Psychiatry

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.

From Penn Medicine News

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.

Michele W. Berger

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?

Michele W. Berger



In the News


Women’s Health

What is body neutrality and how is it different than body positivity? Psychology experts explain

Kelly C. Allison of the Perelman School of Medicine says that body neutrality is a middle ground between picking one’s appearance apart and having to proclaim love for every single piece of the body.

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CNN

A detailed look at children’s brains might show how sex and gender are different, new study says

A study co-authored by Dani S. Bassett of the School of Engineering and Applied Science finds that sex and gender map onto largely distinct parts of the brain.

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Harrisburg Patriot-News

Inmate who stabbed Pa. federal prison guard in the eye seeks dismissal of charges

A report by Kenneth J. Weiss of the Perelman School of Medicine says that an inmate was in the midst of a psychotic episode when he attacked a federal prison guard in Pennsylvania.

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Psychology Today

TikTok and ADHD misinformation

J. Russel Ramsay of the Perelman School of Medicine says that TikTok and social media aren’t reliable sources for ADHD information.

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ScienceAlert

Dietary supplement found to reduce aggression by up to 28%

A study by Adrian Raine of the School of Arts & Sciences finds that daily omega-3 dietary supplements can lead to a reduction in aggression.

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Nature

How a few days in space can disrupt a person’s biology

Mathias Basner of the Perelman School of Medicine says that the frequency of commercial space flights could allow scientists to collect health data more quickly than before, and potentially from a more diverse population.

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