Category: Mental Health

Categories : Injury & Trauma Mental HealthTags :

Head Injuries Widespread Among Female Prisoners

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New research has found that 78% of women prisoners in Scotland have a history of significant head injury – most of which occurred in the context of years of domestic abuse.

The University of Glasgow-led study also found 66% of women prisoners had suffered repeat head injuries for many years. The majority of the study participants were from the most deprived 20% of the population. One US study of male prisoners found 63.7% of at least one traumatic brain injury, and 32.5% had experienced multiple such injuries.

Of those with a history of head injury, the most common cause (89%) of repeat head injury was domestic violence. Only five women had experienced a single incident of moderate-severe head injury. Of those with a history of significant head injury, a first head injury before the age of 15 was reported by 69% of women.

For the study, researchers interviewed around a quarter of women in Scottish prisons, 109 women in total, between 2018 and 2019. They were assessed for a history of head injury, including its causes, a history of abuse, as well as for disability and mental and physical health conditions.

Of the 78% with a history of significant head injury, 40% also had an associated disability. Previous research has reported that many women in prison have a history of head injury, but none looked at disability.

Those with a history of significant head injury were three times more likely to have violent criminal behaviour, and also spent three times longer in prison.

Nearly all participants (95%) reported a history of abuse, with over half reporting sexual abuse in childhood and 46% reporting sexual abuse in adulthood. Physical abuse in childhood was reported by 39%, while 81% of participants reported physical abuse in adulthood.

Alcohol or drug misuse history was common, with substantially higher rates in the group who reported significant head injuries. Almost all, 92%, complained of mental health difficulties, with anxiety and depression the most commonly reported. Although the participants had 12 years of education on average, schooling was often disrupted by exclusion or truanting and many required special schooling or support.

Professor Tom McMillan, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Glasgow and lead author of the study, said: “It is already recognised that women in prison are vulnerable because of histories of abuse and substance misuse. However, this research shows that a history of significant head injury is also a vulnerability and needs to be included when considering mental health needs and in developing criminal justice policy given the relationships with associated disabilities, abuse and violent crime’’.

“Our findings suggest that interventions to reduce mental health morbidity, and assessment and management of risk of violent offending should include history of significant head injury. There is a need to recognise these vulnerabilities at an early stage, including at the first contact with the criminal justice system, to assess these women and provide long term support.”

Common persistent effects of significant head injury include impairments in information processing and emotional changes associated with impulsivity, irritability and egocentricity. These effects can impair judgement and self-control, increase the risk of offending. Significant head injury can also impair the maturation of the developing brain if occurring before adulthood.

The characteristics of significant head injury in women in prison differ from women with significant head injury in the general population. Domestic violence was the most common cause of these injuries in women in prison, whereas  in the general population falls are most common. In addition head injury occurred repeatedly in around two-thirds of women in prison with significant head injury, whereas single incident head injury from an accident is more common in the general population.

Source: University of Glasgow

Journal information: Tom M McMillan et al. Associations between significant head injury and persisting disability and violent crime in women in prison in Scotland, UK: a cross-sectional study, The Lancet Psychiatry (2021). DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00082-1

Categories : Diet and Nutrition General Interest Mental HealthTags :

Bulimia Experience as a Teen Shaped Man’s Healthy Recipe Project

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A UK man who started a project coming up with gut-healthy-recipes said that it was “shaped” by his having had bulimia in his teenage years.

Clinician and scientist Dr Sunni Patel, 35, said as a teen he thought he was “chubby” and experienced the eating disorder when he was aged 15 to 18.

Binge eating was his “solace” he said, and he used religious fasting “as a cover”.

Dr Patel started a website sharing recipes, and he urged people not to underestimate how gut health affects mental health.

“I’d find comfort and my escapism via food.”
Dr Sunni Patel

He said he would fast for four days a week, eating fruit at the end of the day.

Being from a traditional Asian background, the way “one looks and acts tends to be judged a lot more”, he said.

