Muscular Obsession in Boys

This NY Times article entitled "Muscular Body Image Lures Boys Into Gym, and Obsession" discusses research exploring the recent explosion of unhealthy behaviors by boys to increase muscle mass to reach an unattainable body image. Whether labeled "bigger-exia" or "fitspo", these efforts to attain perfection can lead to many unhealthy behaviors. How can positive body images for boys be promoted? What should be done about boys that are working towards unhealthy body images?

Balding = Heart Disease?

This Chicago Tribune article entitled "Balding, Other Aging Signs Associated with Heart Disease Risk" explores research that revealed external signs of aging are linked to signs of heart disease. The six signs of aging they explored were: Baldness at crown of head, receding hairline at temples, gray hair, wrinkles, earlobe crease and fatty deposits around eyelids. What other variables might be influencing both of these factors (aging signs and heart disease)? How can physicians use this data to help with the treatment of heart disease?

Boys Enter Puberty Younger

This NY Times article entitled "Boys Now Enter Puberty Younger, Study Suggests, But It's Unclear Why" discusses recent research revealing that boys enter puberty 6 months to 2 years earlier than previously measured. The study did not identify a cause, but there are numerous rationales why this might be true.  What are the implications of this study for parents, teachers and healthcare professionals? How might this impact body image and self-esteem for boys?

APA Launches Psychotherapy Awareness Initiative

This morning APA launched the Psychotherapy Awareness Initiative to the public and media. A multimedia press release with the embedded video series, Psychotherapy: More Than a Quick Fix, was sent over the news wires across the U.S. Additionally, new resources are available on the Psychology Help Center including Understanding Psychotherapy and How It Works and an updated Talk to a Psychologist brochure. See Quick Links below.

QUICK LINKS
Press release on APA website "Has Psychotherapy Taken a Back Seat to Medication,"http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2012/09/psychotherapy.aspx
Psychology Help Center landing page: http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/. This is sort of a portal to all the psychotherapy materials including the videos.
Psychotherapy Works! page: http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/psychotherapy-works.aspx
Understanding psychotherapy and how it works: http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/understanding-psychotherapy.aspx       
Blog post from Dr. Katherine Nordal, http://www.yourmindyourbody.org/5-reasons-you-should-choose-psychotherapy/
Talk to a Psychologist brochure (online version): http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/talk.aspx

Second-Hand Smoke = Poor Memory

This study reported by the Chicago Tribune, entitled "Second-Hand Smoke Tied to Memory Problems: Study," reveals that individuals who smoke, as well as those who are exposed routinely to others' smoke have significantly more problems with memory than those who have no exposure to cigarette smoke. What are the real-life implications of this research study? What additional research needs to be done?

Loneliness and Older Adulthood

"A Longer Life Lived with Company," published by the NY Times, discusses research that reveals for people over age 60, social isolation is a predictor of functional decline and early death compared to non-isolated individuals. Overall, this seems to also be linked to healthy aging. Social isolation can be helped by linking individuals to volunteer or social opportunities, assisting with changing negative beliefs about social interactions that may be reducing socialization, or just staying in touch with family or friends. When you are 60+, how do you plan on aging healthy? What social engagements are you willing or will be able to do?

Study Shows More Students Cheating

This NY Times article entitled "Studies Show More Students Cheating, With High Achievers No Exception," reveals that cheating is at all-time highs, not just in high school but throughout college. The article discusses reasons for this, ranging from easy access to cut/paste information from the internet, smaller technology, and acceptance of cheating by teachers and other students. Have you ever cheated in a class? What would you do if you saw another student cheating? How best do you think cheating can be curbed in academic settings?

Restricted Caloric Diet Does Not Extend Life

This NY Times article entitled "Severe Diet Doesn’t Prolong Life, Study of Monkeys Concludes," reveals that the Severe Caloric Restriction Diet, touted by many scientists and researchers as one way to extend life, may not do so in a significant way. The study, begun in 1987 with rhesus monkeys, indicates that those on the strict diet and those on a regular diet died of the same conditions within similar time frames. There are other studies that do still indicate caloric restriction is a way to extend life. What do you think? Exactly how far are you willing to go with your diet to extend your life, depending on what more studies reveal?

