Psychology Around the Net: July 21, 2018

Whether you read this with your Saturday morning coffee or while winding down after a busy weekend, you definitely want to make some time to catch up on the latest in this week’s mental health news!

This week’s Psychology Around the Net takes a look at the so-called “narcissism epidemic” of Western culture, whether or not “scream therapy” is a useful tool for treating anxiety, how poverty affects the mental health of menstruating women, and more.

How the West Became a Self-Obsessed Culture: Many blame smartphones and social media as the self-indulgent tools that have fostered a so-called “narcissism epidemic,” but according to British author and journalist Will Storr and his new book Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It’s Doing to Us, Western culture has always been self-obsessed; we’ve just spent the years building up a culture that helps overstate our own successes and failures.

Police Killings Tied to Worse Mental Health for African-Americans: A new U.S. study suggests that the police killings of unarmed black people are associated with worse mental health for African-Americans throughout the United States, even if they have no direct connection to the killings or deaths.

Millions Are Battling Mental Illness — These Entrepreneurs Are Trying to Tackle it Via Technology: Two entrepreneurs are using technology to help the millions of people who manage mental health problems every day. Alison Darcy has founded Woebot, a chatbot and app that utilizes the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, and April Koh has cofounded Spring Health, which sells digital mental health benefits to employers. And these women aren’t going unnoticed — both are featured in Business Insider‘s list of 30 health-tech leaders under 40 to keep your eye on.

Beef Jerky and Other Processed Meats Associated With Manic Episodes: Could nitrates — the chemicals used to cure meats like salami, hot dogs, beef jerky, and other processed meats — contribute to mania? An analysis out of John Hopkins University shows it might.

New Study: Period Poverty Could Have Mental Health Consequences: Some of us take access to menstrual products for granted. For some of us, it’s like purchasing hygiene products as basic as soap. So, have you ever stopped to think of what your life would be like if you didn’t have such easy access to them? A new study reports that not only does a lack of access to these items not only disrupts everyday life like going to school and work, but can also put women at a greater risk for depression and anxiety.

Does “Scream Therapy” Actually Work for Anxiety? Psychologists Weigh In: “Scream Therapy” is exactly what it sounds like: pure, raw, and primal screaming at the top of your lungs. It’s controversial among psychologists, but psychotherapist Franklin Porter explains screaming — which is actually a component of “Primal Therapy” — isn’t a therapy by itself. It’s the release you feel after you scream that can acts as the bigger therapy tool.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/psychology-around-the-net-july-21-2018/