“Because I’d got bulimia as a get out, I’d binge eat. I might eat six or seven crisp packets at one sitting. I’d find comfort and my escapism via food.”

Suffering bullying at school, Dr Patel said that there was “pressure as a teenager to look cool”. He said that “the thinner I got, the more attractive I felt”. Bulimia became the “solution”, he added.

As he lost weight, he began receiving compliments which would “feed the beast”.

At least 1.5 million people in the UK have an eating disorder, experts estimate, with 25% being male. Bulimia nervosa is a condition that occurs most commonly in adolescent females, though it can appear in just about any patient. It is characterised by indulgence in binge-eating, and inappropriate compensatory behaviours to prevent weight gain.

Dr Patel said after he went to university he stopped, “I wasn’t able to find the safe space to have the… episodes, I didn’t want the truth to come out.”

From around the age of 24, he received cognitive behavioural therapy and in recent years has had psychotherapy.

“I was diagnosed with gut issues in 2014 and that’s when I started exploring the link between gut health and depression. As my diet became healthier so did my mind.”

A business director as well as a clinician, he now comes up with gut-healthy-recipes that are shared on his Dish Dash Deets website, set up during the COVID pandemic, where he also keeps a blog.

Included in his recipes are his top foods to combat depression and low mood, such as bananas, berries, beans and lentils.

He said to anyone that is in a similar position to his, “find a safe person to talk to”, who would not judge, adding: “Don’t feel any shame. You’re human.”

“The more that you rely on it, you use it as your way of escaping, the more it becomes your norm,” he said.

He also currently does live cook-alongs on Instagram with invited celebrities and chefs.

“Food is still my escapism. Now I enjoy being in the kitchen and making things that will serve my needs, not make things worse.”

Source: BBC News

Categories : Mental Health NeurologyTags :

Scientists Find How Enriched Environments Boost Brains

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Image by Colin Behrens from Pixabay

A recent study in Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience has shown how environmental enrichment ‘opens up’ chromosomes through the action of ‘master switches’.

Environmental enrichment, that is, making stimulating and interesting surroundings, is often used in zoos, laboratories, and farms to stimulate animals and increase their wellbeing.

Stimulating environments are better for mental health and cognition because they boost the growth and function of neurons and their connections, the glia cells that support and feed neurons, and blood vessels within the brain. But what are the deeper molecular mechanisms that first set in motion these large changes in neurophysiology? 

The study investigators utilised a large molecular toolbox to map how environmental enrichment leads to changes in the 3D organisation of chromosomes in neurons and glia cells of the mouse brain, which change the activation of some genes within the genome. 

They show that genes which in humans are important for cognitive mental health are particularly affected, possibly leading to new treatments.

Chromosome ‘opens up’ with enrichment

“Here we show for the first time, with large-scale data from many state-of-the-art methods, that young adolescent mice that grew up in an extra stimulating environment have highly specific ‘epigenetic’ changes—that is, molecular changes other than in DNA sequence—to the chromosomes within the cells of the brain cortex,” said corresponding author Dr Sergio Espeso-Gil from the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain.

He continued, “These increase the local ‘openness’ and ‘loopiness’ of the chromosomes, especially around DNA stretches called enhancers and insulators, which then fine-tune more ‘downstream’ genes. This happens not only in neurons but also in the supportive glia cells, too often ignored in studies about learning.”

The team raised mice for the first month after birth in social groups inside housing with Lego blocks, ladders, balls, and tunnels that were frequently changed and moved around. As a control, other mice were raised in smaller groups inside standard housing. The researchers then used a variety of tools to pick up molecular changes in neurons and glia cells within the brain cortex. These included alterations in the 3D structure of chromosomes, particularly the local “chromatin accessibility” (openness) and “chromatin interactions” (where distant genes are brought together through loops, to coordinate activity). Chromatins are the proteins which make up chromosomes, carrying DNA and the proteins to package them.

