 
In a new study, researchers in Sweden show that the dopamine system in healthy, highly creative people is similar in some respects to that seen in people with schizophrenia. (Credit: iStockphoto/Evgeny Terentev)
ScienceDaily (May 18, 2010) — New research shows a possible explanation for the link between mental health and creativity. By studying receptors in the brain, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have managed to show that the dopamine system in healthy, highly creative people is similar in some respects to that seen in people with schizophrenia.
High creative skills have been shown to be somewhat more common in people who have mental illness in the family. Creativity is also linked to a slightly higher risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Certain psychological traits, such as the ability to make unusual pr bizarre associations are also shared by schizophrenics and healthy, highly creative people. And now the correlation between creativity and mental health has scientific backing.
“We have studied the brain and the dopamine D2 receptors, and have shown that the dopamine system of healthy, highly creative people is similar to that found in people with schizophrenia,” says associate professor Fredrik Ullén from Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, co-author of the study that appears in the journal PLoS ONE.
Just which brain mechanisms are responsible for this correlation is still something of a mystery, but Dr Ullén conjectures that the function of systems in the brain that use dopamine is significant; for example, studies have shown that dopamine receptor genes are linked to ability for divergent thought. Dr Ullén’s study measured the creativity of healthy individuals using divergent psychological tests, in which the task was to find many different solutions to a problem.
“The study shows that highly creative people who did well on the divergent tests had a lower density of D2 receptors in the thalamus than less creative people,” says Dr Ullén. “Schizophrenics are also known to have low D2 density in this part of the brain, suggesting a cause of the link between mental illness and creativity.”
The thalamus serves as a kind of relay centre, filtering information before it reaches areas of the cortex, which is responsible, amongst other things, for cognition and reasoning.
“Fewer D2 receptors in the thalamus probably means a lower degree of signal filtering, and thus a higher flow of information from the thalamus,” says Dr Ullén, and explains that this could a possible mechanism behind the ability of healthy highly creative people to see numerous uncommon connections in a problem-solving situation and the bizarre associations found in the mentally ill.
“Thinking outside the box might be facilitated by having a somewhat less intact box,” says Dr Ullén about his new findings.
Journal Reference:
- Örjan de Manzano, Simon Cervenka, Anke Karabanov, Lars Farde, Fredrik Ullén, Aldo Rustichini. Thinking Outside a Less Intact Box: Thalamic Dopamine D2 Receptor Densities Are Negatively Related to Psychometric Creativity in Healthy Individuals. PLoS ONE, 2010; 5 (5): e10670 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010670
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100518064610.htm
 
 We trawl the world’s journals so you don’t have to:
Interrogations and confessions (Law and Human Behaviour).
Attachment theory and research (Journal of Social and Personal Relationships).
Treating rural and isolated clients (Journal of Clinical Psychology).
Advances in the research of social anxiety and its disorder (Anxiety, Stress and Coping).
Researcher allegiance in the psychological therapies (European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling).
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 We trawl the world’s journals so you don’t have to:
Interrogations and confessions (Law and Human Behaviour).
Attachment theory and research (Journal of Social and Personal Relationships).
Treating rural and isolated clients (Journal of Clinical Psychology).
Advances in the research of social anxiety and its disorder (Anxiety, Stress and Coping).
Researcher allegiance in the psychological therapies (European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling).
 
Article Date: 13 May 2010 – 8:00 PDT
A new study has found that shift workers who consume caffeine make fewer errors. Researchers say the findings of this study have implications for health workers and for any industry relying on shift or night work, such as transportation.
Approximately 1 in every 7 shift workers in industrialized nations is involved in some shift or night time work, which may affect natural circadian rhythms or ‘body clocks’. In shift work disorder (SWD) employees sleep only for limited periods and as a result can become very drowsy during working hours. Drowsiness is believed to raise the risk of hazards, such as traffic crashes, occupational injuries and medical errors.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/188659.php
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Article Date: 13 May 2010 – 8:00 PDT
A new study has found that shift workers who consume caffeine make fewer errors. Researchers say the findings of this study have implications for health workers and for any industry relying on shift or night work, such as transportation.
Approximately 1 in every 7 shift workers in industrialized nations is involved in some shift or night time work, which may affect natural circadian rhythms or ‘body clocks’. In shift work disorder (SWD) employees sleep only for limited periods and as a result can become very drowsy during working hours. Drowsiness is believed to raise the risk of hazards, such as traffic crashes, occupational injuries and medical errors.
Read in Full:Â http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/188659.php
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 14, 2010
A new study suggests traits of sensitivity and caring are strengths rather than weaknesses for women leaders.
Researchers discover that once a woman shatters the stereotype that women in business are too sensitive or just not as competent as men, the common biases may work in her favor.
