If children and adolescents get help for an anxiety disorder, it’s usually medications and not counseling according to a study published Wednesday in Pediatrics. In fact, there was an inverse relationship between need for therapy and what was given over more than a decade. As the number of young people with anxiety disorders has risen steadily since 2006, the number of children undergoing psychotherapy has decreased. “This really demonstrates that the burden of treating mental health conditions among patients is growing,” said study author Laura Chavez, a senior research scientist…
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Ketamine can treat depression as effectively as electroconvulsive therapy
The “dissociative anesthetic” ketamine is looking increasingly promising as a safe and effective treatment for intractable depression. A new randomized study by researchers in the United States has shown that ketamine injections are at least as effective as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treating nonpsychotic forms of major depression. After starting ECT or ketamine therapy, patients in the study reported an almost immediate improvement in their quality of life. Side effects such as nausea and poor memory were common for both treatments, albeit short-lived. “Statistically, it was a solid finding showing…
Read MoreCan physical activity relieve anxiety? The study investigates the potential and pitfalls of fitness as a therapy
In a recent study published in the journal Advances in cardiovascular diseaseresearchers explore whether exercise could be used to treat anxiety. Study: Is exercise a valid therapy for anxiety? Systematic review of recent literature and critical analysis. Image credit: GP PIXSTOCK/Shutterstock.com The mental health benefits of exercise Lifestyle psychiatry recognizes the impact of various health behaviors, such as eating, sleeping, smoking, and physical activity, on mental health. Exercise is a well-known health behavior that provides both physical and psychological benefits. In fact, exercise is now recommended as the primary treatment…
Read MoreAI could be your next therapist for loneliness and anxiety
When you wake up in the middle of the night feeling overwhelmed due to the recent death of a loved one, your new shrink could be an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. It offers advice and suggests techniques to improve one’s mood. And it’s almost like you’re texting with a human therapist. Opening your heart to an AI-enabled empathetic app or text bot doesn’t replicate laying down on a couch to confide in a human psychotherapist or even calling a crisis line. But with proper guardrails, some mental health professionals see…
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