Mental Health Archive

In the journals

So far, research has been mixed on whether brain training programs can improve or slow memory decline. Yet a new study published online Jan. 4, 2018, by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that brain training may help people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the stage between normal brain aging and dementia.

Researchers recruited 145 adults, average age 72, who were diagnosed with MCI. They were split into three groups. Those in one group did two hours of brain training every week for two months. The training focused on improving memory by learning new strategies to better encode information. For example, they remembered errands by associating tasks with specific locations in their home, a process called method of loci. They also practiced how to better control their attention.

Research we're watching

Drinking too much alcohol could raise the risk of developing early-onset dementia, says a study published online Feb. 20, 2018, by The Lancet Public Health.

Sometimes the emotional part of cancer is the toughest test.

Any kind of cancer diagnosis is life-changing. There suddenly are many decisions to make about treatments, possible surgery, and recovery. It can be a lot to deal with. But one part of the cancer process that often gets pushed aside is the psychological aspect — how do you manage the many emotions that come with it?

"The natural response to hearing 'cancer' is to feel a surge of anxiety and negative thoughts like 'I'm going to die,'" says Dr. John Peteet, head of the psychosocial oncology fellowship at the Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "Yet many men are reluctant to admit this and keep their feelings inside, so it's tough to know when they need help with this part of a cancer diagnosis."

Many people have taken a friend’s or family member’s pain medication on occasion, but the ongoing opioid crisis has drawn attention to such behavior, forcing doctors, hospice workers, and other care providers to tighten their procedures and track quantities and dosages of pills more carefully.

The health risks of loneliness and isolation have been known for some time, but more recently research has shown the specific effects in the brain. Finding ways to make connections with other people is the best "medicine" to alleviate the mental and physical effects of loneliness.