Psychiatry

Sudden, unannounced memories might help people make connections between disparate ideas more quickly—but they might also be the building blocks of hallucinations

A recent study finds that we tend to view meat consumption as being more masculine than vegetarianism. Christie Nicholson reports

Spinal scans reveal the mechanism by which intense thinking can block pain receptors in the nervous system

Cognitive and behavioral therapies that help young people reduce impulsivity and cultivate good study habits are costlier and take longer to administer, but may be more efficacious over time

Variations in the PKCA gene and reports of emotionally affecting photos among 700 health young volunteers confirm hypotheses about the core role of memory in PTSD

The benefits of catching psychosis early were deemed to come at too high a price--over-reliance on antipsychotic drugs which have unpleasant side effects

Switching grocery lines, carrying an umbrella, talking out loud about a possible no-hitter in baseball—a sense of jinxing things arises because when negative possibilities come to mind, they seem more likely

Psychiatry's diagnostic guidebook gets its first major update in 30 years. The changes may surprise you

Slumber may loosen the links that undergird knowledge, restoring the brain daily to a vibrant, flexible state

Jeannine Stamatakis, an instructor at various colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area, answers

Revisiting the role of trauma in PTSD

Letters to the Editor about the January/February 2012 issue of Scientific American Mind