1) Individual Differences
Here is the latest blog from the EDIT Lab on individual differences. There is a reference in there to t tests and distributions which is relevant to us.
2) Depression And Inflammation
When we study depression, we focus on depression as a disorder of thought. For evaluation, we consider whether depressions is solely a disorder of thought. Clearly, it isn’t as it can be explained in part by biological factors. We then consider whether fundamentally depression is a disorder of thought. This piece from Nature examines this idea further through a review of Ed Bullmore’s new book, “The Inflamed Mind”.
3) What Is Depression?
This briefing from The Guardian covers some of the same ground.
4) Eating Disorders And Pregnancy
Here is one woman’s story.
5) Obese Dogs
This article looks at research into the behaviour of obese dogs. It links to research done into the genetics of obesity in dogs but also looks at differences in food seeking behaviour. It’s a good example of research using non-human animals. Dogs are close enough to humans to make the research worthwhile. There are fewer ethical constraints in research into dogs.
6) CBT And Behavioural Activation
We use the idea of behavioural activation as part of an account of CBT for depression. This research looks at what happens when behavioural activation is used instead of CBT. It is cheaper and works as well as CBT. Please note that the research uses the PHQ (Patient Health Questionnaire) as a measure: we had that as part of our Research Methods revision.
7) Brain Circuitry Involved In Resilience
When we study the biological approach, we look at the influence of biological structures on behaviour. This study looks at evidence linking particular areas of the brain to resilience against depression. The study has some limitations but it is important because it shows which areas of the brain need to be studied if we want to understand and then help people develop resistance. It is another reason for thinking that depression is not fundamentally a disorder of thought.
DHSB/DHSG Psychology Research Digest 