Adolescence and attachment in Asia Minor

In recent years attachment theory has become one of the main ways in which psychologists think about people and their development through childhood and adolescence into adulthood, their problems and their relationships with other people. Attachment theory all hinges on the relationship between a child and its primary caregiver - usually their mother. People with secure attachment expect others to be accepting and responsive and are comfortable with intimacy and autonomy. People with preoccupied attachment are thought to have had inconsistent support, low sensitivity, high proximity and compulsive caregiving during their childhood and, as a result, have developed a style of relating to people in which they become excessively vigilant, very anxious and ambivalent. People who experienced a fearful attachment style have both a desire for closeness as well as a need for space and independence. They desire social contact but this desire is inhibited by fear of rejection. Finally, people with dismissing attachment have had an inconsistent and unsupportive relationship with their parents and have a negative view of themselves and others. They tend not to trust others and are more self-sufficient and cynical, are poor communicators and are independent. Researchers from Ege University in Turkey studied the effect of different attachment styles on 384 children aged between 11 and 16. The children filled out questionnaires to assess their attachment style and their development. The children with a secure attachment style had higher levels of good behaviour, less emotional symptoms, less hyperactivity and better relationships with their peers. A fearful attachment style was associated with more emotional symptoms and greater difficulties overall. A dismissing attachment style was significantly associated with more emotional symptoms, hyperactivity, lower levels of good behaviour and more problems overall.

Keskin, G. and Cam, O. - Adolescents' strengths and difficulties: approach to attachment styles Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing June 2010, 17(5), 433-441

Social support and senior centres

Despite the negative aspects of old age - declining health and loss of loved ones - research has shown that forming and maintaining a good network of friends can have a positive effect on people's physical and emotional health. S.A. Fulbright from the University of Arkansas studied 257 older adults who used senior centres in the area to see what effect they had on improving people's lives. The study found that 88% said that they attended the centres for friends and social support. 94% of them had made close friends at the centres and 94% said that their lives had improved since they started going there. 86% said that they had made friends they felt they could rely on when needed and these people were much less likely to be depressed.

Fulbright, S.A. - Rates of depression and participation in senior centre activities in community-dwelling older persons Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing June 2010, 17(5), 385-391

Fighting self stigma

People with mental-health problems often suffer from stigma from the rest of society which can take a negative view of mental illness. In some cases people internalize this stigma - so-called 'self-stigma' - and lose their self-esteem and self-confidence. A team of researchers led by Professor Roe from the University of Haifa studied the effectiveness of a treatment called Narrative Enhancement Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which aims to give people with mental illness the necessary 'tools' to deal with self-stigma. They compared 21 people who completed the treatment with 22 who were placed on a waiting list. Those who participated in the treatment showed reduced self-stigma and an increase in their quality of life and self-esteem.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100513093731.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Early to bed, early to rise ...

Children who have enough sleep and go to bed at regular times do better at school. Researchers from SRI International, an independent American research institute studied 8,000 four-year-old children. They asked their parents about their children's bed times when they were nine months old and four years old and carried out developmental assessments when they were four. Having a regular bedtime was the most constant predictor of positive developmental outcomes. Scores for receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness, literacy and numeracy were all higher in children who had rules about their bed times. It is recommended that children this age get 11 hours sleep a night.

You can read more about this research at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/7807049/Children-with-regular-sleep-patterns-smarter-at-school.html

Want to know the truth? Give someone a pencil.

An old-fashioned pencil might be a better way to work out whether people are telling the truth than a high-tech lie detector. Aldert Vrij from the University of Portsmouth got 31 people from the police and military to go on a mock mission to pick up a package from another agent and deliver it elsewhere. Half the participants were told to tell the truth about their mission while the other half were asked to lie. The participants were also asked to draw the scene of the package pick up. The 'liars' tended not to draw the agent whom they had picked up the package from whereas the 'truth tellers' did. 80% of truth tellers and 87% of liars could be correctly classified on this basis alone. The truth tellers were equally divided (53% vs 47%) between those who drew the scene from a first-person perspective and those who drew it from a birds-eye view whereas the liars nearly all (81%) went for a birds-eye view. The accuracy of the drawing test was actually better than other psychological tests or lie detectors.

