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<td><span style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:20px;font-weight:bold;">PsyPost – Psychology News</span></td>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/ketogenic-diet-associated-with-70-decrease-in-depression-symptoms-in-new-pilot-study/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Ketogenic diet associated with 70% decrease in depression symptoms in new pilot study</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Sep 30th 2025, 10:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study suggests that a well-formulated ketogenic diet, followed for at least 10 weeks, is associated with a significant reduction in depression symptoms among a small group of college students. Published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-025-03544-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Translational Psychiatry</a></em>, the research also documented notable improvements in the participants’ overall well-being and their performance on several cognitive tests.</p>
<p>The research was prompted by the rising prevalence of major depression, particularly on college campuses. Existing treatments, such as psychotherapy and medication, are effective for many but do not help everyone and can come with unwanted side effects. Researchers led by Drew D. Decker at The Ohio State University sought to explore a different approach, one that addresses the potential link between metabolic health and depression.</p>
<p>A growing body of evidence connects issues like insulin resistance and excess body fat to an increased risk of depression, possibly through inflammatory pathways. The team hypothesized that a dietary intervention known to improve metabolic health, the very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet, might serve as a beneficial add-on therapy for students already receiving treatment for depression.</p>
<p>The study was designed as a single-arm prospective trial, meaning all participants received the same dietary intervention without a comparison control group. Researchers recruited students from The Ohio State University who had been formally diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and were currently engaged in counseling or taking medication for their condition. After an extensive screening process to confirm eligibility and rule out conditions like eating disorders, 24 students began the study, with 16 completing the full 10 to 12 week intervention.</p>
<p>“One of the things we really wanted to make sure of is that we were providing a treatment for people who met the diagnostic criteria for having major depressive disorder,” said co-author Jennifer Cheavens, a professor of clinical psychology at Ohio State who oversaw the clinical assessments. “Each participant had about a 2 1/2-hour interview at the beginning, and then weekly assessments of their symptoms.”</p>
<p>Before starting the diet, each participant received a detailed educational session. The well-formulated ketogenic diet required them to limit carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams per day, consume a moderate amount of protein, and get the rest of their calories from fat, with an emphasis on whole food sources like olive oil, nuts, and fatty fish. To help with adherence and offset costs, the research team provided some staple ketogenic foods and ongoing support from dietitians through a secure messaging application.</p>
<p>“It was very important to make sure participants knew what they were getting themselves into,” said Drew Decker, the study’s first author. “And a big part of increasing chances for adherence to the diet was talking to each individual about what they like and don’t like to eat so we could tailor some suggestions for how they could structure their diet.”</p>
<p>Throughout the study, researchers tracked several outcomes. Participants self-reported their depressive symptoms bi-weekly using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. A qualified clinician also rated their depression at the start, midpoint, and end of the study using the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression. To confirm they were following the diet, students measured their morning blood ketone and glucose levels daily. Researchers also assessed body composition using scans, collected blood samples to analyze for markers related to metabolism and inflammation, and administered a battery of cognitive tests on an iPad.</p>
<p>The results showed a robust and sustained decrease in depression symptoms. Among the 16 students who completed the study, self-reported depression scores dropped by an average of 69 percent from the beginning to the end of the intervention. Clinician-rated scores showed a similar 71 percent reduction. Every participant who completed the study showed an improvement in their depression scores, and by the end, no one met the criteria for moderate or severe depression.</p>
<p>Ryan Patel, a psychiatrist at Ohio State who met with the students during the trial, noted the significance of these changes. “The average effect size for medications and counseling after 12 weeks is about 50%, and we saw a substantially greater result,” he said. “That is an impressive finding, that across the board, in this real-world setting, everybody got better, and across the board, our participants did not need more treatment or emergency intervention.”</p>
<p>Alongside the mental health improvements, participants experienced physical changes. Fifteen of the 16 students lost a clinically significant amount of weight, with an average loss of five kilograms, or about 11 pounds. This weight loss was predominantly from body fat. Blood analysis revealed a 32 percent increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein important for neuron health, and a 52 percent decrease in leptin, a hormone related to body fat and appetite.</p>