A perception of sensitivity and competence causes women to be evaluated as better leaders than men in comparable positions, according to a recent study in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
The research, led by Ashleigh Shelby Rosette of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, showed that top women executives credited with responsibility for their own success can be viewed simultaneously as more competent and more relationship-oriented than men, leading them to be perceived as more effective leaders than their male counterparts.
“In business environments, even if women are thought to be sufficiently competent, they are frequently thought to be not very nice,†said Rosette.
“But on the tiptop rungs of the corporate ladder, competence and niceness may have a certain level of compatibility for women top leaders.â€
With the assistance of graduate student and co-author Leigh Plunkett Tost, Rosette conducted two separate experiments to assess if women could be simultaneously evaluated as competent and relational, and if that combination is what sets top successful women executives apart.
In the first study, 323 graduate and undergraduate students reviewed fictitious newspaper clippings and then evaluated the male or female CEOs mentioned in the stories on their competence and relational characteristics.
Rosette and Tost found that when the newspaper articles portrayed women CEOs as successful and gave them credit for that success, the students evaluated them more favorably — as both more competent and more relational — than comparable male CEOs.
In a second study, Rosette and Tost sought to determine why this advantage exists and whether it occurs at other levels of the corporate organization or just at the top.
More than 100 graduate and undergraduate students reviewed fictitious job descriptions and performance summaries and then evaluated the male or female employees as before. Although both top executives and middle managers were described as successful, students only evaluated females more favorably than males when they were in top-level positions.
They rated these women as more competent for having faced double standards and triumphing over exceptional hurdles.
Participants in the second study also rated women as more relationship-oriented because they expected top women to engage in a more traditionally ‘feminized’ type of leadership, an employee-focused leadership style that is increasingly viewed as effective.
Both the double standard and feminization of management perceptions help explain why women top leaders were rated as more effective leaders overall than men.
“Let’s face it, women are often viewed as having to work twice as hard to get half as far and successful women executives may benefit from this perception, leading to a female leader advantage,†Rosette explained.
“Additionally, the business mantra to ‘think leader, think male’ may begin to fade as employees and other stakeholders gradually begin to value those leadership skills that focus on relationships and not just traditional leader traits that are more in line with masculinity.â€
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/14/women-well-suited-to-be-leaders/13829.html
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Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 14, 2010
A new study suggests traits of sensitivity and caring are strengths rather than weaknesses for women leaders.
Researchers discover that once a woman shatters the stereotype that women in business are too sensitive or just not as competent as men, the common biases may work in her favor.
A perception of sensitivity and competence causes women to be evaluated as better leaders than men in comparable positions, according to a recent study in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
The research, led by Ashleigh Shelby Rosette of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, showed that top women executives credited with responsibility for their own success can be viewed simultaneously as more competent and more relationship-oriented than men, leading them to be perceived as more effective leaders than their male counterparts.
“In business environments, even if women are thought to be sufficiently competent, they are frequently thought to be not very nice,†said Rosette.
“But on the tiptop rungs of the corporate ladder, competence and niceness may have a certain level of compatibility for women top leaders.â€
With the assistance of graduate student and co-author Leigh Plunkett Tost, Rosette conducted two separate experiments to assess if women could be simultaneously evaluated as competent and relational, and if that combination is what sets top successful women executives apart.
In the first study, 323 graduate and undergraduate students reviewed fictitious newspaper clippings and then evaluated the male or female CEOs mentioned in the stories on their competence and relational characteristics.
Rosette and Tost found that when the newspaper articles portrayed women CEOs as successful and gave them credit for that success, the students evaluated them more favorably — as both more competent and more relational — than comparable male CEOs.
In a second study, Rosette and Tost sought to determine why this advantage exists and whether it occurs at other levels of the corporate organization or just at the top.
More than 100 graduate and undergraduate students reviewed fictitious job descriptions and performance summaries and then evaluated the male or female employees as before. Although both top executives and middle managers were described as successful, students only evaluated females more favorably than males when they were in top-level positions.
They rated these women as more competent for having faced double standards and triumphing over exceptional hurdles.
Participants in the second study also rated women as more relationship-oriented because they expected top women to engage in a more traditionally ‘feminized’ type of leadership, an employee-focused leadership style that is increasingly viewed as effective.
Both the double standard and feminization of management perceptions help explain why women top leaders were rated as more effective leaders overall than men.
“Let’s face it, women are often viewed as having to work twice as hard to get half as far and successful women executives may benefit from this perception, leading to a female leader advantage,†Rosette explained.
“Additionally, the business mantra to ‘think leader, think male’ may begin to fade as employees and other stakeholders gradually begin to value those leadership skills that focus on relationships and not just traditional leader traits that are more in line with masculinity.â€
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/14/women-well-suited-to-be-leaders/13829.html
 
Depression is a very tricky illness. It can mask itself in physical symptoms so that both physician and patient are unaware of what is really causing the somatic problems. What makes it even more tricky is that these symptoms are not “just in your head.” In other words, depression can cause real changes in the body. This is why it is important to consult your Medical Doctor if there are persistent physical symptoms. A complete physical examination with blood and urine test will allow your MD to rule out any disease or organic process. Then, he will refer you to a therapist or psychiatrist for treatment.