You can find out more about this study at

http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2010/06/drawing-out-truth.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BpsResearchDigest+%28BPS+Research+Digest%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Moving kids and mental troubles

Having a nomadic childhood can have negative long-term consequences for people's health and happiness. Researchers from the University of Virginia studied 7,108 American adults who were followed for ten years. The participants, who were between the ages of 20 and 75, were asked how many times they had moved as children and about their psychological well-being, personality type and social relationships. The more times people moved as children the more likely they were to report lower life satisfaction and psychological well-being even after taking age, sex and education levels into account. Those who moved most frequently also had fewer good-quality relationships. People who were assessed as being introverted or neurotic suffered more from frequent moves. This could be because introverted children find it harder to make new friends after moving and that neurotic children have more negative reactions to stressful life events.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100603172213.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Urine test could lead to quicker autism diagnosis

A simple urine test could be used to diagnose autism earlier and far more cheaply than current methods. People with autism often have gastrointestinal problems as well and they have a different range of bacteria in their guts from unaffected people. These gut bacteria produce different by-products in people's urine and a team of researchers from Imperial College London and the University of South Australia studied this in a sample of 101 children aged between three and nine. 39 had previously been diagnosed with autism, 28 did not have autism themselves but had autistic siblings and 34 had neither. The study found that each of the groups had a distinctive chemical fingerprint which they hope will allow an earlier age of intervention than current tests which rely on measuring children's social, communication and imaginative skills.

You can find out more about this research at

http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/06/04/urine-test-for-autism/14300.html

IQ and suicide risk

Having a low IQ in early adulthood is linked to a higher risk of suicide - at least in men. Researchers from the Wellcome Trust studied 1.1 million men in Sweden who all took IQ tests when they did their national service. Over the next 24 years at least 18,000 of them had had to go to hospital at least once after trying to kill themselves. Even after allowing for age and socioeconomic status men with lower IQ scores were increasingly likely to have attempted suicide at least once, with the most common method being poisoning. The researchers can only speculate on the reasons for this link but two theories are that people with higher IQs have a greater capacity for problem solving and that they find it easier to talk about their problems with other people.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190898.php

Cannabis and schizophrenia - new evidence to add to the debate

Much ink has been spilt and many trees sacrificed debating the links between smoking cannabis and schizophrenia. Researchers from Stony Brook University in New York have added to the debate with a long-term study following 229 patients for ten years after they were first admitted to a psychiatric hospital. They compared the patients' use of marijuana - both recently and over their lifetimes - with how old they were when their symptoms started and how severe those symptoms currently were. Two-thirds of the participants had smoked cannabis at some point in their lives. The people who had used cannabis before being hospitalised had worse symptoms of psychosis than those who hadn't and were admitted at a younger age. Patients whose symptoms had become worse said they were smoking more cannabis next time they were interviewed and people who started smoking more cannabis developed worse symptoms.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE65150620100602?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Wake up - but there's no need to smell the coffee

A cup of coffee in the morning is no more effective than a placebo at sharpening up people's thought processes. Researchers from the University of Bristol studied 379 people who were deprived of caffeine for 16 hours before being given either caffeine or a placebo. The participants then took a series of tests to measure their attentiveness, memory and vigilance. The study found "little difference" in the results between the coffee users and those who were given placebos. In cases where the caffeine did make an improvement this was actually a case of bringing caffeine users performance back up to the levels of non caffeine users.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7797972/Coffee-does-not-make-the-brain-more-alert.html

Cigarettes and the blues

Over the years a number of studies have linked cigarette smoking with depression. It could be that a common factor lies behind both, that people smoke to cheer themselves up or that cigarettes themselves cause depression. Researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand looked into this topic using data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study which has been following 1,265 people since their birth in 1977. The participants were asked about their mood and their smoking habits at 18, 21 and 25. The researchers found significant links between being addicted to nicotine and depression with the 'best-fitting causal model' being one in which it was smoking that led to an increased risk of depression rather than vice versa.

Boden, Joseph M., Fergusson, David M. and Horwood, L. John - Cigarette smoking and depression: tests of causal linkages using a longitudinal birth cohort British Journal of Psychiatry June 2010, 196(6), 440-446

Newer antipsychotics no more effective

Atypical, or second-generation, antipsychotics have been used more and more over the last decade to treat schizophrenia in preference to older 'typical' drugs. But are they really any better? Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London reviewed 15 studies comparing the two kinds of drugs covering a total of 2,522 participants. They found no difference between the two types of drugs in terms of the number of people who stopped taking them and their effect on people's symptoms. People taking the newer drugs were more likely to put on weight while those on the older drugs were more likely to have side effects such as akinesia (inability to initiate movement) and akathisia (inability to sit still).

