Anxiety News

July 26, 2024

Top Headlines

Could Wearable Devices Adversely Affect Health?

July 24, 2024 — For patients with Afib, using a wearable device can lead to higher rates of anxiety about their Afib symptoms and treatment, doctor visits, and use of informal healthcare resources, according to a new ...

Genetic Study Points to Oxytocin as Possible Treatment for Obesity and Postnatal Depression

July 2, 2024 — Scientists have identified a gene which, when missing or impaired, can cause obesity, behavioural problems and, in mothers, postnatal depression. The discovery, reported today in Cell, may have wider ...

Brain's 'Escape Switch' Controlled by Threat Sensitivity Dial

June 26, 2024 — Neuroscientists have discovered how the brain bidirectionally controls sensitivity to threats to initiate and complete escape behaviour in mice. These findings could help unlock new directions for discovering therapies for anxiety and post-traumatic ...

A Dog's Puppyhood Can Cause 'Puppy Blues' Reminiscent of Baby Blues

June 28, 2024 — Bringing a puppy home is usually a happy event, but sometimes the life change that comes with it can provoke significant negative emotions. Researchers found that almost half of dog owners experience anxiety, weariness or frustration during their ...

Latest Headlines

updated 9:28pm EDT

Stroke Recovery: It's in the Genes

July 24, 2024 — New research has found that specific genes may be related to the trajectory of recovery for stroke survivors, providing doctors insights useful for developing targeted ...

Resiliency Shaped by Activity in the Gut Microbiome and Brain

June 21, 2024 — A new study has found that resilient people exhibit neural activity in the brain regions associated with improved cognition and regulating of emotions, and were more mindful and better at describing ...

Shining Light on Mental Health in Space Science Community

June 19, 2024 — The severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the planetary science community is greater than in the general U.S. population, according to a new ...

A High-Fat Diet May Fuel Anxiety

June 17, 2024 — New research shows when animals are fed a diet high in saturated fat for nine weeks, their gut bacteria change in ways that influence brain chemicals and fuel ...

Confronting Trauma Alleviates Chronic Pain Among Older Veterans

June 13, 2024 — A new study found chronic pain among older adults could be significantly reduced through a newly developed psychotherapy that works by confronting past trauma and stress-related emotions that can ...

New Study Reveals Links Between Social Anxiety, Depression and Suicidal Thoughts in Adolescents

June 10, 2024 — A longitudinal study using a big dataset of 2,400 young people recruited from the UK found that social anxiety symptoms (measured at the outset) were ...

Poor Quality Diet Makes Our Brains Sad

June 5, 2024 — Eating a poor quality diet might lead to brain changes that are associated with depression and anxiety. This is according to a first-of-its-kind study into the brain chemistry and structure, and diet ...

Veterans With Service Dogs Have Fewer PTSD Symptoms, Higher Quality of Life

June 4, 2024 — Veterans who were paired with a service dog for just three months were 66% less likely to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress ...

Study Shows How Justice Facility Dogs Benefit Wellbeing for Children Facing Court

June 4, 2024 — A new study has revealed that having a four-legged friend at Children's Court significantly reduces stress and anxiety for young victims, witnesses, ...

Stress Bragging May Make You Seem Less Competent, Less Likable at Work

May 23, 2024 — While work is occasionally stressful for everyone, some people wear stress as a badge of honor. They're taking one for the team and want to tell you all about it. New research found people who brag ...

Can Doomscrolling Trigger an Existential Crisis?

July 18, 2024 — In a new study on the impact of doomscrolling from an existential perspective, researchers warn that habitual checking of disturbing stories on social media is linked with changes to how we view ...

How Uncertainty Builds Anxiety

June 25, 2024 — Alfred Hitchcock observed that 'There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.' A common way to build suspense in a movie scene is for the audience to know something bad is ...

Family Psychiatric History: Effects on Siblings of Children With Autism

June 19, 2024 — Children who have an older sibling with autism spectrum disorder (autism) are at greater risk of developmental vulnerabilities if they also have other relatives with neurodevelopmental or psychiatric ...

