A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

The effects of depression on women during pregnancy, as well as potential issues linked to developing children, have been creating a recent need for innovation in terms of treatment, and a study just completed at Stanford University has shed some light on a potential option. Acupuncture, a staple of traditional Chinese medicine, can be specifically geared towards depression, and was administered to pregnant women with associated symptoms, while a control group received non-specific acupuncture or massage therapy. Results were promising if lacking definitive proof of efficacy, suggesting that adding acupuncture to psychotherapy treatment may have a positive impact.

© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Fullerton Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

Psychological issues that encourage people to seek professional help can affect clients of any age and situation, but women who have recently given birth are often indicated as being at a somewhat high risk of developing post-partum depression. This concern has been shown to have considerable potential effects on children, and has been the subject of numerous studies in recent decades. Yet antenatal depression, which is experienced during pregnancy or within the preceding nine months, is realizing greater attention within the professional and academic communities. Studies conducted on antenatal depression have suggested that women who experience symptoms including hopelessness, profound sadness, a lack of motivation, and other issues before or during pregnancy may be at a much higher risk of being affected by postpartum depression.

Also troubling, recent research connects antenatal depression with increased rates of violent behavior in teens whose mothers were afflicted with the issue. The children of mothers who experienced depression during pregnancy were also more likely to experience developmental difficulties, and some researchers have suggested that hormonal imbalances in the womb caused by substance abuse and other potentially dangerous behaviors may also result from the condition of being depressed. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Washington, DC Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

In myriad ways, domestic violence can be responsible for taking a toll on quality of life and reducing victims’ overall well-being, and therapists and counselors along with other professionals in the psychology and psychiatry fields are frequently engaged in seeking ways to reduce or altogether end this issue among clients. When pregnant women are subjected to abuse by their partners, the effects can be especially devastating, potentially leading to physical health problems for the mother and child. Recently, a study performed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Washington, D.C. found that through interventional counseling, pregnant women self-reporting for abuse at home were not only likely to experience diminished rates of violence, but were also prone to avoiding severely premature births.

The study separated participants into two groups; one received normal obstetric care, while the other received normal care in addition to counseling aimed at identifying and reducing violence and abuse, treating depression, and helping women to quit smoking. The results showed that among women who identified as being abused, those in the interventional counseling group experienced incidents of abuse at a rate of less than half of that endured before the counseling was administered. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Concord Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

The idea that a stronger bond may be created between a mother and her child if breastfeeding is performed during the first few month’s of a baby’s life has been supported for some time, though the precise effects of breastfeeding on the mental health of children and adolescents has been largely unknown. A recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, however, has endeavored to discover this link and has shown that mothers who breastfed for longer than six months had children who consistently exhibited improved behavior and mental health at regular intervals until the age of fourteen. The work may help developmental psychologists and child therapists understand the roots of some types of mental health issues in children.

© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Minneapolis Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

Receiving psychotherapy, counseling, or other services following an attempt at suicide is widely held to be a positive if not vital part of the recovery process, yet a study based at Columbia University has found that less than half of adolescents with a recent suicidal episode had received such treatment within the past year. The study highlighted issues of inequality amongst demographic categories, noting that racial minorities tended to receive less treatment. The research also found that such disparities were less prominent in the use of school-based treatments, and concludes that offering expanded services in the academic environment may produce meaningful improvements in access to care.

© Copyright 2010 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Carlsbad Bureau - All Rights Reserved.