Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life

Two weeks after well documented facts were published indicating unethical behaviour by an ISMHO founder, the mental health organization’s board of directors has formally expelled the whistleblower for activities contrary to the best interests of ISMHO — i.e., for telling the truth. The result of the board’s secret deliberations comes just days after board members misled the ISMHO membership, claiming the APA had found that no unethical behaviour had ever occurred.

Counting calories isn’t the best way to lose weight, according to a new Brigham Young University pilot study suggesting that an approach toward food called “intuitive eating” is better than restrictive diets for producing lower cholesterol levels, body mass index scores and cardiovascular disease risk.

Internet-based treatments for sufferers of panic disorder may be just as effective as face-to-face methods, according to the results of two years of research at Monash University in Australia.

As the UK government moves to make it a crime to justify terrorist acts, I have to ask: don’t mainstream journalists justify terrorism every time they use the phrase ‘in response to’ in a description of terrorist acts, as they are particularly accustomed to doing when reporting on the conflict between the state of Israel and Palestinians?

How useful is exercise for people with severe depression, anxiety, or chronic mental illness? Hundreds of studies suggest it may help, but the actual causal relationships between exercise and mental health remain unclear. The December issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter outlines several possible explanations for the apparent mood-enhancing effect of exercise.