side effect of antidepressant drugs is described: tardive dysphoria.

9 Mar 2011

Article sheds new light on neural mechanisms for flashbacks

Flashbacks are an elusive phenomenon, but an article published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics sheds some new light on potential mechanisms in an healthy man with an history of near drawing.

7 Mar 2011

New study indicates that personality disturbances can be treated

A new study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics by a group of Dutch investigators headed by Paul Emmelkamp indicates that also personality disturbances can be treated.

21 Feb 2011

Scientists present new data on role of treatment preferences in depression outcomes

This study demonstrates that patients' relative preference for medication versus psychotherapy should be considered when offering a treatment to depressed patients because receiving the preferred treatment conveys an additional and clinically relevant benefit in outcome.

21 Feb 2011

Chronic fatigue syndrome – eased by psychotherapy: Study

New British research suggests that people with chronic fatigue syndrome may be helped the most when standard treatment is coupled with cognitive behaviour therapy or exercise therapy.

20 Feb 2011

Grief after loss of a significant other may become a disease

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, a group of French investigators headed by Guy Chouinard presents data that indicate that grief after the loss of a significant other may become a disease. One issue facing the DSM-V in the revision of the criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) concerns bereavement criterion E, which often leads to exclusion from major depressive episode (MDE).

16 Feb 2011

Studies highlight utility of Paykel's Clinical Interview for Depression in clinical research

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, investigators from the University of Bologna, Copenhagen and Cambridge present data that suggest that the most commonly used scale for assessing depression (the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) may not be sufficient and another, more comprehensive and accurate, is available.

16 Feb 2011