The first implantable pacemaker was designed in 1958 to treat heart arrhythmias. But what about a brain pacemaker for depression? What if we could use that 50 year-old cardiology device to treat modern day depression? Dr. John Zajecka of the Rush University Medical Center and his team used a pacemaker-like implant to treat patients with […]
Archives for June 2011
Compassion Fatigue: How to Treat Yourself so that You Can Treat Your Patients
I’ve been talking a lot about trauma and trauma prevention in the past weeks, yet there is one group of individuals with a potential risk of traumatization who I haven’t yet discussed: you. Anyone in the health or mental health community inherently knows about compassion fatigue, even if you don’t know the official definitions. How […]
Which Symptoms of PTSD Cause the Most Damage?
Understanding the damage caused by certain symptoms may help us improve the quality of life for patients with PTSD. Lori Zoellner PhD, Director of the University of Washington’s Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress, published a study in the Journal of Psychiatric Services. By interviewing 184 people seeking treatment for PTSD, she found specific symptoms […]
Therapeutic Touch and its Effectiveness in Treating Anxiety
Do you know someone who has struggled to break free from anxiety? According to a study conducted by Patricia Heidt, Ph.D., R.N., therapeutic touch could bring a new dimension to their healing. In this study, published in Nursing Research, Dr. Heidt looked at the effectiveness of therapeutic touch on 90 subjects’ anxiety levels in a […]
Can a Broken Heart Lead to Cardiovascular Problems?
Is it possible that attachment issues can have a significant impact on the development of disease? A new study, published in Health Psychology, took a look at adult attachment and it’s link to health conditions. Lachlan McWilliams, PhD of Acadia University in Nova Scotia, department of psychology, studied 5,645 adults between the ages of 18 […]