Epigenetic ‘master’ switches

They show that two ‘master’ switches operational after environmental enrichment increase chromatin interactions and another increases chromatin availability, important for the pyramidal neurons involved in cognition. A third works on a key chromosomal protein histone H3, activating nearby genes as a result.

These switches mainly occur around genomic regions that contain enhancers, regulatory DNA that (when bound to proteins called transcription factors) can activate neighboring genes. Also affected were genomic regions with insulators, regulatory DNA that can override the gene-activating effect of neighboring enhancers.

The team concluded that growing up in an enriched environment causes highly local and specific epigenetic changes in neurons and glia cells. These then mostly increase the activity of a few genes within the genome.

Mental health in humans

“Our results show that many of the genes involved are known to play a role in the growth and differentiation of neurons, the development of blood vessels, the formation and patterning of new synaptic connections on neurons, and molecular pathways implicated in memory and learning in mice,” said Dr Espeso-Gil.

“And when we look for parallel regions in the human genome, we find many regions that are statistically associated with differences in complex traits such as insomnia, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s in humans, which means that our study could inform future research on these disorders. This points to the potential of environmental enrichment in therapies for mental health. Our research could also help to guide future research on chromatin interactions and the poorly known importance of glial cells for cognitive mental health.”

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Sergio Espeso-Gil et al, Environmental Enrichment Induces Epigenomic and Genome Organization Changes Relevant for Cognition, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience (2021). DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.664912

Categories : Medical Research & Technology Mental HealthTags :

Distraction a Big Problem in Teletherapy Sessions

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Photo by Tracy le Blanc from Pexels

A small survey has found that although therapists appear to prefer virtual sessions over in-person meetings, a significant proportion admit to being distracted while delivering care.

A third of respondents admitted to providing lower-quality care to clients during online sessions. Overall, 39% admitted to checking emails and social media while providing virtual care.

These were the results of a survey of 600 therapists conducted and published by OnlineTherapy.com, a virtual directory for teletherapists and counselors. It’s also an affiliate of the controversial app BetterHelp, stating on their website that the company “may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.”

Online care is generally well received by therapists: nearly half said they prefer virtual sessions over in-person meetings. They appreciated many advantages of virtual therapy, such as working from home which allows therapists to keep a flexible schedule and increases their availability. Video sessions also provide therapists with a uniquely intimate look into their clients’ daily lives, making assessing their mental health easier.

However, teletherapy has introduced its own challenges. Besides the struggle to remain for therapists to stay focused themselves, 56% of those surveyed said their clients are more easily distracted during virtual sessions, and 48% reported technological issues as a major impediment to their practice.

Peter Yellowlees, MD, of UC Davis Health in Sacramento, California, noted with concern and confusion that 16% of therapists reported substance use before or during their sessions.

“There are all sorts of people in this world who call themselves therapists, most of whom have very reasonable training, but quite a number don’t,” Dr Yellowlees told MedPage Today, expressing serious doubts about whether these rates of social media distraction and substance use during virtual sessions would ring true for mental health clinicians with PhDs and MDs.

According to a spokesperson from OnlineTherapy.com, the survey only asked if respondents were currently practicing mental health professionals and did not ask for their credentials or certifications.

The results of the survey did, however, echo Dr Yellowlees’s own concerns of mental health problems on the rise of among therapists in general. The vast majority (90%) said that during the last year they suffered mental health issues, including anxiety disorders (50%) and depressive disorder (48%). This would likely impact the level of care that a therapist able to provide to their clients.

A further concern is that 17% of respondents reported seriously considered suicide since the start of the pandemic.

But  Dr Yellowlees also sees teletherapy as a way for therapists to start getting the help that they need, rather than simply treating themselves in fear of stigma or possible repercussions for their licences.

“It’s undoubtedly helped significantly,” Dr Yellowlees said. “We know that certain teletherapies are actually good for the mental health of providers, as well as the patients.”

Source: MedPage Today

Categories : Expert Opinion Mental HealthTags :

Is PTSD Underdiagnosed or Overdiagnosed?