Researchers Unveil Shared and Unique Brain Molecular Dysregulations in PTSD and Depression

May 23, 2024 — Researchers analyzed multi-omic data from 231 people with PTSD or depression to uncover distinct molecular differences that might affect systems such as the nervous and immune systems, to contribute ...

One in Two Children With ADHD Experience Emotional Problems

May 22, 2024 — Scientists have shown that problems regulating emotions -- which can manifest as depression, anxiety and explosive outbursts -- may be a core symptom of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ...

Exercise Spurs Neuron Growth and Rewires the Brain, Helping Mice Forget Traumatic and Addictive Memories

May 20, 2024 — Researchers have found that increased neuron formation and the subsequent rewiring of neural circuits in the hippocampus through exercise or genetic manipulation helps mice forget traumatic or ...

Study Shows Heightened Sensitivity to PTSD in Autism

May 9, 2024 — A new study shows that a mild stress is enough to trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in mouse models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers demonstrated that the two disorders ...

Childhood Maltreatment Responsible for Up to 40 Percent of Mental Health Conditions

May 8, 2024 — A study has found the widespread impact of child abuse and neglect, with analysis suggesting they cause nearly half of common mental conditions. Researchers say childhood maltreatment should be ...

Virtual Reality Environment for Teens May Offer an Accessible, Affordable Way to Reduce Stress

May 1, 2024 — Working with teens, researchers designed RESeT: a snowy virtual world with six activities intended to improve mood. In a 3-week study of 44 teens, researchers found that most of the teens used the ...

Pregnancy Cytokine Levels Impact Fetal Brain Development and Offspring Behavior

Apr. 26, 2024 — Researchers have discovered in a preclinical model that cytokines, proteins that control immune response, circulating in maternal blood during pregnancy may mitigate an offspring's risk for ...

Low Intensity Exercise Linked to Reduced Depression

Apr. 24, 2024 — New research has found a significant association between participating in low to moderate intensity exercise and reduced rates of ...

Social Media Affects People's Views on Mental Illness

Apr. 23, 2024 — Even subtle differences in the wording of social media messages may be enough to sway young people's beliefs about depression and anxiety and their ...

Physical Activity Reduces Stress-Related Brain Activity to Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Apr. 15, 2024 — Over a ten-year period, biobank participants who met recommended levels of physical activity had a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and the protective effects were even more pronounced in ...

Study Finds Increased Anxiety and PTSD Among People Who Remained in Ukraine

Apr. 11, 2024 — Researchers conducted a survey to understand how the mental health of displaced Ukrainians has been affected by the ongoing war. Their findings describe high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder ...

Chemical Found Naturally in Cannabis May Reduce Anxiety-Inducing Effects of THC, Researchers Show

Apr. 10, 2024 — New research adds to evidence that a chemical found naturally in cannabis can -- in the right amounts -- lessen the anxiety-inducing effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive ...

Brain Stimulation Treatment May Improve Depression, Anxiety in Older Adults

Apr. 10, 2024 — A noninvasive brain stimulation treatment improved depression and anxiety symptoms among older adults in a new ...

Prairie Voles Display Signs of Human-Like Depression

Apr. 4, 2024 — Researchers make the case that prairie voles, small rodents that are found throughout the central United States and Canada, can be effectively used as animal models to further the study of clinical ...

Feeding the Lonely Brain

Apr. 4, 2024 — A new study has found that women who perceive themselves to be lonely exhibited activity in regions of the brain associated with cravings and motivation towards eating especially when shown pictures ...

For Younger Women, Mental Health Now May Predict Heart Health Later

Mar. 28, 2024 — Younger women are generally thought to have a low risk of heart disease, but new research urges clinicians to revisit that assumption, especially for women who suffer from certain mental health ...

People With Depression See No Immediate Change from Common GP Assessment, Study Shows

Mar. 27, 2024 — A common GP assessment used to monitor depression treatment does not provide any immediate benefits to patients. Experts testing the PHQ-9 assessment that measures the severity of depression found it ...