This week, learn about the relationship between trauma and PTSD, a new tool that may be able to predict bipolar disorder years in adance, the difference between CBT vs DBT, and more.
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This Week’s Featured Video
The likelihood of experiencing trauma is higher than most people realize. Over 70% of adults have experienced it at least once in their lives. However, only a certain percentage of those who’ve endured trauma actually develop PTSD. Here’s what you need to know.
Things You Need to Know This Week
A New Tool May Predict Bipolar Disorder Years in Advance
A new machine learning tool may detect bipolar disorder up to 4 years in advance, according to researchers at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. This could be life-changing, since detection that early could help predict treatment responses & help with managing the illness before it becomes more unmanageable.
This is significant because identifying bipolar disorder is incredibly challenging, even though it’s the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide. According to the research, “there is an average delay of 6 years between first symptoms & clinical diagnosis…only 20% of individuals with BD who have a depressive episode are diagnosed within the first year.”
For a comprehensive understanding of how to spot the symptoms, find the right diagnosis, and find the right treatment—watch our bipolar disorder masterclass with double board-certified child & adolescent psychiatrist, Dr. Dom Sportelli.
His Expertise: Dr. Dom sees & treats bipolar disorder at every age & at every level of severity. As a double board-certified psychiatrist specializing in children & adolescents, he is well-versed in how to spot its symptoms early & how to work toward a mentally well future. He works in the psychiatric ER, so he is truly an expert in diagnosing and treating all types of bipolar disorder.
Source: MedScape
The Key to Happiness: Friends or Family?
People report higher levels of happiness when spending time with friends vs. family, according to SMU psychologist & researcher Nathan Hudson.
However, Hudson stressed that “the finding has more to do with the activity than the person it’s shared with…because people tend to spend more time doing enjoyable activities with friends than they do with family members, who find themselves together doing unpleasant tasks like chores and caretaking duties.”
With this in mind, it’s important to make time for pleasurable activities with children, romantic partners, or other family members.
Family relationships play a huge role in mental and emotional health. In this video, GMA chief meteorologist Ginger Zee shares how she talks to her children about mental health. She even shares tips on how to cultivate an emotionally healthy and happy family atmosphere.
Her Experience: Ginger Zee is a daughter, wife, mother, and the chief meteorologist at Good Morning America and ABC News—so she predicts the weather for a living. But, according to her New York Times bestselling book, it hasn’t been as easy to predict her mental health journey. Her memoir, Natural Disaster: I Cover Them, I Am One, details her unexpected swings into what she calls “a black hole of depression.” After overcoming an abusive relationship and admitting herself to a psychiatric hospital, Ginger is successfully managing her own mental health.
Source: ScienceDaily