Following are some examples of physical symptoms typical in depression:
1. Headaches: Common in people with depression, even if you have migraine headaches, depression may make the pain feel worse.
2. Back pain: Depression can either cause back pain or cause suffers with back pain feel worse.
3. Muscle aches and pain can be worsened for sufferers with depression or caused by the same.
4. Chest pain: Never be your own doctor. In the event of chest pain, either see your MD or go to the emergency room. If a heart attack of condition is ruled out the pain might be the result of depression.
5. Stomach problems such as feeling, nauseous or having diarrhea or chronic constipation could be due to depression.
6. Exhaustion and fatigue regardless of the amount of sleep you get can result from depression. This is equally true for the opposite, loss of sleep.
7. Insomnia: Many people with depression complain that they do not sleep soundly.
8. Any change in appetite or weight can be caused by depression.
9. Dizziness or light-headed.
Read in Full:Â http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=37042&cn=5
Â
Depression is a very tricky illness. It can mask itself in physical symptoms so that both physician and patient are unaware of what is really causing the somatic problems. What makes it even more tricky is that these symptoms are not “just in your head.” In other words, depression can cause real changes in the body. This is why it is important to consult your Medical Doctor if there are persistent physical symptoms. A complete physical examination with blood and urine test will allow your MD to rule out any disease or organic process. Then, he will refer you to a therapist or psychiatrist for treatment.
Following are some examples of physical symptoms typical in depression:
1. Headaches: Common in people with depression, even if you have migraine headaches, depression may make the pain feel worse.
2. Back pain: Depression can either cause back pain or cause suffers with back pain feel worse.
3. Muscle aches and pain can be worsened for sufferers with depression or caused by the same.
4. Chest pain: Never be your own doctor. In the event of chest pain, either see your MD or go to the emergency room. If a heart attack of condition is ruled out the pain might be the result of depression.
5. Stomach problems such as feeling, nauseous or having diarrhea or chronic constipation could be due to depression.
6. Exhaustion and fatigue regardless of the amount of sleep you get can result from depression. This is equally true for the opposite, loss of sleep.
7. Insomnia: Many people with depression complain that they do not sleep soundly.
8. Any change in appetite or weight can be caused by depression.
9. Dizziness or light-headed.
Read in Full:Â http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=37042&cn=5
Jan
22
 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on May 14, 2010
A new study confirms an observation that has been noted for millennia – that a simple conversation with mother will calm the nerves of preteen girls.
Researchers discovered the phone call triggers the release of a powerful stress-quelling hormone.
Leslie Seltzer, a University of Wisconsin-Madison biological anthropologist, tested a group of seven- to 12-year-old girls with an impromptu speech and series of math problems in front of a panel of strangers, sending their hearts racing and levels of cortisol – a hormone associated with stress – soaring.
“Facing a challenge like that, being evaluated, raises stress levels for a lot of people,†says Seth Pollak, psychology professor and director of UW-Madison’s Child Emotion Lab.
Once stressed, one third of the girls were comforted in person by their mothers – specifically with hugs, an arm around the shoulders and the like. One third were left to watch an emotionally neutral 75-minute video. The rest were handed a telephone. It was mom on the line, and the effect was dramatic.
“The children who got to interact with their mothers had virtually the same hormonal response, whether they interacted in person or over the phone,†Seltzer says.
The girls’ levels of oxytocin, often called the “love hormone†and strongly associated with emotional bonding, rose significantly and the stress-marking cortisol washed away.
“It was understood that oxytocin release in the context of social bonding usually required physical contact,†Seltzer says. “But it’s clear from these results that a mother’s voice can have the same effect as a hug, even if they’re not standing there.â€
And the reprieve from stress or anxiety is a lasting one.
“It stays well beyond that stressful task,†Pollak says. “By the time the children go home, they’re still enjoying the benefits of this relief and their cortisol levels are still low.â€
The findings – which were published Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B – square with a “tend and befriend†theory explaining how stress regulation may differ between males and females.
Confronted with a threat, males may be more likely to choose between fight and flight. A female with offspring in tow or slowed by pregnancy, however, may have to make different choices.
“You might not be able to run with a child or defend yourself without endangering both of you,†Seltzer said.
Instead, Seltzer explained, it might make more sense for a female to create or use a social bond to deal with a stressor – either through touch or soothing vocal communication.
“Apparently this hormone, oxytocin, reduces stress in females after both types of contact, and in doing so may strengthen bonds between individuals,†she said.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/05/14/mothers-voice-calms-stress/13825.html