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Christmas is a season of joy and togetherness. But for many, it’s also one of the most stressful times of the year. Stress arises from an imbalance between the demands placed on us and our ability to cope with those demands. Psychologically, stress is linked to how we cope in situations – and... Read Full article on HadNews.com

It’s like he died—except if somebody dies, they’re not going to show up at your doorstep one day.” That’s how Lynn describes what it felt like when her ex—let’s call him Aidan—abruptly cut off all contact last year. The two had been dating for seven years, and shared a home in sunny California with... Read Full article on HadNews.com

Black adults living with long COVID pointed to challenges with their physical health – rather than their mental health – when asked to describe their long-COVID symptoms. That is one key finding from our new study, published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. When we exam... Read Full article on HadNews.com

Hurricane Milton slammed into the west coast of Florida on October 9, becoming the second powerful hurricane to hit the state in just two weeks. While most people turned to meteorologists for explanations, a vocal minority remained sceptical, proposing that the hurricanes were engineered, that Florida’s weather was being manipulated, or even that it was targeted at Republican voters. These ideas aren’t new. As psychologists, we research the roots of conspiracy theories, and have found they often emerge in the wake of natural disasters. Investigating these theories is especially crucial as extreme weather events are projected to becom...... Read Full article on HadNews

Escalating violence in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon in recent weeks, has brought news of death, casualties and displacement. In response, the Australian government has organised evacuation flights for Australian citizens and is urging all Australians in Lebanon to take the earliest available flights due to the unpredictable nature of the conflict. For the more than 248,000 Australians with Lebanese ancestry, and others, this has been a deeply distressing time. Escalating violence in Lebanon has also resonated deeply with other diasporas in Australia, such as those from Palestine and Ukraine. These scattered communities ...... Read Full article on HadNews

Simon Boas, who wrote a candid account of living with cancer, passed away on July 15 at the age of 47. In a recent BBC interview, the former aid worker told the reporter: “My pain is under control and I’m terribly happy – it sounds weird to say, but I’m as happy as I’ve ever been in my life.” It may seem odd that a person could be happy as the end draws near, but in my experience as a clinical psychologist working with people at the end of their lives, it’s not that uncommon. There is quite a lot of research suggesting that fear of death is at the unconscious centre of being human. William James, an American philosopher, called the kn...... Read Full article on HadNews

After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at his Pennsylvania campaign rally, there is much speculation about how this will affect the 2024 US election. However, no one is yet asking how these events may affect Trump himself. Many appear to assume that because Trump walked away with seemingly minor injuries, he will continue with business as usual. For anyone who thought society now understood the potential mental health effects of trauma, this assumption is both disappointing and troubling. Trump may not experience any psychological effects, but given that he could soon be re-elected, the potential effect of these events on ...... Read Full article on HadNews

Judging by recent headlines and policy ideas, you might think screen time is the only lifestyle behaviour influencing teen wellbeing. But with young people struggling to deal with mounting mental health issues, it’s crucial we don’t get tunnel vision and instead remember all the lifestyle levers that can play a role. Our research, published today, tracked Australian high school students from 71 schools across New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. Over time, improvements in sleep, fruit and vegetable intake, and exercise were associated with small but significant improvements in mental health. The reverse was also true...... Read Full article on HadNews

Your spacecraft is spiralling out of control, and you will hit planet Arakis unless you fire up the thermal after-boosters. Which of the two buttons below would help you fire up the boosters on time? Would you be more likely to survive if the cockpit designer had installed the button on the left or the right? Spacecraft buttons. Irene Reppa/International Organization for Standardization, CC BY-SA If you picked the left button, congratulations! Science suggests you might have just survived the crash landing. But what is it about these buttons that made you p...... Read Full article on HadNews

Imagine arriving at your hotel after a long flight and being greeted by your own personal sleep butler. They present you with a pillow menu and invite you to a sleep meditation session later that day. You unpack in a room kitted with an AI-powered smart bed, blackout shades, blue light-blocking glasses and weighted blankets. Holidays are traditionally for activities or sightseeing – eating Parisian pastry under the Eiffel tower, ice skating at New York City’s Rockefeller Centre, lying by the pool in Bali or sipping limoncello in Sicily. But “sleep tourism” offers vacations for the sole purpose of getting good sleep. The emerging t...... Read Full article on HadNews

When you think about the word “art,” what comes to mind? A child’s artwork pinned to the fridge? A favorite artist whose work always inspires? Abstract art that is hard to understand? Each of these assumes that making art is something that other people do, such as children or “those with talent.” However, as I explain in my book “The Expressive Instinct,” art is intrinsic to human evolution and history. Just as sports or workouts exercise the body, creating art exercises the imagination and is essential to mental as well as physical well-being. I am a professor of art therapy who studies how creative self-expression affects physic...... Read Full article on HadNews

