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There are many methods that psychotherapists and other mental health professionals might use to gain insight on the condition of a client’s mental health, but not many are quite as straightforward as a new tool developed by a researcher at Monash University. The diagnostic tool, which has been described as an “ECG for the mind,” tests the behavior of the vestibular nervous system, looking for patterns observed in those exhibiting symptoms of depression, schizophrenia, and other mental health concerns. While the tool may not be able to replace the careful consideration of a trained therapist, it might help identify those in need of assistance in critical areas.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Kansas City Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

There are many ways that researchers, clinical professionals, and private practice psychotherapists attempt to assess the presence of motivation and overall mental and physical health in their clients. At the Boston University School of Medicine, researchers have recently developed a measure dubbed the “Getting Out of Bed” or “GoB” measure, which can be used on a points-based system to determine a client’s motivation and well-being. The measure was used in a study examining the health of women with breast cancer, in which those with a GoB rating above or equal to 50 exhibited greater motivation and self-perceived health than those with scores below 50. The tool may become useful for similar studies and clinical applications.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Newport Beach Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

Readers of Newsweek may be familiar with a column written by Sharon Begley, who has on numerous occasions extended her editorial opinion, research, and writing ability to the realm of the mental health professions. Notably, Begley wrote in her columns of May 4th, 2009 and October 2nd, 2009 on the themes of adherence to expensive and outdated medicine practiced by doctors and psychologists. The columns, entitled “Why Doctors Hate Science,” and “Ignoring the Evidence,” respectively, unleashed an angry assessment of modern treatment choices and trends in the medical fields, including mental health disciplines, suggesting that widespread rejections of modern advances and methodologies were a sign of disdain for progress and development in the health professional community.

Rebutting these ideas, psychologist and blogger Ivan J Miller has recently published an argument which invites readers to consider the necessity of making comparisons between treatment options and materials within a real-world context, rather than relying on two-dimensional data that often lacks relevant information that professionals use when making decisions. Miller’s rebuttal notes that psychologists, along with other doctors, must take a variety of factors into consideration when treating clients, and are also held to consider the potential for harm through the presence of unattractive side-effects and possible contraindications. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Rolling Hills Estates Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

By Arthur Becker-Weidman, Ph.D., Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Topic Expert Contributor

Click here to contact Arthur and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

In this first article here I will describe what Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy is. Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy began as a family-therapy approach, grounded in attachment theory, for the treatment of children with disorders of attachment. It has developed over the past decade into a broader approach for treatment and has been found to be an evidence-based, effective, and empirically validated treatment.

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy has as its central therapeutic mechanism the maintenance of a contingent, collaborative, sensitive, reflective and affectively attuned relationship between therapist and child, between caregiver and child, and between therapist and caregiver. Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy focuses on and relies upon the intersubjective sharing and joint development and organization of emotional experience. Intersubjectivity refers to shared emotion (also called attunement), shared attention, and shared intention. Read the rest of this entry

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While it’s a popular and commonly-held idea that the brain grows stronger and people become more knowledgeable and mentally apt as they cage, the facts of brain biology can be harsh. Into one’s 30’s, mental decline has likely already begun to take place, with some indications that the process can start as early as the end of one’s second decade. People approaching middle age may find that their memory seems to fail them from time to time, or they might experience a decrease in the ability to focus or to approach a given subject with sharpness and efficiency. In tandem with these unwanted aspects of aging, many mental health professionals an people in general are growing increasingly concerned about the prevalence of dementia and other mental health issues that can take root during and after the transition into old age. A relatively new response to these concerns has been the creation of “brain training” games and activities, which often report the ability to “exercise” the brain as though it were a muscle, purportedly making it stronger.

However, those with insight into the fields of medical biology and cognitive science note that the brain is not all that similar to a muscle, and while it may be tested and bolstered by some kinds of use, simple “reps” of baseline mental exercises aren’t likely to do much more than entertain. However, it may be the case that some brain training games and activities approach concepts and ways of thinking that a given mind has not yet encountered, and in such new situations, the brain may be able to experience gains in agility and readiness. Read the rest of this entry

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Fort Collins Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

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Cognitive health is one of the most exciting and fascinating fields of modern science –that is, if you’re interested in how the mind works in the first place, or if you’re connected with the resources to learn about advances make in the past and the directions for the future. Most mental health professionals have a certain degree of interest in the field of cognitive science, but the population at large is not necessarily as well-informed about the topic, and may hold greatly diverging ideas about its principles and possibilities. In order to discern how different groups of people view cognitive science, research recommended and supported by the Centers for Disease Control has recently been conducted and published in the latest issue of The Gerontologist.

