Mental Health

Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)

(Medical Xpress)—The existential psychologist Rollo May wrote that "depression is the inability to construct a future"1 while Lionel Tiger stated that "optimism has been central to the process of human e ...

Neuroscience created Apr 02, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (11) | comments 5 | with audio podcast feature

Mouse brain made transparent: Method enables 3-D analysis of brain's fine structure and connections (w/ video)

Combining neuroscience and chemical engineering, researchers at Stanford University have developed a process that renders a mouse brain transparent. The postmortem brain remains whole—not sliced or sectioned in any way—with ...

Neuroscience created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Psychopaths are not neurally equipped to have concern for others, study shows

Prisoners who are psychopaths lack the basic neurophysiological "hardwiring" that enables them to care for others, according to a new study by neuroscientists at the University of Chicago and the University of New Mexico.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 24, 2013 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (8) | comments 9 | with audio podcast

Know thyself: How mindfulness can improve self-knowledge

paying attention to one's current experience in a non-judgmental way—might help us to learn more about our own personalities, according to a new article published in the March 2013 issue of Perspectives on Psychological Sc ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 14, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

'Strikingly similar' brains of man and fly may aid mental health research

A new study by scientists at King's College London and the University of Arizona (UA) published in Science reveals the deep similarities in how the brain regulates behaviour in arthropods (such as flies ...

Neuroscience created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Effects of stress on brain cells offer clues to new anti-depressant drugs

Research from King's College London reveals the detailed mechanism behind how stress hormones reduce the number of new brain cells - a process considered to be linked to depression. The researchers identified a key protein ...

Neuroscience created May 06, 2013 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study finds saliva testing predicts aggression in boys

(Medical Xpress)—A new study indicates that a simple saliva test could be an effective tool in predicting violent behavior.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 26, 2013 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Children of divorced parents more likely to start smoking

Both daughters and sons from divorced families are significantly more likely to initiate smoking in comparison to their peers from intact families, shows a new analysis of 19,000 Americans.

Health created Mar 14, 2013 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (5) | comments 1

Risk of depression influenced by quality of relationships, research says

The mantra that quality is more important than quantity is true when considering how social relationships influence depression, say U-M researchers in a new study.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 30, 2013 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

One in five U.S. kids has a mental health disorder, CDC reports

(HealthDay)—As many as one in five American children under the age of 17 has a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, according to a new federal report.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 16, 2013 | popularity 2.7 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Mental health of dads-to-be may influence toddler's behavior

(HealthDay)—Plenty of research has linked a mother's mental health during and after pregnancy with her child's well-being. Now, a new study suggests that an expectant father's psychological distress might ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Jan 07, 2013 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Understanding personality for decision-making, longevity, and mental health

Extraversion does not just explain differences between how people act at social events. How extraverted you are may influence how the brain makes choices – specifically whether you choose an immediate or delayed reward, ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Jan 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Seniors who play video games report better sense of emotional well-being

New research from North Carolina State University finds that older adults who play video games report higher levels of emotional well-being.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 05, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study reveals potential target to better treat, cure anxiety disorders

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have, for the first time, identified a specific group of cells in the brainstem whose activation during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is critical for the regulation ...

Neuroscience created Mar 05, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Explainer: What is depression?

Many people know what it's like to feel sad or down from time to time. We can experience negative emotions due to many things – a bad day at work, a relationship break-up, a sad film, or just getting out ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Mar 11, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1


Mental health describes a level of psychological well-being, or an absence of a mental disorder. From the perspective of 'positive psychology' or 'holism', mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life, and create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Mental health can also be defined as an expression of emotions, and as signifying a successful adaptation to a range of demands.

The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". It was previously stated that there was no one "official" definition of mental health. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how "mental health" is defined. There are different types of mental health problems, some of which are common, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and some not so common, such as schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder.

Most recently, the field of Global Mental Health has emerged, which has been defined as 'the area of study, research and practice that places a priority on improving mental health and achieving equity in mental health for all people worldwide'.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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