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Psychiatry
Managing mental health amid gun violence
Managing mental health amid gun violence
In 2021, Philadelphia saw a record number of 486 homicides by shooting as well 1,846 non-fatal shootings. According to clinical psychologist Leah Blain, exposure to trauma, including to gun violence, increases the risk of negative health outcomes.
Parental nicotine use and addiction risk for children
Parental nicotine use and addiction risk for children
In research done using rats, Penn Nursing’s Heath Schmidt and colleagues found that males that engaged in voluntary nicotine use had offspring more likely to do so, too. Some offspring also developed impaired memory and anxiety-like behavior.
Inflammation is not always linked to depression
Inflammation is not always linked to depression
A new Penn Medicine study finds that late-life depression is not linked to inflammation when other inflammatory conditions are excluded, but that depression occurs independently of inflammation.
The pandemic’s psychological scars
The pandemic’s psychological scars
It’s been a long and uncertain road, with some groups shouldering a disproportionately greater burden of mental anguish from COVID-19. Yet now there’s a glimmer of hope. Has the page finally turned?
Hospitalizations for eating disorder increased during pandemic
Hospitalizations for eating disorder increased during pandemic
Researchers can’t yet pinpoint definitive reasons, though they surmise it was a combination of factors, including stress, an outsized focus on weight gain and personal appearance, and maybe even symptoms of COVID-19 itself.
The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
Research from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia points to the involvement of the immune system the brain as a contributor to mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic
The path to deeper connections, even amidst a pandemic
A new book from Penn’s Edward Brodkin and psychology doctoral candidate Ashley Pallathra focuses on the science and practice of attunement, the process by which people can most effectively connect to themselves and others.
Anxiety in a post-COVID world
Anxiety in a post-COVID world
A return to the next normal post-pandemic may trigger anxiety for people anticipating a more public-facing life after a year of isolation.
A tool for more inclusive autism screening
A tool for more inclusive autism screening
A new visual screening tool for autism spectrum disorder may reduce disparities in diagnoses, especially when English is not a family’s primary language.
When the message matters, use science to craft it
When the message matters, use science to craft it
An interdisciplinary initiative called the Message Effects Lab aims to understand, tap into, and develop communication around what motivates specific behaviors for specific populations. Its first projects center around COVID-19 testing and vaccines.
In the News
“Good Morning America,” ABC News
Eating disorder hospitalizations doubled during COVID-19 pandemic, new data shows
Research co-led by the Perelman School of Medicine and Leonard Davis Institute found an increase in people hospitalized for eating disorders amid the pandemic. They attributed the rise to several factors, including delays in access to outpatient care, the closing of schools and colleges, and changes to the grocery shopping process.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Bill on magic mushrooms aims to make Pa. a national leader in psychedelic research
William R. Smith, a psychiatry resident at Penn Medicine, commented on a new clinical trial exploring psilocybin’s effects on depression. “The trial is encouraging, being a larger sample of patients with a control group than earlier [treatment resistant depression] studies,” he said.
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MSNBC
The Beat with Ari Melber
Thea Gallagher of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed the pandemic’s toll on mental health. Rather than forcing a confident, upbeat exterior to appease others, Gallagher recommends “being real and authentic, and talking about the struggles that you are having.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
As vaccination efforts continue, COVID-19 isn’t the most serious threat facing some Philadelphians. Consider gun violence
Jaya Aysola and Lily Brown of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the underreported effects of violence and poverty on Philadelphians’ mental health. “When someone is shot on my street, it might be something that neighbors come out of the house and actually see, or it’s on the news—it’s in the conscious awareness of a lot of people in the community,” Brown said. “In context, having a death from COVID-19, by all accounts it can be a horrific experience, but it’s not documented in the same way.”
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Health.com
Elon Musk says he has Asperger’s syndrome—but is Asperger’s still a diagnosis? Here’s what experts told us
David Mandell of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about why Asperger’s syndrome was removed from the DSM and incorporated into the diagnosis of autism. “Clinicians were not reliable in differentiating between Asperger's and autism,” he said. “Part of the reason for this is that the presentation of autistic people can change dramatically with age and over time.”
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People.com
Writer Jenny Lawson on the unusual cure for her depression: ‘I had happiness drilled into my head’
Yvette I. Sheline of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, which uses a magnetic field to help patients with treatment-resistant depression. Fifty percent of patients see a 50% improvement, and 30% have full remission, she said.
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