Gender Fluidity in Children

This is a lengthy, but very interesting article entitled "What's So Bad About A Boy Who Wants to Wear a Dress?" It discusses some of the societal and parental issues around gender-fluid and gender-variant children. Why is it that our society allows girls to wear jeans and pretend they are Spider-Man, but boys are not allowed to put on a dress and pretend they are Cinderella?

Disabled Students Suspended More Often

The NY Times article entitled "Disabled Students Almost Twice as Likely to Be Suspended, Analysis Finds" reveals that disabled students are almost twice as likely to be suspended as non-disabled students, and African American students with disabilities have a much higher rate. The article goes into detail about why this might be a concern. Do you think that there is an ability bias happening? What needs to change about the system to modify this statistic?

Emotional Abuse as Harmful as Physical Abuse

This CNN article entitled "Belittling Kids As Harmful As Beating, Study Finds," describes research indicating that emotional abuse (e.g., yelling, belittling, terrorizing, neglecting, etc) can be as harmful to a child's development as physical abuse. This is challenging to detect, however, because emotional abuse does not leave the external marks that physical abuse can. How can medical staff and those who work with children detect and intervene in emotional abuse cases? What can be done to prevent it?

Lack of Exercising = Smoking in terms of Deaths

This Chicago Tribune article entitled "Lack of Exercise Kills Roughly as Many as Smoking, Study Says" reveals that inactivity and the associated health problems contribute to as many deaths worldwide as smoking. Wealthier countries prove to be poorer in terms of exercise, although world-wide it is a problem. How can we get people to see lack of exercise as a public health issue as important as smoking? What would you personally be willing to do to increase your exercise to stay healthy?

More Hospice Visits = Dying Where You Want

This Chicago Tribune article entitled "More Visits from Hospice May Allow Death at Home" reveals that individuals who have daily visits the first 4 days they are on hospice care are more likely to die at home (if that is where they wanted to) than those who did not receive daily visits. What are the implications of this study? How can one be assured that they will be able to die where they want, whether it be home, hospital, or hospice center?

Parental Depression Impacts Children

This NY Times Well Blog entitled "Parents' Depression Linked to Problems in Children" discusses research revealing that when parents are depressed, children are at higher risk for poor school performance, increased visits to the ER, poor peer relationships and depression in adolescence. How should physicians, OB/GYNs and pediatricians be monitoring parental mood? What would the best interventions be for parents?

Money Key to Escaping Domestic Violence

This Columbus Dispatch article entitled "Money Key to Escaping Life of Abuse" reveals that for many women in domestic violence situations, finances are the #1 means to getting out of that life, and starting a new life of their own. Unfortunately, abusers often control the finances in a family. What ways could community resources reach out to women and help them get the funds to gain control over their own lives again? What are the barriers to helping individuals in this situation?

The Rising Cost of Obesity

This Chicago Tribune article entitled "As America's Waistline Expands, Costs Soar" reveals that the costs of obesity to the U.S. are more than just health-related. Cars carrying heavier passengers burn more fuel, buses need more time to stop, and public toilets must be re-worked. What are some of the ways that the U.S. can work to combat the public health crisis that obesity has become in the U.S.? Are there ways to focus on overall health, rather than just BMI?

Music and Dementia

An upcoming film entitled"Alive Inside" reveals that music can touch individuals who have dementia in ways that other traditional therapies cannot.  From the film website:

Alive Inside investigates these questions and the power music has to awaken deeply locked memories. The film follows Dan Cohen, a social worker, who decides on a whim to bring iPods to a nursing home.  To his and the staff’s surprise many residents suffering from memory loss seem to “awaken” when they are able to listen to music from their past.  With great excitement, Dan turns to renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, and we follow them both as we investigate the mysterious way music functions inside our brains and our lives.

Free "Bully" Documentary Screening

If you live in Columbus, the NBC4 team is holding a FREE screening of the documentary "Bully" on Thursday, May 3rd at 7pm at the Drexel Theater in Bexley. There will be a discussion of the movie after the screening. For more information, please visit this link (the registration for the event is at the bottom of the article).

For some informative links about Bullying, please visit these

APA Page on Bullying
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Stop Bullying
Tolerance.Org's Bullying Resources

Where the Oldest Die Now

This brief summary article in the NY Times entitled "Where the Oldest Die Now" discusses recent statistics indicating that there are rising numbers of older adults dying in their homes, rather than in hospitals. However, the bulk of individuals still die in nursing homes and hospitals. Given that many people would rather choose to die in their own homes, how might the medical system change so that would be allowed? Where would you prefer to die?

