A host of societal problems are associated with social media (SM): Amongst other ills are the dissemination of anti-vax disinformation, being purveyors of anti-Semitic tropes, and fostering narratives resulting in teenage suicide, anxiety, and depression. Till now, host platforms have enjoyed broad protection from legal action -even when dangerous ramifications surface. That may be about to change.
Mental Health & Society
Many of our national leaders appear to suffer from some sort of cognitive impairment or other mental disorder. Should they undergo periodic intelligence and mental status testing?
Within the timeframe of the legalization of recreational cannabis, there's been a rise in cannabis “use disorder” and the diagnosis of schizophrenia. It's become a chicken or egg which-came-first problem. A new study suggests cannabis is the gateway, creating 15% of new cases of schizophrenia annually.
It's a commonly held belief that a full moon brings out the crazies and the craziness. The word "lunatic" – derived from the combination of "luna," or moon, and "atic," meaning “of the kind of” – was first mentioned in a fourth-century Bible. A new study looks at the influence of the moon and some circadian genes on the incidence of suicide.
If this isn't newsworthy then I don't know what is. At the very least I can promise you that the article is even dumber than the title. Enjoy.
How does frequent social media use impact our mental health? A recent study attempted to pinpoint the effects of spending hours on Twitter and Facebook, but the inherent difficulty in analyzing human behavior limits our ability to find a precise answer.
Data has suggested for a while that millennials have some mental health concerns. The pandemic didn’t help. But not to worry, increasingly, there’s an app for that.
It's been a pretty ghastly 14 months thanks to COVID. But, let's look on the bright side. Here are four benefits that resulted from the pandemic. Maybe.
Victims of disinformation campaigns can use a five-pronged strategy to fight back and win.
Fear sells, which is why news outlets provide so much of it. But constant bad news is bad for our health. Turn off the TV and social media.
A dangerous five-step program converts "vaccine-hesitant" people into full-blown anti-vaxxers.
A substantial proportion of frontline healthcare workers are refusing to accept the COVID vaccine. This poses an unacceptable risk to public health. They should take the jab or lose their job.