Psychology Around the Net: June 9, 2018

I hope each and every one of you had an amazing week and are ready to catch up on some of the latest in mental health news!

This week’s Psychology Around the Net features various studies — such as one regarding the dangers of the loneliness epidemic and how the hunger hormone could help create medicine for alcohol use disorder — truths to help you get through tough times from best-selling authors Marc and Angel Chernoff, tips on when and how to take a mental health day from work, and more.

Loneliness May Be a Greater Public Health Hazard Than Obesity: 4 Psychology-Backed Tips to Combat It: Because recent research shows that loneliness is so common and has so many serious health problems such as sleep disruption, increased stress and inflammation, weakened immune systems, heart disease, and cognitive decline, some experts think it should be considered an epidemic.

From Chaos to Calm: A Life Changed by Ketamine: He used to struggle focusing and working, his mind was full of violent images, and his mood was elated one minute and dark the next. However, for the past six years, ketamine has helped James “get [his] life back.”

Study: Hunger Hormone Ghrelin Influences Alcohol Consumption: Ghrelin, known as the “hunger hormone” due to the role it plays in increasing a person’s appetite, meal initiation, and food intake, could be useful in developing medications for alcohol use disorder.

10 Truths to Keep You Going When Everything Goes Wrong: Marc Chernoff shares a bad season he and his wife Angel experienced — a bad season that led to a couple of years of struggle — and how he and his wife picked themselves up and kept going during that time, as well as some truths you might not realize when you’re going through struggles of your own. (BONUS: Because I link to Marc and Angel here from time to time, I wanted to share that the couple’s book, Getting Back to Happy, recently made The New York Times Best Sellers list. You can read up on the book and watch an interview of Marc and Angel on The Today Show. This is not an affiliate link; neither I nor Psych Central profit in any way if you purchase the book. Just sharing the good vibes.)

How to Take a Mental Health Day From Your Job: Check out these ways to know when you need a mental health day off from work and how to go about taking one.

Is Kanye West Glamorizing Mental Illness in His Latest Album? Kanye West recently revealed he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 39 years old, as well as released a new album, Ye, which features cover art that reads “I hate being bipolar it’s awesome” and a song, “Yikes,” that calls bipolar disorder a “super power.” Is Kanye glamorizing and/or trivializing mental illness, or is he redefining how we bring awareness in this day and age?

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/psychology-around-the-net-june-9-2018/