News

Unlocking Resilience: 5 tips for Navigating Difficult Holiday Experiences
Emory - 11/17/23
As the holiday season approaches, many individuals find themselves grappling with challenging memories or experiences that may evoke intense emotions. Emory Brain Health Center psychologists, Sheila Rauch and Barbara Rothbaum, offer valuable insights to help people navigate difficult experiences during the holidays and beyond.

Emory Healthcare Veterans Program Honors Veterans and Service Members
Emory - 11/3/23
Emory Healthcare Veterans Program (EHVP) is honoring Veterans Day 2023 and recognizing the extraordinary contributions of those who served in the United States Armed Forces. During November and throughout the year, EHVP maintains an unwavering commitment to improving the health of veterans and active-duty service members.

MotherToBaby Gives Rural Pregnant and Breastfeeding Moms 'Fingertip Access' to Exposure Experts
Rural Health Information Hub - 11/1/23
In both rural and non-rural areas, it can be challenging to find reliable information on exposures in a timely manner, noted Claire Coles, PhD, Director of MotherToBaby Georgia.

Addiction Alliance of Georgia Receives 2023 Bill Foege Global Health Award from MAP International
Emory - 10/11/23
The Addiction Alliance of Georgia (AAG) has been honored with the prestigious 2023 Bill Foege Global Health Award by MAP International. 

Why Can’t I Stop Biting My Lip All the Time? A Psychiatry Professor Explains the Common Tendency
Well + Good - 9/28/23
“In general [a BFRB] is a habit, like fingernail biting, hair pulling, or skin picking, but for it to be meet the criteria to be a disorder, it means that it has to cause some impairment and usually an impairment in functioning,” says Barbara O. Rothbaum, PhD, ABPP, a professor of psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine.

Grady Memorial Hospital Set to Open Georgia’s First ‘Med-Psych’ Facility
Atlanta News First - 9/26/23
“The fact that Georgia is actually making this step is really good for Georgia as a whole, as well as a model for other places,” said Dr. Gray Norquist, chief of behavioral services at Grandy Memorial Hospital.

Unmasking the Impact of Racial Trauma on Brain Health
Impostrix Podcast - 9/20/23
In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Negar Fani, a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine, joins host Whitney to delve deep into the profound effects of racial trauma on brain health.

Researchers Identify Crucial Biomarker that Tracks Recovery from Treatment-Resistant Depression
Emory - 9/20/23
A team of leading clinicians, engineers and neuroscientists has made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of treatment-resistant depression published online in the journal Nature on Sept. 20.

Psychedelic Drug MDMA Eases PTSD Symptoms in a Study that Paves the Way for Possible US Approval
Associated Press - 9/15/23 | ABC News
“The results that they got are very exciting,” said Barbara Rothbaum, who directs the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program in Atlanta. She was not involved in the research, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Bipolar Disorder and Dating: 6 Tips for Navigating if One Is Getting in the Way of the Other
Everyday Health - 9/12/23
Finding the right time to tell your date you have bipolar disorder isn’t always easy. Doing it too soon or waiting too long both have the potential to create problems in a relationship, says Jeffrey Rakofsky, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

‘A Story Grows in Uganda’ Combines Storytelling Traditions, Shows that Literacy Research Flourishes at Emory
Emory Report - 8/30/23
She is a library administrator whose research focuses on the impact of libraries. He is a clinical psychologist whose research focuses on attachment and the psychological well-being of children and their caregivers.

A Novel Therapy, Using Writing, Shows Promise for PTSD
New York Times - 8/23/23
A comparatively quick treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, in which a patient writes about traumatic experiences in five supervised 30-minute sessions, is as effective as the therapies most recommended by federal agencies, according to a study published on Wednesday.

Everything You Wanted to Know About IOPs for Pediatric OCD
ADAA Blog - 8/10/23
An IOP is designed to provide more intensive treatment to patients who do not respond to traditional weekly outpatient therapy or whose symptoms are especially severe. 