Crossley, Nicolas A. ... [et al] - Efficacy of atypical v typical antipsychotics in the treatment of early psychosis: meta-analysis British Journal of Psychiatry June 2010, 196(6), 434-439

Swedes play numbers game with ADHD

Researchers from Sweden have been looking into the risk factors for ADHD. Sweden could be described as the ultimate database state with the authorities keeping large amounts of information on its citizens. Despite the civil-liberties implications this is very useful for medical researchers. The scientists, from the Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University, identified 7,960 Swedish children, aged between six and 19, who had been given a prescription for ADHD medication. The children's records were then tracked through other registers using the unique ten-digit reference number all Swedish residents are given at birth. The study found that boys were three times more likely than girls to be on medication with the highest rate being in boys between 10 and 15. Poorly-educated women were 130% more likely to have a child on ADHD medication than women with university degrees and children were 54% more likely to be on medication if they came from a single-parent family. Coming from a family on welfare benefits increased the risk of ending up on ADHD medication by 135%.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100601072634.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

SSRIs and cataracts

Certain types of antidepressants called SSRIs (serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors) can increase people's risk of cataracts. Researchers from the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute in Canada compared 19,000 people over the age of 65 who were taking antidepressants with 190,000 people in the same age group not taking them. Three SSRIs - fluvoxamine, venlafaxine and paroxetine - were all found to increase cataract risk by 39%, 33% and 23% respectively. However, the increase in risk was associated with current rather than prior use of SSRIs.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=news&id=128735&cn=5

NICE issues new alcohol guidelines

In the U.K. the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued guidelines aimed at dealing with the country's drink problem. The guidance recommends a minimum national price, per unit, of alcohol; a ban on all alcohol advertising in order to protect children; reducing the limites on duty-free alcohol and cutting licensing hours at pubs, clubs and off licences. The most controversial recommendation is that patients are quizzed about their alcohol consumption when they sign up with a GP, visit a pharmacy to get their medication reviewed or have to go to an accident and emergency department. It is estimated that one in four people in the U.K. - around about 10 million - are putting their health at risk by drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol.

You can download a copy of the full NICE guidelines at

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/PH24

Crowded wards increase nurses' risk of depression

Nurses who work in overcrowded wards may have a higher risk of depression. Researchers from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health looked at 16 hospitals in 2003 and 2004 to see what the monthly bed-occupancy rate was. They defined an 85% bed-occupancy rate as 'optimal' and anything above this as overcrowding. They then compared these rates to statistics on sick leave for 5,166 members of staff in 2004 and 2005. In the most crowded wards - with more than 95% occupancy - staff had double the risk of depression.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64U32I20100531?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Light the blue touch paper, stand back and see what happens

Researchers from the University of Valencia have been making 30 Spanish men angry to see what happens. The researchers were looking to see what happens in people's brains and bodies rathe than how they behaved. They read the men 50 phrases designed to make them angry. They found that when the men got angry their heart rate, arterial tension and testosterone production increased and their levels of the stress hormone cortisol decreased. The left hemisphere of the men's brains became more stimulated, especially in the frontal and temporal lobes.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100531082603.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Drink-driving college students

Drink-driving is a major public health problem and, in the U.S. at least, is particularly prevalent among college students. A study by researchers at the University of Maryland reveals the extent of the problem and shows that it gets worse when students reach the U.S. legal drinking age of 21. The researchers studied 1,253 students who were asked annually whether they had got into a car with a drunk driver, had driven after drinking and had driven while drunk. At 20 43% said that they had got into a car with a drunk driver, 8% had driven after having a drink and 20% had driven while drunk themselves. There were notable increases in all three figures when the students reached 21.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100531190857.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Home, nursery and school all need help to boost poor kids

Children do best when they are stimulated at home, school and nursery, suggesting that all three areas need to be targeted to improve the results of children from deprived backgrounds. Researchers in the U.S. followed 1,300 children from birth to Year 5 as part of the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. The study evaluated children's environments at home and in the nursery when they were four and a half, looked at their school environment in Year 1 and tracked their progress in tests from Year 1 to Year 5. Those children who were stimulated in all three environments - home, nursery and Year 1 - did better than other children and this was particularly true of children from low-income families, suggesting that any government initiatives need to address all three environments.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100514074913.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

SSRIs and miscarriage - new evidence of a link

Researchers from the University of Montreal have confirmed previous studies linking the use of certain antidepressants to an increased risk of miscarriage. The researchers studied 5,124 women who had suffered miscarriages. They found that there was an increased risk associated with SSRIs (serotonin specific reuptake inhibitors), especially Seroxat and Effexor. Overall, the increased risk was 68%. It is estimated that more than 1 in 30 women take antidepressants when pregnant. Doctors warn, however, that coming off the drugs suddenly can lead to a relapse with the potential to put both mothers and babies at risk.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7790240/Common-antidepressants-increase-miscarriage-risk.html