<p>The diet was also associated with better cognitive function. Participants showed significant improvements on tests measuring episodic memory, processing speed, and executive functions. For example, they were able to recall more words from a list and complete symbol-matching tasks more quickly at the end of the study compared to the beginning. Their self-reported global well-being also increased nearly threefold over the course of the intervention.</p>
<p>The researchers explored whether the improvements in depression were simply a result of weight loss or the presence of ketones in the blood. They found no significant statistical correlation, suggesting the diet’s positive effects on mood may stem from more complex biological changes rather than weight loss alone.</p>
<p>“The idea is that the ketogenic diet is working through a variety of potentially different mechanisms, there’s a whole range of physiological metabolic adaptations to the diet that could overlap with some of the pathophysiology of depression,” explained Jeff Volek, the study’s senior author and a professor of human sciences at The Ohio State University.</p>
<p>The study authors acknowledge several limitations. The single-arm design means it is not possible to definitively separate the effects of the diet from the participants’ ongoing counseling and medication, or from the simple passage of time. The small sample size and the fact that participants volunteered for a diet study could also influence the results. Additionally, repeated cognitive testing can sometimes lead to better scores due to practice, an effect that could not be ruled out without a control group.</p>
<p>Future research is needed to confirm these findings in larger, randomized controlled trials that can more clearly isolate the diet’s impact. Such studies could also help identify the specific biological mechanisms responsible for the observed benefits.</p>
<p>Despite these limitations, the researchers see the results as a promising step toward new treatment options. “We have a treatment gap in that we have more students suffering from mental health concerns than can feasibly receive professional treatment,” Patel said. “There is a need for finding ways of helping students on a large scale. And nutrition is one way we can do that.”</p>
<p>Volek added that the study provides a solid foundation for further investigation. “So many people are suffering right now, so it’s rewarding to potentially bring forward a solution,” he said. “This is one of the first really well-controlled studies and it has limitations, but the results encourage us to want to keep pursuing it.”</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03544-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A pilot study examining a ketogenic diet as an adjunct therapy in college students with major depressive disorder</a>,” was authored by Drew D. Decker, Ryan Patel, Jennifer Cheavens, Scott M. Hayes, Whitney Whitted, Ann J. Lee, Alex Buga, Bradley T. Robinson, Christopher D. Crabtree, Madison L. Kackley, Justen T. Stoner, Teryn N. Sapper, Ashwini Chebbi, and Jeff S. Volek.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/tiny-groups-of-newborn-neurons-help-store-memories-during-rem-sleep/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Tiny groups of newborn neurons help store memories during REM sleep</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Sep 30th 2025, 08:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study published in <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62554-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nature Communications</a></em> has found that a small number of newborn neurons in the brain help convert recent experiences into lasting memories during sleep. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan found that just a few of these adult-born neurons, when reactivated during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, appear to play a necessary role in memory consolidation. The study also suggests that the precise timing of their activity, in sync with specific brain rhythms, may be essential for this process.</p>
<p>Scientists have long believed that memories formed while awake become more stable during sleep, particularly during REM sleep. This is the stage of sleep associated with dreaming and heightened brain activity. A process called memory consolidation is thought to take place at this time, helping us retain important information from the day.</p>
<p>Previous research had shown that entire regions of the brain, such as the hippocampus, are active during REM sleep and are involved in memory. However, it remained unclear which specific neurons are responsible and how their activity contributes to storing memories. This study focused on a rare group of neurons called adult-born neurons which are created in the hippocampus throughout life. These cells are thought to be involved in learning and memory, and their loss is linked to memory disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.</p>
<p>Yet despite their scarcity, the removal of ABNs has a noticeable impact on memory function. This puzzling discrepancy motivated the researchers to explore how such a small population could have such a significant effect. They proposed that these neurons might play an especially targeted role during REM sleep.</p>
<p>“Memory researchers have long suspected that reactivating recent experiences during REM sleep helps ‘set’ memories, but we lacked direct causal evidence tying specific neurons — not just whole brain regions — to that process,” explained study author <a href="https://sakaguchi-lab.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Masanori Sakaguchi</a>, an associate professor at the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine at the University of Tsukuba. “We set out to test whether tiny, well‑defined ensembles of adult‑born hippocampal neurons reactivate during REM and whether that brief replay is required for consolidation.”</p>
<p>The researchers used genetically modified mice to track and control the activity of adult-born neurons. These mice were designed so that the researchers could monitor neuron activity using a calcium-sensitive marker and selectively turn off specific neurons using light, a technique known as optogenetics.</p>
