Mindcare Counselling Blog

Mouse model that replicates human OCD can point to more effective treatments A new model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that mirrors both symptoms of the disease and the timing of its treatment in humans has been created by University of Chicago researchers, according to a new study. Using the model, researchers isolated a single neurotransmitter receptor in a specific brain region responsible for their model's OCD-like symptoms, offering new insight into the cause of the disorder. Further research with the model may point the way to new treatments for both OCD and autism, said Nancy Shanahan, PhD, lead author of the paper in Biological Psychiatry. "Treatment for these people is greatly needed, and there really are very few highly valid animal models of the disorder," said Shanahan, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago. "Having one that seems to mimic the disorder so well, especially in terms of the time course of treatments that wor...

'X' now a gender option in Australian passports

Couple Shot , a photo by Vicious Bits on Flickr. Getting couples into marriage therapy is challenging. Some psychologists report that people are even more likely to resist therapy for their relationship than for individual depression. A new study is investigating the possibility of providing marital therapy online in order to reduce the barriers to seeking help for a troubled relationship. Dr. Brian Doss, a professor of psychology at Miami University, and Dr. Andrew Christensen, a psychology professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study the development of an online marriage therapy program. The study, currently online and recruiting couples as participants, will deliver therapy to 500 couples in the testing phase. The therapy to be delivered in this way is based on a treatment method called acceptance therapy or integrative behavioral therapy. The focus of integrat...

Psychotherapy has come a long way since the days of Freudian psychoanalysis – today, rigorous scientific studies are providing evidence for the kinds of psychotherapies that effectively treat various psychiatric disorders. But Alan Kazdin, the John M. Musser Professor of Psychology at Yale University, believes that we must acknowledge a basic truth – all of our progress and development in evidence-based psychotherapy has failed to solve the rather serious problem of mental illness in the United States. In an article published in the January 2011 issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, Kazdin and his co-author, Stacey Blase, also at Yale University, urge psychological scientists to rethink the current mental health system in order to make adequate treatment available and accessible to all who need it. Now, in the latest issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, several eminent scientists have come forth in response to Kazdin and Blase's article, highlighting import...

Screening children for sleeping problems and discussing sleep strategies with parents could help youngsters settle into school with better night time routines, according to a study from Australia. Study author Jon Quach, from the University of Melbourne, and his team found that when they had sleep-related consultations with parents, children tended to have fewer sleep problems and better bedtime habits than children whose parents didn't get counselled. The study, published in Pediatrics, was small and didn't show that the sleep improvements led to changes in academic achievements later in the year. "Sleep problems are common in young school children and are treatable using ... a brief behaviour-based intervention," Quach told Reuters Health in an email. "Parents should seek advice for their child's sleep if they are concerned." In five- and six-year-olds, most sleep problems are related to the children's behaviour, researchers said. "S...

9/11 memorial , a photo by xcourtneyx4 on Flickr. In the wake of the 10th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks, research published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress reveals how the attacks impacted the psychological processes of those not directly exposed to the attacks. The study, which focused on college students in Massachusetts, found that even those who were not directly connected to New York or Washington showed increased stress responses to run of the mill visual images. "Other studies have shown that the 9/11 attacks resulted in a wave of stress and anxiety across the United States," said Ivy Tso from the University of Michigan. "8-10 percent of the residents of New York City reported symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression while 40 percent of Americans across the country experienced significant symptoms of stress related to the attacks." Tso and her colleagues' study, which took place within one week of the a...