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In an article published in the BMJ, experts debated as to whether diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are surging in Western society due to real trauma, or whether it is simply being overdiagnosed. 

Some clinicians are concerned that diagnoses of PTSD have increased throughout Western society since the late 1980s.

PTSD is a serious and uncommon condition resulting from severe trauma, but is has come to mean an umbrella term encompassing other disorders and normal reactions to stress, argued John Tully at the University of Nottingham and Dinesh Bhugra at King’s College London’s Institute for Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN).

Estimates of lifetime population prevalence are now around 7% in the US (26 million cases) and at 5% in other high income countries. In the UK, PTSD is estimated to be in 1 in 13 youths and in mothers after 4% of all births.

In military settings, there may be an underdiagnosis of PTSD, they acknowledged, as well as in the developing world due to limited psychiatric resources. 
But in other settings, they argue that PTSD is often conflated with normal responses to difficult situations, which has led to increased pressure on services to make this diagnosis. 

“The conflation of stress with trauma—and of trauma with PTSD—has become rife. This is the most convincing explanation for overdiagnosis,” they wrote.

This “concept creep” they argue, may also involve “compensation culture” and vested interests of the “trauma industry” as factors, they said. Am alternative explanation could be that psychiatry and society have become more accepting of trauma, and so give more leeway to diagnosis and treatment.

At a public health level however, they believe this approach is problematic as, “resources are finite, and a line must be drawn somewhere as to what level of symptoms meets criteria.”

PTSD misdiagnosis also risks other more common conditions, such as depression, anxiety disorder, and personality disorders, not being appropriately treated, while trivialising PTSD risks the medicalisation of everyday life, devaluing resilience and protective social factors, they warn.

“On this basis, we must reclaim the diagnosis of PTSD for what it is—a profound and severe response to catastrophic events—and not a spectrum of reactions to trauma or everyday life,” they conclude.

However Stephanie Lewis, Sarah Markham and Gerard Drennan at King’s IoPPN and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, contend that there is compelling evidence showing that PTSD is much more commonly underdiagnosed, which has concerning implications.

They say that PTSD has clear guidelines for diagnosis, and there is no evidence to suggest that it is being overdiagnosed – and rather the opposite.

“Large epidemiological studies representative of the population have found that less than half of adults and two fifths of young people who meet criteria for PTSD have sought help from any health professional,” they wrote.

“These findings fit with our professional experience that people with PTSD often find it difficult to seek help—for example, because of avoidance symptoms, concerns about stigma, or fear that there may be no effective treatment,” they write.

Additionally, only a fraction of people with PTSD who access health services receive a diagnosis, they added.

They warned that underdiagnosis is concerning because, compared to those without PTSD adults who meet the criteria are over six times more likely to attempt suicide, and 10 times for young people with PTSD. However, treatment can be effective.

They argued that underdiagnosis to PTSD should be reduced, and access increased to service for diagnosis and treatment.

“Prioritising these actions now may prove particularly timely because the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated the underdiagnosis of PTSD,” they concluded.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Is PTSD overdiagnosed? BMJ (2021). www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n787

Categories : Ageing Cancer Mental HealthTags :

Loneliness in Middle-aged Men Tied to Cancer Risk

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Older man sitting alone on beach. Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels

A recent study by the University of Eastern Finland shows that loneliness among middle-aged men is associated with an increased risk of cancer.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death around the world, and in high-income countries it has become the main cause. Recent scientific evidence demonstrates that stress plays a positive role in cancer initiation, progression and cancer metastasis, as well as a negative role for anti-tumor immune function and therapy response.

“It has been estimated, on the basis of studies carried out in recent years, that loneliness could be as significant a health risk as smoking or overweight. Our findings support the idea that attention should be paid to this issue,” said project researcher Siiri-Liisi Kraav from the University of Eastern Finland.