The study separated a large group of nearly five hundred people into fifty five distinct focus groups, working over the course of two years to establish how factors such as age, language, location, and other essential demographic information is related to specific ideas about cognitive science. The results showed that different groups held diverse ideas about the field and the way in which it might become more prevalent among the public. But some ideas remained the same across the demographic spectrum. Most participants noted that education about cognitive science by community leaders in localized areas with topics targeted to area issues and concerns would be ideal, and commented that conceptions of the topic in popular media were confusing. Read the rest of this entry

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The use of text messaging to communicate among young people has experienced an incredible growth in recent years, and may have applications that wouldn’t seem immediately apparent. Once such application has been the development of a text-based mental health crisis service in New Zealand, which recently reported an awe-inducing 1280% increase in program use. Helping to answer questions and provide counsel for difficult situations in an anonymous, instant way, the service cites that concerns about relationships constitute the most frequently broached subjects. Though feeling overwhelmed, the service is bracing for further increases in use as it works to bring mental health to a whole new platform.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Tampa Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary

The notion that one is walking around in circles has a long history in personal introspection. While many people are marvelously capable of plotting out a straight and defined course to follow, others may feel as though the path ahead is as obscured and winding as it gets. And in both circumstances, people can easily veer off-course, leading to feelings of uncertainty or being lost. Such themes are common throughout the human experience, and tend to affect those in nearly every situation, no matter their personal background or current situation, from time to time. Despite this fairly common occurrence, however, most people are likely to report that they are able to physically navigate with precision. Challenging this idea, a study centered at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics set out to find if walking in circles is more than a metaphor.

The immediate results of the study suggest that, indeed, walking in circles isn’t just a visually interesting way to describe a difficult situation. The study sent a series of people into the desert as well as the forest, equipping them with GPS devices to help track their movements. While not all subjects eventually walked in perfect or complete circles, the trend was decidedly towards moving away from the straight line on which they were instructed to journey. Results showed that performance was lowered at night, and that in the presence of a cloudy sky, walking in complete circles was significantly more probable.

The study may not have a workable tool ready for implementation in therapy, but it does have the potential to spark new discussions about the feeling of walking in circles and the body’s actual aptitude to maintain a straight course. As a growing number of therapy types and practitioners begin to incorporate physical activity into their sessions, therapy meetings of the future may include practice in walking along a straight line, encouraging the body and the mind alike to learn to navigate.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Mountain View Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

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In the field of cognitive science, as with many areas associated with mental health and well-being, traditional thought and research has been focused on the negative; inquiries into diseases, common disruptive issues, and other concerns constitute the bulk of studied material. But one cognitive scientist recently recalled being inspired by her granddaughter’s joy, and as a result has begun to develop studies into the biology of happiness. Focusing an initial effort on locating joy within the brains of animals, the scientist hopes to expand such research in order to help foster a better understanding of why we’re happy –and how we achieve this state, as well.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Los Angeles Bureau - All Rights Reserved.

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline

Anti-depressant medications, which have experienced a sharp rise in popularity in recent years, often fall short of providing a truly meaningful or long-term solution to those experiencing difficult mental health concerns. While many may take anti-depressant medications in an effort to quell suicidal thoughts and behaviors, a recently released study has suggested that the substances provide little if any deterrent to those under the age of twenty five. While adults over the age of sixty-five showed a notable decrease in “suicidality,” based on a review of statistics and literature recently provided to the US Food and Drug Administration, young adults and children exhibited the same increase in such thoughts and behaviors as those not taking the medications. The research supports the need for greater inquiries into the efficacy of anti-depressants, particularly for children and adolescents.

© Copyright 2009 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Birmingham Bureau - All Rights Reserved.