One High from Delta-8 can Lead to Permanent Brain Damage, Warns Georgia Doctor
WSB-TV - 7/20/23 | WSB-AM
“Psychosis can occur even just with one use of Delta-8,” said Dr. Elizabeth McCord, an Emory University Hospital Addiction Center psychiatrist.

Lost in a Brain Fog
Emory Magazine - 7/13/23
More than 22% of people infected with COVID-19 report brain fog as a symptom. Sufferers say their brains feel “broken,” causing problems with focus, memory and energy levels, and sometimes even outright physical pain.

Mindful Moments
Emory Magazine - 7/13/23
Emory experts share tips — from intentional breathing to embracing nature — for bringing balance back into your life.

Psychedelics Get New Respect from Medical Researchers
Atlanta Jewish Times - 7/12/23
Research on psychedelics is an important part of a national effort to treat chronic PTSD and depression.

Sexual Violence has Longer Lasting Health Effects Than You Think
Prevention - 7/5/23
“In the same way 9/11 was terrorism that used an airplane, rape is an act of aggression where sex is the weapon,” says Barbara Rothbaum, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University School of Medicine.

Increasingly, People Live Well with Cancer
Atlanta Jewish Times - 6/28/23
“Each person must make their own decisions on what they should eat or do,” states Dr. Wendy Baer, director of psychiatric oncology at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

Gun Deaths on the Rise in Georgia, Nonprofit Says
WSAV - 6/28/23
“Seeing this in Atlanta, we see how a community is traumatized when there is gun violence. Our children are, our healthcare systems, our schools, our workplace when there is a gun violence situation,” Dr. Nadine Kaslow, Emory University, School of Medicine explained. 

More Women Attempt Suicide. More Men Die by Suicide.
The Hill - 5/18/23
More than 38,000 men died by suicide in 2021, the highest number and rate of deaths in 20 years. Men die of suicide at four times the rate of women.  

Seniors Being Treated for Mental and Emotional Post-COVID Problems
Rough Draft Atlanta - 5/17/23
Engaging with people, exercising, and taking up a familiar or fresh activity are all important, says Nadine Kaslow, professor of psychology at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, as well as the chief psychologist for the Grady Health System.

Emory Taps Neuroflow to Scale Collaborative Care Model
HIT Consultant - 5/9/23
Emory Healthcare today announced a partnership with NeuroFlow to support and improve the delivery of psychiatric services for both patients and providers at their Brain Health Center and several sites across Georgia.

Emory Collaborates with NeuroFlow to Increase Access to Behavioral Health Services
Emory News - 5/9/23
Emory Healthcare and the Goizueta Institute @Emory Brain Health are joining forces with NeuroFlow, a behavioral health infrastructure company, to support and improve the delivery of psychiatric services for both patients and providers. The collaboration will also pilot a primary care suicide prevention program.

How Menopause Reshapes the Brain
Nature - 5/3/23
Researchers are starting to learn how the early stages of menopause affect brain health - and what that could mean for treatment.

U.S. Surgeon General Declares Epidemic of Loneliness
WFTV - 5/2/23
“We’re seeing a lot of people just talking about being burned out, tired,” Dr. Nadine Kaslow of the Emory School of Medicine said. “They talk a lot about having sleep problems.”

New Facility in Atlanta Focuses on Addiction Treatment
HC+O News - 4/18/23
A recently completed facility in Georgia aims to help fight addiction while also embracing sustainability, comfort and accessibility—the Addiction Alliance of Georgia in Atlanta, a collaborative, community-based center that integrates addiction-focused treatment, prevention, research, and educational initiatives.

New Resources Available for Post-9/11 Veterans, Service Members in Alabama
Alabama Public Radio - 4/10/23
The Emory Healthcare Veterans Program brings participants from Alabama and across the country to Atlanta for two weeks of treatment and housing free of charge.