Climate change is one of the greatest public health threats humanity has ever faced. Global warming is part of this threat. Increasing temperatures are linked to deteriorating health, especially in vulnerable populations, including pregnant women and children. Scientists have previously shown that heat exposure increases the risk of preterm birth and stillbirth. New research continues to uncover worrying links to poor outcomes for mothers and their babies. Congenital abnormalities, hypertension in pregnancy and low birth weight are some of the dangers of increasing heat. One area that has not received as much attention is the long-...... Read Full article on HadNews

It’s winter, so many of us will be bringing out, or buying, winter bedding. But how much of a difference does your bedding make to your thermal comfort? Can a particular textile help you sleep? Is it wool, or other natural fibres, such as cotton? How about polyester? With so much choice, it’s easy to be confused. Here’s what we found when we reviewed the evidence – not just for winter, but also for the summer ahead. The importance of bedding We rely on our bedding to maintain a comfortable temperature to help us sleep. And the right textiles can help regulate our body temperature and wick away moisture from sweat, promoting better ...... Read Full article on HadNews

A problem shared is a problem halved. Research by Age UK shows that only 29% of adults share their worries, but of these 36% feel brighter as a result; 26% feel relief having confided in someone, and 8% feel that the problem recedes once shared. Both the Sun and Daily Mail newspapers recently highlighted research by Southwest University in Chongqing, China, which asked a similar question in relation to teenagers: are they happier the more they “co-ruminate”. The Sun interpreted this as: “Whining can actually make us happier – but only in a key setting”. And the Daily Mail as: “Ranting with your friends can actually make you happier, s...... Read Full article on HadNews

For decades, people who want to end their life with the help of a doctor, and who have the means to do so, have travelled to a handful of countries, commonly Switzerland, for euthanasia. But gradually, more countries around the world have begun to permit some form of assisted dying. Politicians in a number of others, including Ireland, Scotland and France, are now seriously debating it. In Canada, where medical assistance in dying (Maid) became legal in 2016, the government intends to extend eligibility to people whose sole reason for ending their life is mental illness. But that planned expansion, now twice delayed, is deeply contr...... Read Full article on HadNews

This article discusses self-inflicted injury and mental illness. If you, or someone you know, need advice and help with any of the issues raised, support organisations are listed at the end. On a May evening in 1991, a tense interview between music journalist Steve Lamacq and musician Richey Edwards led to one of the most infamous and challenging images in the history of pop culture. Lamacq had come to see Edwards’ band, the Manic Street Preachers, but suggested they were less authentic punk rebels than cynical profiteers. Richey Edwards in Japan, 1991. Masao Nakagami/Flckr/Wiki...... Read Full article on HadNews

After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years to address men’s violence towards women. This includes up to $5,000 to support those escaping violent relationships. However, to reduce and prevent gender-based and intimate partner violence we also need to address the root causes and contributors. These include alcohol and other drugs, trauma and mental health issues. Why is this crucial? The World Health Organization estimates 30% of women globally have experienced intimate partner violence, gender-based violence or both. In Aust...... Read Full article on HadNews

With current physical and financial barriers to accessing care, people with mental health conditions may turn to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots for mental health relief or aid. Although they have not been approved as medical devices by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada, the appeal to use such chatbots may come from their 24/7 availability, personalized support and marketing of cognitive behavioural therapy. However, users may overestimate the therapeutic benefits and underestimate the limitations of using such technologies, further deteriorating their mental health. Such a phenomenon can be classifi...... Read Full article on HadNews

The man who killed six people and injured countless others at a Bondi shopping centre on Saturday, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, reportedly had “mental health issues”, police explained soon after the tragic event, while ruling out terrorism. Cauchi had reportedly been diagnosed with a mental illness at age 17 years and had received treatment in the public and private sector. But Queensland Police said Cauchi’s mental health had declined in recent years. No matter the circumstances, such acts of violence must be condemned. If mental health issues contribute to such acts, they need to be understood and prevented. Read more...... Read Full article on HadNews

Can you remember a time when you felt stressed leading up to a big life event and then afterwards felt like a weight had been lifted? This process – the ramping up of the stress response and then feeling this settle back down – shows completion of the “stress cycle”. Some stress in daily life is unavoidable. But remaining stressed is unhealthy. Chronic stress increases chronic health conditions, including heart disease and stroke and diabetes. It can also lead to burnout or depression. Exercise, cognitive, creative, social and self-soothing activities help us process stress in healthier ways and complete the stress cycle. ...... Read Full article on HadNews