The association between marijuana use and an increased risk of psychiatric disorders has been the subject of much debate. Past research has established a link between frequent marijuana use during adolescence and an increased risk of psychotic-like experiences (PLE), psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia. However, uncertainty exists regarding the underlying mechanisms of such associations. […]

A student of the George Washington University (GWU) has created a napkin to prevent a “drug-facilitated crime” — when someone slips a drug into the drink and tries to sexually assault the victim or steal belongings. In fact, a past encounter with sexual violence motivated Danya Sherman to develop the unique product that could detect […]

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a complex mental illness characterized by dramatic changes in mood ranging from high mood or elation (mania) to low mood (depression). The two most common subtypes of BD are bipolar I disorder (BD-I) and bipolar II disorder (BD-II). So far, the understanding was that BD-II is a subset or a milder […]

A psychological illness characterized by irregular eating habits and a severe concern about one’s body weight or shape, eating disorders affect people of all ages but are specifically prominent among teens. Often misrepresented as a lifestyle choice, eating disorders like bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and anorexia nervosa are characterized by extreme disturbances in one’s […]

For many people, waking up slightly later in the morning may be a luxury. As it turns out, doing so may be a simple lifestyle intervention with far-reaching benefits. A recent study by researchers at the King’s College London (KCL) in the United Kingdom investigated the impact of extended sleep duration on nutrient intake. The […]

Excessive drinking during teen years is often associated with harmful behavior like alcohol poisoning, accidents and injuries, aggressive and risk-taking behavior, and drug use and mental health issues among others. Drinking during the period has also been linked to an increased risk of liver damage during later years. According to a long-term study in Sweden, […]

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or acid is regarded by many as the drug which defined the countercultural ethos of the ‘60s. The ease of producing LSD in a chemical laboratory and the ability to store it in a blotting paper led to the emergence of a huge black market in the United States. Although LSD […]

The last few years have seen an increasing interest in non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. Among these techniques, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has received greater attention due to its ease of use, low cost, encouraging results and a low rate of side effects. This has led to tDCS being tested in several studies and randomized […]

Although beauty pageants have their fair share of critics and advocates, many young contestants consider them to be life-changing experiences which help them feel empowered. Teen girls consider  taking part in a beauty pageant as a rite of passage. And there are teens like the 17-year-old Tracy McQuiston from Wahpeton, North Dakota, who want to […]

Over the last decade, anxiety has become the most prominent mental health concern among American college students. Every year, colleges are registering an increasing number of student requests to visit on-campus counseling centers. In institutions like the Ohio State University (OSU), general appointments for counseling increased from 20,000 in the 2011-12 academic year to 36,000 […]