Psychiatry724 articles archived since 1845

How We Opt Out of Overoptimism: Our Habit of Ignoring What Is Real Is a Double-Edged Sword

The willful distortion of reality to extremes can be harmful

How to Gain Self-Control

New research finds a relatively simple method to increase your capacity for self-control. Christie Nicholson reports

Faster-Acting Experimental Antidepressants Show Promise

Investigators seek new antidepressants that will act faster or give fresh options to people not helped enough by existing agents

Hunger Affects What We See

When our body needs something, like food, the brain tends to open a fast track for perceiving that specific thing. Christie Nicholson reports

Your Sexual Brain

The Evolution of Sex, Sexual Circuitry, Relationships & Sex Crimes

Dehydration Affects Women's Moods

Two recent studies find that dehydration not only affects your body but your mood as well. Christie Nicholson reports

Recommended: The Age of Insight

Books and recommendations from Scientific American

Stress Linked to Aging Chromosomes

Chromosome-protecting telomeres are shorter in people with depression--which has been linked to irregular stress hormone levels. Katherine Harmon reports

Why Online Dating Doesn't Work

A team of psychologists reviewed online dating sites and their conclusions are not promising. Christie Nicholson reports

The Moving Mind

If Time Is Money, Then Free Time Is Frustrating

If we think of time as money, we might be undermining our ability to enjoy free time. Christie Nicholson reports

Brain Injury Rate 7 Times Greater among U.S. Prisoners

Prisoners suffer disproportionately from past traumatic brain injuries. Researchers are hunting for the best tools to treat this population in an effort to help them reintegrate into society--and avoid re-incarceration...

Mental Health Diagnostics Tome Comes Under Fire

Diagnoses could rise significantly next year due to weak comparisons of old and new diagnostic criteria, not due to prevalence, critics say

New Cornell High-Tech Campus Recalls Former Research Glory of Small New York City Island

Roosevelt Island was once home to the founders of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), not to mention important studies of malaria, frostbite and saltwater consumption

Redefining Autism: Will New DSM-5 Criteria for ASD Exclude Some People?

Experts call for small and easy changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the "bible" of psychiatry, so that everyone with autism spectrum disorder qualifies for a diagnosis...

How the Itch Informs the Scratch

Research finds that where the itch begins says a lot about how bad it is--and how pleasurable the scratch. Christie Nicholson reports

Scientists Manipulate and Erase Memories

Drugs and other therapies may soon be able to alter or even delete recollections selectively

Hallucinogenic Chemical Found in Magic Mushrooms Subdues Brain Activity

Magic mushrooms' active ingredient constrains control centres.

Lack of Sleep Might Make You Feel Hungrier

Extreme lack of sleep might make one more susceptible to food imagery, making us feel hungrier than we actually are. Christie Nicholson reports

Men Spend the Big Bucks When Women Are Scarce

A recent study finds that when men perceive that there are few women, they'll spend more money. Christie Nicholson reports