Stress, like many other things, is good in moderation. Acute stressors such as a deadline or a race motivate us to work hard. However, severe stress not only impairs our physical and mental health, but can also lead to depression – a condition characterized by a lack of motivation. Why is it that stress can […]
Category: Mental Health Correspondents
Recent research published in Archives of General Psychiatry has shown clear evidence that a reduced amygdala volume is associated with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The role of the amygdala in regulating fear, anxiety and stress responses is well established, and a smaller amygdala size has been linked to lowered regulation of these functions, which is […]
You are considered insomnia by the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) if your answer to the simple question “how often do you have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep?” is “most of the time” or “all of the time”. Based on this criterion, CCHS estimated 13.4% of the Canadian population aged 15 or older […]
Hey there MHAC! Thinking of picking up some new habits or getting rid of some bad ones? I think we all know what it feels like to try an motivate ourselves to stay more on top of our school work, go to the gym more, or try and bring lunch and snacks to school. Whatever […]
If you ask people to describe someone who best fits the traditional, stereotyped idea of “crazy”, chances are most people will describe something like schizophrenia. But exactly how much do you know about schizophrenia? When it comes to mental disorders, a rough line could be drawn between neurosis and psychosis. Unlike neurosis, which is described […]
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When the ZZ’s sTop…
It’s Thrive Week (woohoo!) There have been so many terrific opportunities going on around campus and their website is chalked full of amazing information and resources about how we can take care of ourselves over the coming weeks — which are looking pretty daunting, I must say. So, thanks to everyone who has worked hard […]
Weeks after the onset of the storm, Sandy’s flood waters have receded, and demolished homes are in the process of being repaired. However, the aftershocks of the storm may persist in many children who were in its path, leaving an emotional impact that can be more devastating than the physical damage the storm caused. Children […]
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized primarily by impaired speech, communication skills and interests, and repetitive, stereotyped behaviors. It is mostly found in young children and infants, although it is also possible for the disorder to go undiagnosed until later in a person’s adulthood. The cause of autism is still unclear, but it […]
A new discovery recently published in The FASEB Journal links the malformation of a single protein, called “SRGAP3”, to problems in brain functioning that cause symptoms akin to some mental health disorders seen in children. This finding offers a new target for the development of treatments that aim to reverse the biological cause, rather than […]
It was late at night, and you were just about to go to bed when you heard a scream. It came from downstairs. In fact, you were almost certain that it came from that 10-year-old who lived downstairs with her mother. You looked at the clock and it was 1am; it wasn’t a time when […]