The study was launched in the 1980s with middle-aged men from eastern Finland participating. To avoid reverse causality, individuals who already had a cancer diagnosis or received a cancer diagnosis within two years after the baseline data collection were excluded from the analysis. The  2570 eligible participants had their health and mortality monitored on the basis of register data through to the present. Follow-up lasted an average of 20.44 years, and the average age of cancer diagnosis was 69.96 years.
Factors accounted for included age, socio-economic status, lifestyle, sleep quality, depression symptoms, body mass index, heart disease and other risk factors.

During the follow-up, 649 men (25% of participants) developed cancer, and 283 men (11%) died of cancer. Loneliness was associated with a roughlt 10% increased cancer risk. In addition, cancer mortality was higher in cancer patients who were unmarried, widowed or divorced at baseline.
Based on these results, the researchers recommended that consideration of loneliness and social relationships should be an important part of comprehensive health care and disease prevention. The findings were published in Psychiatry Research.

“Awareness of the health effects of loneliness is constantly increasing. Therefore, it is important to examine, in more detail, the mechanisms by which loneliness causes adverse health effects. This information would enable us to better alleviate loneliness and the harm caused by it, as well as to find optimal ways to target preventive measures,” concluded Kraav.

Source: University of Eastern Finland

Journal information: Kraav, S., Lehto, S.M., Kauhanen, J., Hantunen, S., Tolmunen, T., 2021. Loneliness and social isolation increase cancer incidence in a cohort of Finnish middle-aged men. A longitudinal study. Psychiatry Research: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113868

Categories : Exercise General Interest Mental HealthTags :

Hiking Prescribed for Elderly Man Coping with Lockdown

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When Jim Snodgrass, 84, was expecting to receive medication to treat his anxiety, he instead was simply given the phone number for the Ramblers, a UK-based society of nature walkers and hikers.

Dr Victor Jack said that he recognised that Jim needed “social connection” and not medication. Hiking itself also has a number of proven physical and psychological health benefits. Some may be immediate, such as decreased blood pressure, decreased stress levels, enhanced immune system functioning, and restored attention, or else occur over time, such as weight loss, decreased depression, and overall wellness.

During the first COVID lockdown in March 2020, Jim was on his own since his wife Sheila died six years previously, said he suffered a breakdown.

The grandfather-of-two said: “I was not feeling good as I was bothered with my nerves so I called the doctor and that’s when I burst into tears on the phone to the receptionist.

“She was so nice to me and got the doctor to call me. I was surprised when he didn’t give me any pills and instead gave me the number for the Ramblers.”

During lockdown doctors could give exemptions to people who lived on their own to meet one other person outside. Then last summer people were allowed to meet in groups to walk.

Presently in the UK, groups of 15 people are allowed to meet outside.

He said: “The Ramblers saved me during the last year of lockdowns. I don’t know where I would be without them with my nerves. Within two miles of walking I’m a different person. Dr Jack is an amazing man as he has saved me from my nerves in the lockdowns with this idea of his.”

Jim has walked 6.4 to 8 kilometres a day in the last year.

He said: “I even went out when the roads were icy and always stayed within a five mile radius of South Queensferry during the lockdowns. I hope my story helps someone else who is feeling bad so they know to join their local Ramblers group too.”

Dr Jack, of South Queensferry Medical Practice, told BBC Scotland his own experience with stress was used to inform Jim’s treatment.

“When Jim told me he liked walking but that he had been walking on his own I was aware that he was actually quite socially isolated as his wife had died,” Dr Jack explained. “He was benefitting from the physical part of walking but not the social side. A few years ago I joined a running club and found it very helpful for stress. This has made me recognise that any sports club has a benefit particularly through the social connection it provides.”

Dr Jack said he had seen numerous patients experiencing mental health issues during the lockdown, especially in those working from home.

Brendan Paddy, director of Ramblers Scotland, said: “Jim is truly an inspiration to us all. It’s amazing to see how he’s improved his health and happiness by getting active with his local South Queensferry Ramblers group.