Triggering Anxiety | Black Adults, Women Among Those Most Affected
11 Alive - 3/27/23
“Very often women are caught in the middle; the sandwich generation. If they're caring for aging parents and kids, and a family and work, it can add the stress, plus a likely biological predisposition probably results in the greater incidence,” Emory University’s Dr. Barbara Rothbaum added.

VR Is Revolutionizing Therapy. Why Aren't More People Using It?
CNET - 3/26/23
VR therapy has been studied since the 1990s. But as of 2023, we're still talking about its potential.

Veterans get Virtual Access to No-Cost Therapy
Healthcare IT News - 3/14/23
The two-week program fuses technology and traditional therapy to treat PTSD and other conditions in post-9/11 vets. Barbara Rothbaum, executive director of the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program and Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program, explains.

Post 9/11 Veterans in South Carolina eligible for mental health resources in Emory Healthcare Veterans Program
SC Department of Veterans Affairs - 3/7/23
The South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs is working to ensure that Veterans have access to mental health resources available in the Palmetto State and beyond. SCDVA has a partnership with the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program, based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Prominent Researchers Call for Critical Overhaul of Psychiatric Drug Development and New Approaches to Anti-Inflammatory Treatments
Emory - 3/3/23
Many studies have found that inflammation contributes to several psychiatric disorders but developing drugs that target inflammation as a treatment for these conditions is proving to be difficult.

7 Vitamins and Supplements That May be Helpful for Bipolar Disorder
Everyday Health - 2/28/23
“There can be a role for vitamins and supplements in treating bipolar disorder, but as a complement to the first-line treatment, not as substitutes,” explains Jeffrey J. Rakofsky, MD, a psychiatrist at the mood and anxiety disorders program at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

How Inflammation in the Body May Explain Depression in the Brain
Washington Post - 2/23/23
One in five Americans will experience major depressive disorder in their lifetime, and many will not find relief from current therapies. But now researchers have identified an unexpected source of the problem: inflammation.

Racism Takes a Toll on the Brain, Research Shows
Washington Post - 2/16/23
Racism has negatively impacted generations of people, leading to discrimination, lost economic opportunities, racist policing and incarceration, and in many cases, death.

MRI Scans Reveal Disparate Impact of Poverty and Other ‘Toxic Stress’ on Brains of Black Children
Stat - 2/1/23
The finding is “a tremendous contribution to our understanding of how structural inequities evident in early development can create a pathway to increased risk for brain health disparities in Black Americans,” Negar Fani, a neuroscience researcher at Emory University, told STAT.

A Drug that Increases Dopamine can Reverse the Effects of Inflammation on the Brain in Depression, Emory Study Shows
Emory - 1/26/23
An Emory University study published in Nature’s Molecular Psychiatry shows levodopa, a drug that increases dopamine in the brain, has potential to reverse the effects of inflammation on brain reward circuitry, ultimately improving symptons of depression.

Many Young Adults Experiencing High Levels of Psychological Distress During Pandemic
Yahoo News - 1/24/23 | WPXI-TV
“I think it’s a time of lots of transition - getting into college, graduated from college, having a baby, getting one’s first house, all of those transitions that go in that 18 to 29 age [range] and COVID has really complicated that,” said Dr. Nadine Kaslow, Emory University School of Medicine.

Gains, Explained: Do I Really Have to Go to the Gym?
Men's Health - 1/20/23
The commute sucks, I don't like lines for the squat rack, and it doesn't suit my schedule. Can I stay fit at home?

#Gains, Explained: How Can I Work Out When I'm Depressed?
Men's Health - 1/13/23
How do you stick to a fitness and health routine when you're depressed?

3-Week Program Effective in Helping to Ease Combat-Linked PTSD
HealthDay - 1/5/23 | US News & World Report | St. Louis Post Dispatch
A short but intensive approach to "talk therapy" can help many combat veterans overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new clinical trial has found.