Research suggests meditation and mental exercises may be better than drugs at helping people cope with attention problems. Read more…
Alex Nabaum
MIND
Alex NabaumStories as a Window Into Schizophrenia
By ANNE SAKEROral history provides a new way of seeing people who are living with schizophrenia. Read more…
Reading Pain in a Human Face
By JAN HOFFMAN
Kang Lee, Marian BartlettCan you tell which expressions show real pain and which ones are feigned? A study found that human observers had no better than a 55 percent rate of success, even with training, while a computer was accurate about 85 percent of the time. (The answers: A. Fake. B. Real. C. Real.)Researchers have found that a computer is much better than people are at telling the difference between real and faked pain, a discovery that may lead to methods to detect children’s pain and to treat depression. Read more…
The Antidepressant Generation
By DORIS IAROVICI, M.D.
Stuart BradfordA growing number of young adults are taking psychiatric medicines for longer and longer periods, at the very age when they are also consolidating their identities, making plans for the future and navigating adult relationships. Read more…
James SteinbergDo Brain Workouts Work? Science Isn’t Sure
By TARA PARKER-POPETools like Lumosity promise to stimulate your mind, though researchers question how much they improve cognitive performance. Read more…
Collecting Data on a Good Night’s Sleep
By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER
The Aura sleep system includes a bedside table device that emits light and sound meant to help people relax at night and wake up in the morning.New apps and gadgets like Sleepbot, Beddit and Sleep Cycle can track problems with sleep and waking and, ideally, offer insights that can lead to improvement. Read more…
Joshua McKerrow for The New York TimesKat McKerrow of Baltimore listening to an iPhone app called Calm, which offers guided meditation. Such apps have large followings, but researchers say their effects are difficult to measure.Seeking Serenity on a Screen
By ANAHAD O'CONNORThough smartphones are a source of stress and distraction for many people, apps for meditation have also become popular. Read more…
Sleep Apnea May Worsen Diabetes
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Sleep apnea can worsen blood sugar control in people with Type 2 diabetes by disrupting the deepest stage of sleep, a new study suggests. Read more…
Share Your Story About Postpartum Depression
By THE NEW YORK TIMESHave you faced problems related to pregnancy or the birth of a child? We’d like to hear your story. Read more…
Coffee as a Memory Booster
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
A shot of caffeine might improve your memory, a new study suggests. Read more…
Stephen Maturen for The New York TimesJackie Kopplin of Coon Rapids, Minn., had an upper airway stimulator implanted to help treat obstructive sleep apnea.For Sleep Apnea Patients, a Possible Alternative to Masks
By CATHERINE SAINT LOUISMany patients, finding the mask an unwieldy or uncomfortable treatment, do not use it. Read more…
Overturning the Myth of Valley Girl Speak
By JAN HOFFMAN
Courtesy of Paramount PicturesA scene from the 1995 movie "Clueless."Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, took a close look at today’s uptalk, popularized during the 1980s as Valley Girl Speak. Read more…
Viktor KoenA New Focus on Depression
By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN, M.D.Depression has proved remarkably hard to subdue, but cooperative biomedical research efforts are starting to show promise. Read more…
Ray Massey/Getty ImagesWho Says Laughter’s the Best Medicine?
By JAN HOFFMANJust in time to protect patients from the dangers of holiday cheer, a new scholarly review from a British medical journal describes many harmful effects wrought by laughter. Read more…
Tim RobinsonTerrible Twos Who Stay Terrible
By DAVID DOBBSA normal toddler and a violent criminal may have much in common. Researchers are discovering that aggression may occur in people who have never outgrown their terrible twos. Read more…
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