“Clearly lockdown has been a hugely challenging time, yet we know that many more people like Jim are discovering the revitalising power of walking – with booming numbers enjoying Scotland’s outdoors. I’d urge anyone who’d like a bit more adventure, friendship and fresh air in their lives, to give the Ramblers a go.”

Source: BBC News

Categories : Mental HealthTags :

Dietary Supplement Treats Schizophrenia in Mouse Model

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A study has found that a simple dietary supplement reduces behavioral symptoms in mice with a genetic mutation that causes schizophrenia. 

Schizophrenia is estimated to affect about 1 in 100 people globally and is one of the top 15 leading causes of disability worldwide.

The study examined the role of betaine in schizophrenia, as it is known to be reduced in the brains of schizophrenia patients. Betaine, often associated with sweetness or umami flavours, was first isolated from sugar beets and is acquired through the diet and also produced in the body. Betaine supplements are already used clinically to treat the metabolic disease homocystinuria.

“I don’t encourage anyone to take betaine for no reason, if a doctor has not recommended it. But, we know this drug is already used clinically, so repurposing it to treat schizophrenia should be safe,” said study leader Professor Nobutaka Hirokawa, MD, PhD, from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine.
“There are treatments for schizophrenia, but they have side effects and unfortunately there is still no effective drug for patients to take that we can explain biochemically why it works,” Prof Hirokawa added.

Genetic studies have found possible links between schizophrenia and variations in the kinesin family 3b (kif3b) gene as well as another gene involved in the body’s production of betaine. The researchers categorised all 45 members of the kinesin superfamily of genes in mammals, most of which encode motor proteins that move materials throughout the cell. Together with another protein kinesin superfamily, the KIF3B protein transports cargo throughout a neuron, travelling up and down the cell’s skeleton.

The researchers mice used to model schizophrenia which had only one functional copy of the kif3b gene. These mice have different behaviours to normal mice such as avoiding social interactions and being less startled by a sound test. The Kif3b mutant mice that were raised on a diet with triple the normal amount of betaine had normal behaviour.

To work out why betaine had this effect on mice, researchers grew nerve cells with the kif3b mutation in the laboratory and added fluorescent labels so they could watch the development of cellular skeleton.

Kif3b mutant neurons grown in the lab have an unusual, overly branched structure with too many dendrites, unlike the normal tree-like shape of healthy neurons. Similar overly branched neurons are also seen in brain samples donated by people with schizophrenia, regardless of any treatments or medications they took while alive.

During healthy neuron development, the cell’s main body fills with a skeleton component called tubulin. Meanwhile, the cell’s front growth cone builds outwards in a spiky, erratic dance due to the movements of another skeleton component known as filamentous actin. In kif3b mutants, this dancing movement, which experts refer to as lamellipodial dynamics, is reduced and the distinction between tubulin and actin is blurred.

Chemical analyses of the brains of kif3b mutant mice and human schizophrenia patients reveal significant chemical damage to CRMP2, a protein which helps assemble actin. This damage causes the proteins to clump together. However, betaine is known to prevent the kind of chemical damage, carbonyl stress, responsible for CRMP2 dysfunction.

“In postmortem brains of schizophrenia patients, CRMP2 is the protein in the brain with the most carbonyl stress. Betaine likely eliminates the carbonyl stress portion of the schizophrenia equation,” said Hirokawa.

It appears that by shielding CRMP2 from damage, betaine treatment allows kif3b mutant neurons to build normal structures, allowing the remaining functional KIF3B protein can shuttle cargo around the cell. Other in vitro experiments showed that KIF3B and CRMP2 can bind together, but their exact relationship remains unclear.

“We know that the amount of betaine decreases in schizophrenia patients’ brains, so this study strongly suggests betaine could be therapeutic for at least some kinds of schizophrenia,” said Hirokawa.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: Shogo Yoshihara et al. Betaine ameliorates schizophrenic traits by functionally compensating for KIF3-based CRMP2 transport, Cell Reports (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108971

Categories : Mental HealthTags :

‘Toad Venom’ Drug for Treatment-Resistant Depression

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Dublin-based biotech company GH Research is developing an inhaled version of the psychedelic known as ‘toad venom’ be used for treatment-resistant depression.

