The Science and Psychology behind Mental Health

In America, the opioid epidemic has always been a large topic of discussion.  However, the "connections between bonding, stress, and pain" could be a major step in addressing this problem. By gaining a strong understanding of biology and the underlaying factors between social relationships and the opioid system, we can further gain insight for treatment, stated Larry Young, a professor of psychiatry at Emory University. For example, a study shows that having a partner present can actually reduce pain, as it's linked to activation of mu-opioid receptors in the brain. Furthermore, another study revealed that administering an opioid blocker decreased people's feelings of social connectedness. Overall, it is shown that bonding changes your pain threshold, so if that bond is lost then your pain reduction is lost. Therefore, if we want to decrease the opioid usage, then forming relationships and bonds with others are key to form and uphold. Original Source: https://www....

Amy Morin does a TED Talk regarding the importance of having mental strength, and how having  negative thoughts, even if it's for a slight second, can actually lead to depression.  She talks about "three kinds of destructive beliefs" that we all think about at one time or another. These beliefs can have a very negative and profound impact on us. The first is unhealthy beliefs about ourselves. This means that we have to minimize the amount of self-pity we have when something goes wrong. The second type is unhealthy beliefs about others. In other words, we all have a tendency to think that some people can control and we, thus,  give away our power to them.  The third type is unhealthy beliefs about the world. We think that the world owes us something, but in reality, having that expectation only leads to disappointment. We need to change our mindset to try to block these thoughts out of our minds, as it holds us back, and is ultimately very unhealthy for us. By doing t...

Prosocial refers to the individuals who  relate to or denote behavior that is positive, helpful, and intend to promote social acceptance and friendship.  Research suggests that individuals who are pro-social have a more sensitive amygdala, which is a region of the brain that deals with stress and guilt. A study using functional magnetic resonance imaging measured how pro-socials reacted to economic inequity and found a strong activation of the amygdala.   This proved true whether other individuals received more money or when they received more money. Where as, individualists had increased amygdala activation only when others received more money. Another finding in this study was that the hippocampus, also involved with automatic stress responses, showed a difference in brain activity between pro-socials and individualists. Furthermore, this shows that pro-socials were at more of a risk for depression as they are more prone to experience guilt and stress. Original Sourc...

Bullying often times has a clear link with suicide. Cyberbullying, in particular, is very common amongst teenagers, as many of them are on social media. There has been much research  regarding cyberbullying and the effects it has on a teenager's health. Michele Hamm, a researcher in pediatrics at the University of Alberta, found that there was "a consistency between exposure to cyberbullying and increased likelihood of depression". However, they couldn't find a link between being bullied and self-harm, or a link between cyberbullying and anxiety. It is important to note that just because the studies don't directly reveal that, it doesn't mean it can't exist. What is also alarming is that teens suffer through cyberbullying in silence as they fear that if they tell their parents, they may loose their internet access".  Therefore, it is crucial that parents respond carefully if their child is bullied online, and teach them safe Internet use instead of...

In this TED Talk, Meaghan Ramsey explains how the way we think about ourselves can heavily influence our brain, which leads to mental illnesses. In today's culture, we are surrounded by social media, and are persuaded into believing that there is a certain appearance that we have to fit, in order to be accepted. As a result, teens, in particular, suffer heavily from anxiety and depression as they struggle to fit into this mold. Their low body confidence also leads to eating disorders, such as anorexia, as well as, self harm, and alcohol/drug abuse. Studies have also revealed that low body confidence causes relationships, physical abilities, and education to suffer. Ramsey came up with a solution to help struggling teens. She believes that by providing education that stresses the importance of respecting and valuing ourself, as well as, making individuals aware that what they see through the media is very unrealistic and often times very unhealthy, can drastically help prevent  ment...

Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which individuals have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, images, and sensations (obsessions) and engage in behaviors in response to these thoughts (obsessions). This mental disorder can have a devastating impact on an individual's life. People who suffer from OCD acknowledge the irrationality of their behavior, however, they still feel the need to carry out the action or response. There was a study published in Neuron, September 28th which used "mathematical modeling of decision-making" to get a clear insight into the minds affected by OCD. Matilde Vaghi reveals that OCD is a "core feature rather than a consequence of obsessions or result of inaccurate beliefs". The research Vaghi had preformed is apart of a new field of computational psychiatry. The tendency to repeat an action may be due to an impairment on how some individuals view their environment, as well as there being a lack of ...

Major depressive disorder (MDD)  is a serious condition affecting 16 million Americans. Individuals who suffer from MDD experience persistent and intense feelings of sadness which heavily impact their ability to preform everyday activities. Social anxiety disorder (SAD), affecting 15 million Americans, is the fear of social situations that involve interactions with other people. Individuals who suffer from SAD have trouble maintaining social and romantic relationships. Dr. Youjin Zhao and Su Lui, M.D. wanted to compare the differences between an MRI scan of individuals who suffer from MDD and SAD with that of a healthy one. They were looking for differences in the thickness of the cortex. The sample of SAD and MDD patients "showed gray matter abnormalities in the brain's salience and dorsal attention networks". The salience network determines the stimuli worthy of our attention. The dorsal attention network which support stimulus-driven and goal-directed attention. ...