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The standard definition of drug or alcohol addiction is that it's a chronic, incurable disease of the brain. In a comprehensive report on the topic, published last month, the surgeon general gives this familiar definition a more positive spin. He eschews the "cure" word and focuses instead on the fact that, as with other chronic diseases such as diabetes, there are effective treatments. There are methods for managing and reducing symptoms. The surgeon general's report takes pains to note...

For many children, December often is linked to presents and excitement, but when a young child doesn’t seem all that enthused about getting gifts, it could be a sign that something is wrong. Measuring brain waves, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that clinically depressed children don’t respond to rewards the same way as other children do. Previous research from the same group of scientists found that a reduced ability to experience joy is a key...

Mindfulness – the practice of attending to thoughts and feelings in the present moment – has been the focus of a lot of research attention recently and even under the full glare of science, it just keeps getting better. In the first ever large scale study of its kind, researchers explored whether teaching people mindfulness would be as effective as maintenance doses of antidepressants in managing relapse in depression. According to Willem Kuyken, lead author of the study and Professor of...

In the sweltering days of July, tensions between police and civilians were running high. A cop fatally shot Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, setting off a week of protests. Another police officer fatally shot Philando Castile in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, while his fiance and her 4-year-old daughter watched. A sniper shot and killed five police officers in Dallas. But inside a Disneyland convention center in Anaheim, California, almost 700 law enforcement officers and security...

The first anti-bullying project took place more than 30 years ago in Scandinavia. Since then, projects have cropped up around the world, mostly taking a similar overall approach: raising awareness of bullying and getting students to engage in activities that highlight its negative effects. By 2004, enough anti-bullying projects had been introduced in enough places to review their overall impact, including some meta-analyses of their results. Unfortunately, the evidence about their success...

When the federal government reversed course last month, deciding not to regulate many genetic tests , one big winner was Proove Biosciences , a Southern California company that markets an unproven “opioid risk” test. Proove claims its test can predict, with 93 percent accuracy, which patients will become addicted to or misuse prescribed opioid pain pills. That’s been an irresistible sales pitch for many physicians, who struggle to treat pain patients compassionately but fear adding to the...

Brain tests at the age of three appear to predict a child's future chance of success in life, say researchers. Low cognitive test scores for skills like language indicate less developed brains, possibly caused by too little stimulation in early life, they say. These youngsters are more likely to become criminals, dependent on welfare or chronically ill unless they are given support later on, they add. Their study in New Zealand appears in the journal, Nature Human Behaviour. The US...

On a map, 24 contiguous municipalities just northwest of St. Louis resemble nothing more than a crazy quilt. And for decades, their governance and services were a patchwork, too. Each municipality—from the tiny, two-street Village of Glen Echo Park, population 160, to the neighborhood-sized City of Normandy, population 5,008—has its own government. That’s two dozen mayors and city councils and almost as many police departments in an area that spans almost 11 square miles, is home to 36,250...

Los Angeles schools shouldn't only be places where students go to learn; they should also be community centers , after-school gathering spots and hubs for social services. That principle is better known nationally as the "community schools" model — and it's about to get the endorsement of a newly-formed, powerhouse coalition of labor unions, faith-based groups and social justice organizations who see it as a new organizing principle for the Los Angeles Unified School District. The coalition,...

The Pediatrician explains how certain childhood experiences such as trauma, stress, and neglect can profoundly impact brain development and negatively impact a person’s health as an adult. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW). She has earned international attention for her innovative approach to addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as a risk factor for health problems, such as heart disease and cancer. Her work...

Applications for the 2017 Trauma Learning Communities are due by 5:00 PM EST on December 23, 2016: 2017 Trauma-Sensitive School Learning Community for schools and districts 2017 National Trauma-Informed Care Learning Community for behavioral health, social service, community and large system organizations. By joining one of these learning communities you will connect with trauma experts and other organizations through a series of coaching calls and webinars, two in-person summits, access to...

A recent report by Lord Richard Layard suggests that “ Happiness depends on health and friends, not money ”. The conclusions presented argue that the UK government should focus more on providing better healthcare and resources for dealing with mental health issues in a variety of societal contexts, rather than trying to combat poverty and make people wealthier. For the record, I’ve no issue with Lord Layard, and I’ve no doubt that his intentions are honourable and intended to be helpful. It...