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Autism and the Inability to “Mentalize” May Diminish Faith and Belief in God
People with traits associated with autism, particularly traits associated with mentalizing deficits, are less likely to believe in God, according to a new study Autism and the Inability to “Mentalize” May Diminish Faith and Belief in God BY CHRISTINE HSU | MAY 31, 2012 People with traits associated with autism, particularly traits associated with mentalizing deficits, are less likely to believe in God, according to a new study. The latest discovery strengthens the psychological theory that the likelihood of having religious belief largely depends on the ability for “theory of mind” or ‘mentalization’, a concept described as being able to imagine what others are thinking and to perceive and interpret…
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Estrogen fluctuations, oral contraceptives and borderline personality
BPD symptoms were most common in women using oral contraceptives and during times in the menstrual cycle when estrogen level is rising. Estrogen fluctuations, oral contraceptives and borderline personality Results from three studies suggest fluctuation in estrogen level may influence the expression of borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms. In the first study, 226 women were administered the Personality Assessment Inventory, borderline scales (PAI-BOR; L.C. Morey, The Personality Assessment Inventory, Professional Manual, 1991) and a questionnaire that assessed time in menstrual cycle and use of oral contraceptives, that is synthetic estrogens. BPD symptoms were most common in women using oral contraceptives and during times in the menstrual cycle when estrogen level…
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Advancing Neuroscience Research: America’s Next Great Challenge
Mental health care insurance parity—which has been codified in federal law but has been poorly implemented—is an issue like the civil-rights movement, he said. “We need to end treatment of mental illness as segregation. It’s health care for the whole person.” Advancing Neuroscience Research: America’s Next Great Challenge (link) Aaron Levin The opening of the new Menninger Clinic provides an opportunity for leaders in psychiatry and neuroscience to offer visions of the future. Psychiatry and neuroscience need revised agendas, said speakers at a symposium in Houston who looked at the intertwined disciplines from the views of consumers, clinicians, and researchers. The April 12 event marked the opening of the new…
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DSM-5 Field Trials Generate Mixed Results
Preliminary results are mixed for the recently completed field trials for the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), according to the first public presentation of the findings here at the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA’s) 2012 Annual Meeting. DSM-5 Field Trials Generate Mixed Results Deborah Brauser May 8, 2012 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) — Preliminary results are mixed for the recently completed field trials for the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), according to the first public presentation of the findings here at the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA’s) 2012 Annual Meeting. Diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity…
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Reviving Plain Old Therapy with Mentalization
We are blessed with a spate of evidence-based therapies for specific psychiatric disorders and cursed with all their acronyms—CBT, DBT, TFP, ERP, SIT, IPT, EMDR, and MBSR, to name a few. Reviving Plain Old Therapy (link) Jon G. Allen, Ph.D. We are blessed with a spate of evidence-based therapies for specific psychiatric disorders and cursed with all their acronyms—CBT, DBT, TFP, ERP, SIT, IPT, EMDR, and MBSR, to name a few. We cannot rely solely on these specialized treatments: there are so many that therapists cannot possibly learn them all, many patients present with multiple disorders, and many therapists treat a wide variety of patients. We need generalists alongside specialists.…