Driving and ADHD

This NY Times article entitled "Learning to Drive with ADHD" reveals some of the cognitive and emotional challenges that teenagers with ADHD/ADD struggle with when learning to drive. Driving is a cognitively complex task, and numerous studies reveal that with ever-increasing distractions, it is harder even for typical teens to concentrate. What tools could be used to assist teens with ADHD/ADD to learn to drive? How can parents help in these situations?

Fitness Program for Mentally Ill

The Columbus Dispatch/AP article entitled "Fitness Program for Mentally Ill Expands in NH" talks about a fitness program specifically geared for individuals who have mental illness. Individuals with mental illness have shorter life spans than individuals who do not, and those with serious mental illness have higher rates of obesity and smoking. What other ways can you think of to combat obesity and smoking in individuals with mental illness? Do you think programs like this one have a chance for long-term success?

Managing Portion Size

This Columbus Dispatch/AP article entitled "Trimming Super-Size with Half-Orders, Plate Colors" discusses the science behind portion sizes and how people eat. An experiment that is discussed in the article reveals that diners would order a half-portion of side dishes (such as rice) even if the cost was the same of a full portion of rice. What do you think would help you decrease the portion size of foods you eat? How could this help with mindful eating?

Brain Exercises Ward off Alzheimer's

This Columbus Dispatch article entitled "Brain Exercises Might Ward off Alzheimer's" discusses research that indicates individuals who participate in life-long cognitive exercises have lower amounts of the protein that contributes to Alzheimer's disease in their brains. It also discusses several local programs and local research (to Central Ohio) that are looking at cognitive exercise as a preventative factor against cognitive impairment. How do you think brain exercises might ward off Alzheimer's? What types of brain exercises would you be willing to do?

Doctors See More STD's in Older Adults

This Columbus Dispatch article entitled "Doctors See More STD's in Older Patients" discusses the increasing numbers of STD's diagnosed in older adults (including HIV) in recent years. The article states that in recent years, individuals over 50 have accounted for 11% of new HIV cases, and numbers diagnosed with other types of STD's are growing. What are some of the variables impacting this increase in statistics? How do you talk about safe sexual behavior with people above 50?

Non-Gender Conforming Children At High Risk for Abuse

This CNN article entitled "Kids who Veer From Gender Norms at Higher Risk for Abuse" reports on recent research indicating that children who do not conform to gender norms in their culture are more likely to be abused and demonstrate symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) by their 20's. The perpetrators of the abuse were both within and outside the family. How could people be more supportive of children who do not fit the traditional gender roles? What could be done to stop the abuse?

Willpower

Willpower, or self-control, is a virtue that many of us wish we had more of and used more often. Psychologists have been spending more time studying willpower (and lack thereof). Here are some educational links for those of you who may be interested in learning more.

This is Psychology Video Series: Willpower (features Norman Anderson, Ph.D. and CEO of APA)

What you need to know about willpower: The psychological science of self-control.

The power of self-control: Recent research on willpower

Lack of Willpower May Be Obstacle to Improving Personal Health and Finances

The APA Help Center also has more articles and resources on Willpower. 

Overeating Linked to Memory Loss

This CNN article entitled "Overeating May be Linked to Memory Loss" describes a recent study of over 1200 people and reveals that if you eat over 2143 calories/day (versus 1526/day), it raises your risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI; often seen as a precursor to Alzheimer's disease). What other factors might contribute to memory loss beyond overeating? Could you follow a 1500 calorie/day diet?

Alzheimer's: Trouble sleeping could affect memory

This Chicago Tribune article, entitled "Alzheimer's: Trouble Sleeping Could Affect Memory Later on, Study Finds" reports on a small study of 100 patients that found that those who had significant difficulty staying asleep (e.g., multiple awakenings during the night) also demonstrated the brain changes that are consistent with Alzheimer's-type dementia. This study is correlational -- do you think that lack of sleep impacts brain disease, or that brain diseases causes impairment in sleep? How could correcting sleep disturbance possibly impact cognitive impairment in late life?

Mindful Eating

This NY Times article entitled "Mindful Eating as Food For Thought" provides an intriguing look at using mindfulness techniques to reduce obesity by having people pay attention and be mindful about their food. One theory behind rising rates of obesity is that people eat fast, and therefore eat "past" their satiety cues. Do you think mindful eating would help you with weight? What type of effort would it take to be more mindful while eating?