On Monday the company announced that it had closed a Series B round to help advance its lead program, an inhalant called GH001, for psychiatric and neurological disorders. GH is beginning with treatment-resistant depression, but has two more indications which are not yet disclosed.

Treatment-resistant depression occurs when little to no success is seen from antidepressants or psychotherapy for patients with major depressive disorder. Though symptoms can be mild, they can also be severe and major depressive disorder can be life threatening.
Colloquially referred to as toad venom, it is commonly referred to as 5-MeO-DMT (5-Methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine is the official name). due to its presence in a certain toad species native to parts of North America. It can be extracted from plants, or produced artificially. The plant version used as an entheogen, a hallucinogenic drug, in some parts of Central and South America.
In the mid-2010s, the drug skyrocketed in popularity among those trying to achieve the ‘ego death’ phenomenon, a situation in which it is believed the part of the brain responsible for one’s sense of self shuts down temporarily. Users on Reddit and YouTube, engaged in an “arms race” to boast about their experiences, according to a VICE report. It is so potent that it is not considered ‘recreational’ as its effects are so strong that it needs to be taken in a safe environment. The drug is treated as a Schedule 1 narcotic in the US, with severe penalties for possession. However, there is strong interest in using it to treat anxiety and depression, with initial research showing effects similar to psilocybin, a mushroom-derived hallucinogen, but with a shorter delay in reaping the benefit.

Recently, investor interest has mounted in psychedelics-focused biotechs, most notably surrounding the Peter Thiel-backed ATAI Life Sciences, a company that uses a unique business model bringing portfolio companies under one umbrella to developing therapeutics for various mental health disorders.

GH is much more narrowly focused on its 5-MeO-DMT work, reporting that GH001 has completed a Phase I study in healthy volunteers. GH001 was shown to be well-tolerated, and it’s now in a Phase I/II trial in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

The biotech company is also working on an injectable formulation of 5-MeO-DMT, which they are calling GH002 and are also keeping quiet about its potential indications.

Source: EndPoints News

Categories : Mental HealthTags :

Teens at Risk of Psychopathy Struggle with Moral Judgments

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Teenagers with high levels of callous-unemotional traits demonstrate lower levels of anticipated guilt towards the possibility of committing an immoral act and struggle to judge an immoral act as a wrong one.

In the study, researchers examined the callous traits, ie the lack of empathy and disregard for the wellbeing and feelings of others, of 47 adolescents from the Portuguese Population between 15 and 18 years old. The adolescent participants viewed video animations portraying examples of moral transgressions, such as incriminating someone or keeping money that fell from someone else’s pocket. “This approach allowed us to create more realistic scenarios that happen in daily life,” explained Oscar Gonçalves, a neuroscientist at Proaction Lab and co-author of the study. 
The participants were asked how guilty they would feel if they were the ones to commit the moral transgressions and how unethical they felt those actions to be.

The study results differ from what is known about psychopaths, despite the callous-unemotional traits in adolescents being known to be precursors of psychopathy in adulthood. “Adults with psychopathic traits show low levels of anticipated guilt but consider immoral actions as wrong. However, in our study, adolescents with high CU levels show levels of guilt and judge immoral actions as less wrong,” explained first author Margarida Vasconcelos.

But evidence was found of a dissociation between moral emotions and moral judgment, that is, between the feelings of guilt and the judgment of immoral actions. “Even in adolescents with sub-clinical levels of callous-unemotional traits, this dissociation typical in psychopathy in adulthood is already happening during development,” explained study coordinator Ana Seara Cardoso.

The study’s results will “contribute to the development of a severe anti-social behavior model” and allow the “development of intervention targets, rehabilitation and early prevention of anti-social behavior,” said Cardoso.

Source: Medical Xpress