New Atlas

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Teen marijuana use linked to depression later in life, but what does this mean?

Rich Haridy February 13, 2019

A meta-study has examined the correlation between depression in young adulthood and marijuana usage in adolescence. The research concludes a significant association between teen marijuana use and depression in later life, but experts suggest caution in determining if the relationship is causal.

Despite a new meta-study finding a strong association between adolescent marijuana use and later-life depression, experts ...

Medical Audio available

Ketamine-inspired nasal spray for depression on cusp of landmark FDA approval

Rich Haridy February 12, 2019

A new nasal spray for depression, utilizing a drug called esketamine, has passed the last step on its way to final FDA approval. An advisory panel to the FDA voted in favor of the new drug’s risk/benefit profile meaning the ketamine-inspired treatment may be approved for use within the next month.

After an overwhelmingly positive vote from an advisory committee the FDA may approve the new drug ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Facebook's suicide prevention algorithm raises ethical concerns

Rich Haridy February 11, 2019

In a new commentary, two researchers are questioning the ethics and transparency of Facebook’s suicide prevention system. The algorithm reportedly flags users deemed to be at high-risk of self-harm activating a process where the company notifies local authorities to intervene.

Facebook reports 3,500 self-harm cases have been flagged by its algorithm and resulted in local authorities ...

Medical Audio available

New study suggests mild, long-term MDMA use doesn't damage normal social functioning

Rich Haridy February 10, 2019

As MDMA sits on the precipice of being legally approved as clinical treatment for PTSD in the United States, a team of researchers from the University of Exeter set out to try to better understand what long-term effects the drug has on a person’s ability to emotionally empathize with others.

A new study adds to a body of evidence suggesting mild, long-term MDMA usage is not ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Psychedelic microdosing effects fail to match expectations in new study

Rich Haridy February 6, 2019

New research observing the effects of microdosing on 100 subjects revealed some unexpected results. The study found a difference between reported effects of microdosing and common expectations. So, microdosing may not be doing what we think it is doing, but it certainly seems to be doing something.

Is microdosing LSD the psychedelic equivalent of homeopathy?

Medical Audio available

Statins and other common physical health drugs may benefit people with serious mental illness

Rich Haridy January 9, 2019

A massive new study, examining the health records over almost 150,000 people, has found three commonly prescribed drugs, including statins used to lower cholesterol, can be associated with reduced rates of psychiatric events in those suffering from serious mental illness.

Three commonly used drugs may unexpectedly have beneficial mental health effects, according to a large new ...

Good Thinking Audio available

International "Santa survey" uncovers the average age children stop believing

Rich Haridy December 23, 2018

A large international study, dubbed the “Santa survey,” is investigating how, and at what age, children begin to change their minds about the existence of Santa Claus. The research also examines whether a child’s trust in adults is threatened by the discovery that Santa isn’t real.

Eight is the average age a child stops believing in Santa Claus, according to a new ...

Science

MDMA promotes cooperative behavior but only with trustworthy people

Rich Haridy November 19, 2018

MDMA is anecdotally known to make people more open to empathetically interacting with those around them. However, a new study from King’s College London has revealed that while the drug may increase cooperative behavior, it does not make a person more naive to the influence of untrustworthy people.

Image highlighting which brain regions displayed increased activity on MDMA compared to a placebo

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Study finds too much social media is making us feel lonely and depressed

Rich Haridy November 12, 2018

An interesting new study from the University of Pennsylvania has demonstrated the first causal connection between social media use and feelings of depression and loneliness. The findings claim that decreasing one’s social media use can lead to significant improvements in personal well-being.

Limiting social media use to just 30 minutes per day reduced reported feelings of depression and ...

Science

AI better than humans at predicting outcomes for those at risk of psychosis and depression

Rich Haridy September 26, 2018

A study has revealed a machine-learning algorithm can effectively predict the social outcomes of patients with depression or psychosis better than human experts. The research found the AI outperformed clinician predictions when estimating a patient’s social functioning up to a year in the future.