Infants at Greatest Risk for Abuse

This CNN article entitled "Infants at Greatest Risk for Child Abuse" discusses the recently-released statistics on child abuse in the U.S. It indicates that for children under the age of 1, the incidence of abuse is 8 times higher than other ages. For children on Medicaid, they were 6 times more likely to be abused than children not on Medicaid (therefore higher risk is linked to SES). What are the underlying reasons behind these higher rates of abuse? How might someone create anti-abuse program that would be targeted towards these two more vulnerable populations?

Early Signs of Autism

This Chicago Tribune article entitled "Study Finds Early Signs of Autism in Baby Brains" reports on recent research finding that the brains of infants who later were diagnosed with autism actually responded differently to eye contact with another person than did the brains of infants who were never diagnosed with autism. Although the researchers call for additional study, this research is intriguing in that it may allow for very early identification and potential treatment of autism. What other research is needed in this situation? How might early identification change the treatment of autism?

Interactive Prognosis Tool

This NY Times article entitled "Interactive Tool to Assess the Likelihood of Death" reports on a new website called ePrognosis which has  16 assessment scales with “moderate” to “very good” abilities to determine the likelihood of death within six months to five years in various older populations. Researchers at UCSF have offered this interactive tool to physicians who work with older adults, particularly in healthcare settings where older adults have multiple medical conditions (e.g., nursing homes) as a way to explore benefits of aggressively pursuing treatment tools. Do you think this is a helpful or dangerous tool? If you were an older adult with multiple medical conditions, would you want your physician to use a tool such as this one?

Binge Drinking in Adults

This AP/Columbus Dispatch article entitled "CDC: Young Adults Down 9 Drinks When They Binge" finds that the average college-aged adult will average 9 drinks when they get drunk. Binge drinking is considered anything over 4-5 drinks at a time. One out of every 4 adults between the ages of 18-34 say they binge drink at least once a month. Why do you think young adults binge drink? What factors contribute to binge drinking?

Pot Smoking and Health

This NY Times well-blog article entitled "Marijuana Smoking Does Not Harm Lungs, Study Finds" describes a recent study revealing that long-term marijuana use does not harm the lungs the way that cigarette smoking does, which is contrary to the common belief about the drug. Past studies have revealed, however, that smoking pot does impair cognition. Do the benefits of smoking marijuana for chronic medical conditions outweigh the problems associated with it? How do you feel about the results of this study?

The Fat Trap

This NY Times article entitled "The Fat Trap" discusses some intriguing research that finds obese individuals who lose weight eventually gain all their weight back, no matter how determined they are to keep the weight off or whether they maintain their efforts to do so. The research indicates that hormones in the body that are related to hunger and metabolism fundamentally change in these individuals. It may change the way the entire nation thinks about weight loss. How does this impact your thinking about diet and exercise's role in weight loss? What other factors might be involved in the weight loss process?

Sexual Satisfaction in Women

This Chicago Tribune article entitled "Sexual Satisfaction Highest in Oldest, Youngest Women, Study Says" explores research that reveals that sexual satisfaction in women is not related to high levels of sexual desire or sexual activity! In general, women under age 55 and those over 80 were the most likely in the study group to say they had high levels of sexual satisfaction. What might explain these findings? How might this change the way that we think of sexuality, especially in women?

Good Teachers Create Lasting Gains

This NY Times article entitled "Big Study Links Good Teachers to Lasting Gain" reviews recent research that reveals elementary and middle-school teachers who help their students raise standardized testing scores also impact wider-ranging variables, such as teen pregnancy rates and college graduations. Students with top-performing teachers also make more money as adults. What variables might be influencing this correlation? How could this research impact the future of our educational system?

Re-Thinking The Anorexia Protocol

This NY Times article entitled "Protocol to Treat Anorexia is Faulted" explores how the standard protocol of "start low, advance slow" with giving food and nourishment to anorexics early in their hospitalization may be faulty. The article discusses how recent research reveals that this protocol actually results in continued weight loss before increasing weight. However, other researchers are concerned about the physical and emotional consequences of changing the protocol. What do you think? What makes sense to you in terms of helping anorexics early in their hospitalization? How should future research be conducted?