7 Very Personal Words of Pastoral Consolation for Parents Grieving the Loss of a Child to Suicide – From a Minister Who Lives With DepressionArticles>Mental HealthBy The RanchSeptember 29, 2015In the weeks before he took his own life this September (National Suicide Prevention Month), 22-year-old “Dylan,” a Christian college student at a school in the Southeast, wrote of his love for the mountains. The mountains, he said in a blog post, were where he heard God speak to him “the clearest and the loudest.”… Details
Loving Interactions Decrease Impact of PTSD, Brain Scans FindHelpful Articles, Mental HealthBy The RanchSeptember 29, 2015People affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly experience symptoms that include prominently negative states of mind and an inability to control fearful emotions associated with the built-in human “fight-or-flight” response. In a study published in November 2014 in the journal Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, researchers from the United Kingdom’s University of Exeter looked… Details
PTSD-Related Sleep Problems Far Different From InsomniaArticles>Trauma and PTSDBy The RanchSeptember 26, 2015New research from a group of American and Australian researchers indicates that people with PTSD have more varied and unpredictable sleeping difficulties than people without PTSD who have diagnosable cases of insomnia.
Mixing Alcohol With Energy Drinks Sets Stage for Problem DrinkingAlcoholism, Helpful ArticlesBy The RanchSeptember 26, 2015A new study has found a link between energy drink consumption and abusive drinking, including among teenagers aged 15 to 17, adding weight to previous associations observed in college-age drinkers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol use is responsible for 88,000 deaths every year in the U.S., and understanding… Details
Researchers Discover Brain Changes Behind Sex AddictionArticles>Addiction ResearchBy The RanchSeptember 25, 2015Certain changes in brain function help distinguish people with sex addiction from others not affected by this condition, according to recent findings from a group of British and American researchers.
Risks for Cirrhosis Pass Through Family BloodlinesArticles>Alcohol Abuse and AlcoholismBy The RanchSeptember 24, 2015New evidence from a multinational research team points to the existence of a genetic component in the chances that any given alcohol consumer will develop a severe form of alcoholic liver disease known as alcoholic cirrhosis.
New Study Brings Scientists Closer to Blocking Effects of CocaineArticles>Addiction ResearchBy The RanchSeptember 24, 2015Coming up with a medical treatment for cocaine abusers is one of the holy grails of addiction research, and a new study from Denmark provides hope for an antidote to cocaine addiction. Although the researchers caution that this isn’t a “wonder drug,” as long as patients were happy to continue with traditional rehab, it could… Details
Poker or Slots? Gambling Disorder Produces Unique Effects in Different Types of GamblersArticles>Mental HealthBy The RanchSeptember 24, 2015All people diagnosed with the behavioral addiction called gambling disorder have symptoms that indicate serious problems related to several aspects of gambling-related activities. However, the impact of the disorder may not manifest in the same ways in all individuals. In a study published in 2014 in the journal Addiction, a team of Australian and U.S.… Details
Surviving and Thriving After Trauma: An Interview With Michele RosenthalRecoveryBy The RanchSeptember 24, 2015Michele Rosenthal has turned her personal experience with post-traumatic stress disorder into an extensive body of work, one that provides her insights into healing on almost every platform imaginable. The award-winning blogger — she founded HealMyPTSD.com — bestselling author, former faculty member of the Timberline Knolls Clinical Development Institute, and host of the radio program… Details
Patients With Pain Often Have Misconceptions About Opioid AddictionArticles>Addiction ResearchBy The RanchSeptember 23, 2015A new study on pain management suggests that many patients being treated with prescription painkilling drugs are confused about their options and about the risks for dependence and addiction that are associated with prescription opioids. The study was conducted by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published in… Details
