An ever-expanding methodological toolbox is one of the privileges of 21st century science. For most of us, the pace of Moore’s law-driven technological advancement is now so familiar as to be almost taken for granted. However, the mere availability of technologically-advanced new methods is not a guaranteed solution to any…
When it first emerged just over a decade ago, D-cycloserine (DCS) enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for anxiety was hailed as one of the best examples of translational research in psychiatry. But does this apparent wonder drug really enhance the effects of exposure-based CBT? A recently published meta-analysis attempts to…
The relationship between the body and the mind is probably one of the most elusive aspects of medicine. Although topics such as placebo effect and medically unexplained symptoms capture our imagination, it is the co-occurrence of common physical and mental health problems that impacts the most on patients’ well-being and…
The American Journal of Medical Genetics has dedicated its March issue to the study of anxiety, including a contribution from our own lab! Here, I summarise some of the exciting developments it describes.
Thalia’s recent blog post highlighted the devastating fact that suicide is now the leading cause of death of young people (ages 20-34) in England and Wales. Moreover, the issue of the gender difference in suicide rates was raised. Thalia’s post noted that “whilst women are much more likely to be…
In May this year I’ll be running my first marathon. Training is gruelling and involves running upwards of 40km a week, my legs ache for a significant amount of the time, and I’ve had to turn down Sunday brunch on more than one occasion – my excuse being “…but my…
Microbiome research has not yet reshaped our conceptions of mental health etiology and treatment (see my previous article), but it should be causing havoc in the social sciences – particularly for anthropologists, who have long sought to understand cross-cultural conceptions of the ‘individual’ and ‘relatedness’.
It might surprise you that your body is made up of only 10% human cells. There are trillions of microscopic creatures living and dying all over you, and these are particularly diverse and numerous in the human gut. Mounting evidence suggests that microbes aren’t all enemies but are vital to…
One of the main challenges associated with conveying findings from behavioural genetic research concerns the relationship between aetiology and intervention. In part, this is because of the widely-held understanding among the lay public that something being “in your genes” means that your fate is sealed. But this challenge is more…
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) affects up to 2% of the population and is associated with serious impairment and disruption among sufferers. Yet, compared to other psychiatric problems, it remains relatively under-researched. Here, I describe our findings from a recent study of the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy for adolescent BDD.
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