Brief Digital Interventions Can Alleviate Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Depression is a mood disorder involving persistent feelings of dejection or hopelessness, difficulty with control of emotions, and loss of interest or pleasure in regular activities. As depressive disorders are increasingly recognized as a legitimate medical issue and treatment is destigmatized, younger generations in the United States have consistently reported higher rates of experiencing such conditions. However, less than half of afflicted … Continue reading Brief Digital Interventions Can Alleviate Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

COVID-19 Causes Increased Anxiety In Lung Cancer Patients

Figure 1: Stony Brook University research team finds significant increase in psychological stress among lung cancer patients during pandemic. Zhifei Zeng ’23 COVID-19, which has ravaged the world, is still a public health concern and there are multiple theories about the cause of severe COVID-19 infection in young people. Previous research on genetic factors associated with severe COVID-19 has been limited to the gene pool … Continue reading COVID-19 Causes Increased Anxiety In Lung Cancer Patients

Anxiety Can Alter the Way We Perceive Negative Emotions

Lydia Wang ’26 As individuals, we constantly make decisions, many of which depend on our perception of social contexts. For example, when answering a question during class, one may gauge a friend’s expressions and observe whether they are grimacing or smiling, which (respectively) suggest an incorrect or correct response. This is an example of perceptual decision-making, where through observation and sensory input, one chooses an … Continue reading Anxiety Can Alter the Way We Perceive Negative Emotions

The Effects of Social Anxiety on Decision-Making and Recognition of Facial Expressions

Joyce Chen ’23 Facial expressions are one of the fundamental methods by which we perceive others. However, our perceptions can be faulty. Perceptual decision-making for recognizing facial cues is biased by our personal attitudes, social knowledge, and stereotypes. Despite there being numerous studies on this process, not much is known about how perceptual decision-making occurs in individuals with anxiety symptoms. Dr. Aprajita Mohanty, a Stony … Continue reading The Effects of Social Anxiety on Decision-Making and Recognition of Facial Expressions

The Effect of Coffee and Caffeine on Healthcare Workers in Iran

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 Coffee, specifically the consumption of caffeine, is prevalent across the world. When studying the effects of caffeine on psychological disorders, previous studies have led to inconclusive results. However, most of the research has been completed in Western and first-world countries. Since there are differences in culture and nutrition in varying regions, it is important to see the effects of caffeine in other … Continue reading The Effect of Coffee and Caffeine on Healthcare Workers in Iran

Music-Based Sensory Therapy Alleviates Symptoms of Anxiety

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Anxiety disorders are mental health conditions involving excessive nervousness and fear, which are often characterized by distinct phobias, restlessness, and panic attacks. Many conditions spanning the spectrum of anxiety disorders are diagnostically linked to early stressful life events (ELS) in an individual’s development, which compound the stresses of traumatic or rapidly transformational experiences and negatively rewire signaling patterns in key neural pathways. … Continue reading Music-Based Sensory Therapy Alleviates Symptoms of Anxiety

Music-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Improve Test Anxiety

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 From the ages of five to eighteen, school is a major part of a child’s life. A great deal of growing, making memories, and nurturing relationships are experienced during the hours a child is in school. However, education, with a focus on test performance, is considered the most important aspect of attending school. Unfortunately, many children suffer from test anxiety, something that … Continue reading Music-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Improve Test Anxiety

Electrical Impulses May Be The Best Way to Treat Mental Illnesses

Aditi Kaveti ’23 Mental illnesses span a wide range of health conditions, including disorders that affect one’s mood, thinking, and behavior. Some severe cases of these conditions may be medication-resistant. For example, some patients with epilepsy are known to have significant anxiety associated with the condition that cannot be treated with medication. A study recently published in Nature Biomedical Engineering addresses medication-resistant disorders by studying … Continue reading Electrical Impulses May Be The Best Way to Treat Mental Illnesses

Early Onset Depressive Disorders in Adolescent Females

Yukta Kulkarni ’22 Depression is an illness that can cause feelings of sadness and can affect the way one thinks and acts. The first onset of depression is seen in childhood and often precedes chronic depression later on in life. Interestingly, it is correlated with differences in biological sex, as females have a 30% higher chance of struggling with first onset depression compared to males. … Continue reading Early Onset Depressive Disorders in Adolescent Females

Social Evaluation and Anxiety Can Affect Perception of Threats

Ayesha Azeem ’23 When we make decisions, a multitude of cognitive processes occur. One such factor involved is social evaluation, which may either enhance or hinder perceptual decisions. Perceptual decision-making is defined as choosing one option out of a set based on available sensory information. It is often observed when one perceives threatening stimuli, a response conserved through evolution. Thus, the determination of threatening stimuli … Continue reading Social Evaluation and Anxiety Can Affect Perception of Threats

Money Matters: Investigating Neural Responses to Monetary and Social Feedback

Thumyat Noe ’23 Depression and social anxiety disorders are two of the most common psychopathologies in adults. One way to identify these disorders is by looking at event-related potentials (ERPs) which are measurable brain responses to stimuli. “Reward positivity” is an event-related potential that reflects neural positivity toward rewards and activation of a reinforcement learning system. Previous studies suggest that smaller reward positivity potentials correlate … Continue reading Money Matters: Investigating Neural Responses to Monetary and Social Feedback

The Role of Shamiri Intervention in Fostering Mindsets in Kenyan Adolescents

Thumyat Noe ’23 Adolescent depression and anxiety are prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, due to lack of mental health resources and social stigma surrounding mental illness, youths suffering from depression and anxiety often do not receive treatment. As such, it is important to improve the psychological well-being of these youths. One possible solution is to use theory-driven treatments called wise interventions, which draw on one’s … Continue reading The Role of Shamiri Intervention in Fostering Mindsets in Kenyan Adolescents