Monthly Roundup: Top 6 Psychiatry Stories in August
These editors' picks on noteworthy stories from around the web include topics such as DSM, neuroscience, psychology, research, marijuana, and disaster psychiatry.
A compilation of editors' picks of noteworthy articles published in August, in order of category.Can you think of other important or interesting stories? Let us know in the comments box (include your full name and professional title please). [mentions are not endorsements]Sources:How Katrina Turned a Psychiatrist Into a CoronerWhy Depression Needs a New DefinitionYour Brain Is Particularly Vulnerable to Trauma at Two Distinct AgesLife's StoriesThe Impact of Neuroscience on Society: Cognitive Enhancement in Neuropsychiatric Disorders and in Healthy PeopleMarijuana-Legal, But Not by PrescriptionFor last month's Roundup, click here.To view the slides in PDF format, click here.
Background image©GarryKillian/Shutterstock
How Katrina Turned a Psychiatrist Into a Coroner
“Ten years ago, psychiatrist Jeffrey Rouse was on a clear path toward academia. He spent most of his days hunkered down in a research lab, staring at MRI images of brains . . . Then Hurricane Katrina upended his world.”
Why Depression Needs a New Definition
The DSM debate continues: “Many psychiatrists believe that a new approach to diagnosing and treating depression-linking individual symptoms to their underlying mechanisms-is needed for research to move forward.”
Your Brain Is Particularly Vulnerable to Trauma at Two Distinct Ages
“The ‘terrible twos’ and those turbulent teen years are when the brain’s wiring is most malleable. As a result, traumatic experiences that occur during these time periods can alter brain activity and ultimately change gene expressions-sometimes for good.”
Life's Stories
“How you arrange the plot points of your life into a narrative can shape who you are-and is a fundamental part of being human.”
The Impact of Neuroscience on Society: Cognitive Enhancement in Neuropsychiatric Disorders and in Healthy People
The authors discuss, among other things, a “form of cognitive enhancement using the technological advancement of a game on an iPad that also acts to increase motivation” and to help improve memory in patients with schizophrenia.
Marijuana-Legal, But Not by Prescription
What are the pros and cons of marijuana use? Dr Andrew Saxon gives his viewpoint on why he is against medical marijuana but in favor of legalization of recreational use of marijuana.