‘Sensory Integration Therapies’ Lack Evidence, AAP Says
File photo. Michael Blann/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Woody Sims was a gifted boy. His mother said he began reading at a very early age, and he was a bright student in preschool.To those around him, his development in his early years seemed normal. But in …
Etan Patz Mystery: 99 Percent of Abductors Never Kill Victims
Sketch Courtesy of Andrea Shepard(NEW YORK) — Thirty-three years after the disappearance of Etan Patz, the only suspect ever arrested is as much an enigma as the missing child case that has baffled investigators for decades.Unlike psychopaths, who sho…
Mental Health Worker Fatally Stabbed While Delivering Medication
ABC News(ST. HELENS, Ore.) — The stabbing death of a mental health worker has put the spotlight on the safety of home visits. Jennifer Warren, 38, was killed Sunday while delivering medication to a patient in St. Helens, Ore., ABC affiliate KATU repor…
Here’s Your Brain When You Brag
Digital Vision/Thinkstock(BOSTON) — For many, talking about themselves is an act of self-promotion, but according to a new study, there is a simple explanation for why people share so much information about themselves: It feels good.According to the s…
Junior Seau: Safety Debate Continues as Family Delays Brain Donation
Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images(SAN DIEGO) — The family of Junior Seau, the NFL football star who died last week, is now reconsidering donating his brain to science, backing off their decision last week to let his brain be examined for sig…
Junior Seau’s Family Donates His Brain to Science
Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images(SAN DIEGO) — Junior Seau’s family plans to donate his brain to science, San Diego Chargers chaplain Shawn Mitchell announced Thursday evening.While Seau’s family has said it is not looking to discover anythi…
Junior Seau’s Death: Is There a Brain Injury Link?
Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The circumstances coming to light about the death of former NFL linebacker Junior Seau may highlight what some doctors see as a growing link between head trauma, mental illness and suicide, a connection that h…
Mom’s Life Hurt by Obsessive Fear of Sweaters, Germs, Hotels
Stacey Horton/Pocket Therapist LLC(FALMOUTH, Mass.) — Stacey Horton’s obsessive compulsive disorder first emerged during a stressful period in her junior year of college about 25 years ago. She found a dead bug and couldn’t throw it away. “I had to kn…
Talking to Yourself May Help Your Brain
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MADISON, Wis.) — The next time you’re chattering away to no one, just tell yourself (out loud) that you’re boosting your brain power. A new study has found that talking to yourself actually improves your memory, at l…
Actress Marilu Henner’s Rare Super-Memory Recalls Every Day of Her Life
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage(NEW YORK) — What if you could remember every single day of your life and have it available for instant recall?Everything from childhood birthday parties, Christmases, your first day of school, and your last. What were you doing…
Pumping Iron to Prevent Dementia?
Goodshoot/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Resistance training could be an important part of reversing memory decline in elderly women with mild memory problems, according to a study published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.Researchers at the Unive…
Can Teens Game Away Their Depression?
University of Auckand/Metia Interactive(AUCKLAND, New Zealand) — Teenagers seem to be doing everything in front of a computer screen these days — watching movies, homework, socializing. So the idea that a computer game could treat depression in these…
Verna McClain Like Most Infant Abductors, Fits Familiar Psych Profile
Montgomery County D.A.(HOUSTON) — As details emerge on the kidnapping of an infant in Texas on Tuesday, psychologists said the woman who allegedly committed the crime seemed to fit a familiar profile of an infant abductor: a woman who desperately want…
Want Better Heart Health? Don’t Worry, Be Happy
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BOSTON) — Are you a glass half-empty or a glass half-full kind of person? Researchers say a glass half-full perspective could do more for you than just make you smile. Positive feelings may help protect cardiovascula…
Alzheimer’s Disease: Dutch Village Doubles as Nursing Home
Isabel van Zuthem(AMSTERDAM) — A Dutch village dubbed “The Truman Show” for dementia patients is getting praise from Alzheimer’s experts in the U.S.The tree-lined streets of Hogewey, a tiny village at the edge of Amsterdam, boast shops, restaurants, a…
A New Way to Detect Alzheimer’s?
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A new drug may help doctors give patients suffering from Alzheimer’s-like symptoms some clarity they desperately want: a conclusive diagnosis.On Friday, the FDA approved Eli Lily’s Amyvid to help doctors …
Happiness Isn’t Always What It’s Cracked Up to Be
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW HAVEN, Conn.) — “Don’t worry, be happy” may seem like good advice, but studies show that being too happy can actually backfire on you.Yale University psychology professor June Gruber pulls no punches in re…
Cancer Diagnosis Ups Risk of Suicide, Cardiovascular Death
Monkey Business/(BOSTON) — The shock of a cancer diagnosis can have deadly consequences, according to a new study that linked the diagnosis to an increased risk of suicide, heart attack and stroke.The Swedish study followed more than 6 million adult m…
JetBlue Pilot Rage Likely Not Panic; Drugs or Brain Tumor Possible
Scott Olson/Getty Images(AMARILLO, Texas) — Clayton Osbon, the pilot who was subdued aboard JetBlue flight 191 after going into a rage, may have had a toxic reaction to infection, drugs or even an encephalitic event caused by a brain tumor.On a routin…
What’s the Happiest Age of All?
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A new survey by Friends Reunited, a website in Britain, finds that the age of 33 seems to be just the time when people have it all together, at least according to folks over 40.Seventy-percent of the 40 and older cro…