The holiday season can be a stressful time for anyone. But for parents, adding children to the mix can sometimes do a lot to enhance that stress. The Washington Post parenting blog recently interviewed Stacy Notaras Murphy, an American Counseling Association member and a contributing writer to Counseling Today, for tips
Month: November 2011
A newly published report in the Journal of Pediatrics found that foster children are receiving power mixtures of antipsychotics normally used to treat mental illnesses such as schizophrenia just as frequently as most mentally disabled children. The study analyzed 637,924 Medicaid records from 2003 of minors from an unidentified state who
According to a University of Missouri professor who pioneered an evidence-based treatment called Multisystemic Therapy (MST), the treatment continues to have positive effects on former juvenile offenders more than 20 years after treatment. MST differs from individual therapy in that it involves the juvenile offender’s entire family as well as
Many of us have a mental checklist of the traits we believe our “perfect match” will have, but researchers are finding that the traits we think we’re looking for don’t necessarily translate into reality. A Northwestern University study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that the personality
The physical effects of chronic alcoholism on a person’s body have been well-documented, but a Vanderbilt University study reveals that brain function is also detrimentally impacted. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a finger-tapping exercise, the researchers found that alcoholics’ brains can perform just as well as a sober
Racism is a difficult, uncomfortable experience for anyone, but researchers have found that perceived racism can impact black Americans in a way similar to experiencing trauma and could perhaps shed light on some of the health problems seen among the race. The researchers examined 66 studies of 18,140 black adults
ACA President Don W. Locke has sent a letter to the American Psychiatric Association on behalf of professional counselors expressing current concerns about the DSM-5 revision process. The letter focuses on the need for better empirical evidence, the lack of information about proposed dimensional and cross cutting assessments, problems with the
In the past decade, the number of Americans taking prescription medications for mental health disorders has skyrocketed, as a newly released report from Medco Health reveals that the figure has now risen to more than 20 percent in 2010. The company’s report surveyed 2.5 million insured Americans and compared the use
It might make sense to start trusting your intuition, as new research from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that a person can tell in just 20 seconds whether a stranger is genetically inclined to be a trustworthy, kind person. Before the study, the researchers took DNA samples of the two
In order to be a successful student, it takes more than smarts, drive for good grades and a desire to study: Students’ surrounding environment and mental health are key components as well. The national nonprofit Turnaround for Children believes a child’s emotional and mental state deserves as much focus as