Beyond OCD

Giving Voice

July 2013


IN THIS ISSUE
-  OCD Live Forum
-  Brain Circuits and OCD
-  New Angle for CBT
-  PET Scans and Depression
-  Video: Teenager Speaks Out
-  Film: Reducing Stigma
 
 

OCD Live Forum: July 17th in Chicago
"OCD in Fiction, Life and Love"

Andrea Kayne Kaufman will present "OCD in Fiction, Life and Love" at our upcoming OCD Live Forum on Wednesday, July 17, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Ms. Kaufman is an education professor, a mediator, and an award-winning author. Her novel, Oxford Messed Up, was hailed by mental health experts and members of the OCD community for its authentic portrayal of the disorder. Ms. Kaufman will speak about her book and how her real-life family triumphed over OCD. 

 

Learn more & register for the event > 



Studies Confirm Relationship Between Brain Circuit Abnormalities and OCD

Two recent research studies have verified the causal relationship between neural circuit abnormalities and OCD-like behavior in mice. Both studies used optogenetic techniques, where specific types of brain cells are switched on and off in response to light.  

The studies allowed researchers to identify the neural pathway for compulsive behaviors in a more refined way than they've ever achieved in humans. By building on these discoveries, future research may lead to new treatments.  
Read more >


Researchers Looking at New Way to Use CBT to Combat Compulsive Checking

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is known among mental health experts as the "gold standard" treatment when it comes to OCD. Now, two researchers at Concordia University in Montreal are studying whether CBT can be used effectively to tap into false beliefs about one's memory and reverse an often debilitating symptom of OCD: compulsive checking. 

Many people who perform compulsive checking rituals cannot trust that they've properly completed a simple task, like turning off the stove or locking the door; they question their memory of having done it. The pilot study aims to examine this relationship between checking behavior and low confidence in memory. 
Read more >


Therapy vs. Meds? Brain Scans May Hold Answer for Treating Depression

Finding the right treatment for depression can be hit or miss--people find relief with the first treatment they try only abut 40 percent of the time. Trying different medications and forms of therapy can take months, which translates into months of suffering. 

 

Researchers now say, however, that positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the brain may help predict which people do better on antidepressant drugs, and which would benefit most from cognitive behavioral therapy instead. A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry represents only an initial investigation; researchers will need to replicate the results before PET scans could be used reliably as predictive tools.

 

"But this study finding, we believe, is very exciting because for the first time we showed that the state of the brain determined whether you would benefit from one treatment over the other," said one of the study authors. Read more at NPR or Co.Exist

 


What Does Depression Really Feel Like?
A Teenager Reveals His Experience

In his personal and heartbreaking speech at a recent TEDxYouth event, 19-year-old Kevin Breel stood up in front of the audience and said the four words he had always been afraid to say: "I suffer from depression." 

 

In this unforgettable talk, he describes what it's like to grow up with a mental illness and what he thinks it will take to change the way the world talks about mental health. We guarantee you'll want to watch all 11 minutes. 


Kevin Breel:  Confessions of a Depressed Comic at TEDxKids@Ambleside
Kevin Breel: Confessions of a Depressed Comic
at TEDxKids@Ambleside


California Leads the Way in Reducing Stigma of Mental Ilness

 

"A New State of Mind: Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness" is a documentary film created by KVIE-TV, Sacramento's public television station with funding under California's voter-approved Mental Health Services Act (Prop. 63). The film, which is narrated by award-winning actress and mental health advocate Glenn Close, was produced as part of a comprehensive statewide effort to increase the number of people who seek mental health care when they need it.

 

Under its mental health movement--called Each Mind Matters--the State of California is taking unprecedented steps to eliminate the barriers of stigma and discrimination to ensure every resident knows help is available and feels safe asking for support.

Learn more about the movement > 

 

A New State of Mind [with CC]
A New State of Mind

 


Sweet Summertime
We hope you're enjoying wonderful summer days! Stay tuned for the next issue of Giving Voice in September. 
 
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