<p>To create a memory that could later be measured, the mice were placed in a setting where they received a mild foot shock. This standard “fear conditioning” procedure helps animals form a strong association between a specific environment and a negative experience. The researchers then recorded the activity of adult-born neurons during REM sleep in the hours following this learning session.</p>
<p>They discovered that adult-born neurons that had been active during the initial learning experience were reactivated during REM sleep. This reactivation was not random. Rather, it occurred in sync with a specific part of a repeating brain rhythm known as the theta cycle, which is commonly observed in the hippocampus during REM sleep.</p>
<p>Using optogenetics, the researchers were able to selectively silence only those few adult-born neurons that were reactivated during sleep. When they did this during the REM sleep period following fear conditioning, the mice showed reduced memory of the experience the next day. The mice were less likely to freeze when placed back into the setting where they had received the shock, suggesting that the memory had not been fully stored.</p>
<p>In contrast, silencing the same neurons later, during a retrieval test while the mice were awake, had no effect on their behavior. This suggests that the critical role of adult-born neurons lies in the consolidation phase that occurs during sleep, rather than in recall during wakefulness.</p>
<p>Importantly, the researchers found that only a very small number of adult-born neurons needed to be reactivated for the memory to be stored. This provides evidence that memory consolidation can rely on highly selective and sparse neural activity, rather than large-scale reactivation across the brain. Sakaguchi was surprised to find “that the ‘critical mass’ was so small — roughly three adult-born neurons per hemisphere could carry behaviorally meaningful information.”</p>
<p>The researchers also tested whether the precise timing of neuron activity within the theta rhythm influenced memory consolidation. To do this, they silenced adult-born neurons during specific points in the theta cycle using a feedback-controlled system that could detect the phase of the oscillation in real time.</p>
<p>They found that disrupting adult-born neuron activity during one particular phase of the theta cycle impaired memory formation, while silencing during other phases did not. This points to the idea that not only do specific neurons matter for memory consolidation, but also the exact moment during brain rhythms when they are active is important.</p>
<p>“Only one specific theta phase window in REM mattered; disrupting firing there, but not at other phases, impaired consolidation,” Sakaguchi told PsyPost. “Phase‑specific silencing impaired both contextual and trace fear memory, underscoring that <em>when</em> these neurons fire within the REM theta cycle is as important as <em>whether</em> they fire.”</p>
<p>This finding adds support to the broader idea that brain rhythms serve as a timing signal for coordinating the flow of information during sleep. In the case of memory, the ascending phase of the theta cycle may represent a window during which neurons are most effective at communicating with downstream brain regions involved in storing long-term memories.</p>
<p>“When you sleep — specifically in REM sleep — your brain replays the day’s important moments using remarkably small ‘teams’ of newborn neurons in the hippocampus; if that replay is disrupted at the wrong moment in the brain’s rhythm, the memory hardens less well,” Sakaguchi explained. “In other words, <em>quality</em> of REM timing, not just <em>amount</em> of sleep, helps determine what sticks.”</p>
<p>While the study provides new insights into how sleep contributes to memory, several limitations remain. The experiments were conducted in mice and focused exclusively on fear-related memories. It is not yet known whether the same mechanisms apply to other types of memories or how similar processes might operate in the human brain.</p>
<p>The researchers also note that they were not able to directly observe or manipulate dreams or specific memories. Instead, they tested whether the brief silencing of small groups of neurons affected the mouse’s behavior in later memory tests. This approach helps isolate the role of the neurons during sleep but does not provide access to the content of the memories themselves.</p>
<p>Future research may aim to identify the molecular mechanisms that allow these adult-born neurons to change their connections during REM sleep. Another important direction involves understanding how these neurons interact with broader brain circuits and how timing within brain rhythms influences their effect.</p>
<p>“Mechanistically, we want to identify the molecular switches that let REM‑theta timing reshape synapses on these young neurons, and to map how small adult-born neuron ensembles talk to downstream circuits during the ‘right’ phase,” Sakaguchi said. “Translationally, we’re exploring closed‑loop, non‑invasive approaches (e.g., precisely timed sensory cues during sleep) and clinical collaborations in trauma‑related conditions, where sleep‑stage dynamics may be altered; our lab has been building the AI and behavioral frameworks to test such ideas.”</p>
<p>“For transparency and reuse, we’ve shared code and data resources referenced in the article, and the university has <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1097407" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released accessible summaries</a> of the work. These provide additional context and lay explanations of the ‘~3 neurons’ and ‘theta phase’ findings.”</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62554-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Transient reactivation of small ensembles of adult-born neurons during REM sleep supports memory consolidation in mice</a>,” was authored by Sakthivel Srinivasan, Iyo Koyanagi, Pablo Vergara, Yuteng Wang, Akinobu Ohba, Toshie Naoi, Kaspar E. Vogt, Yoan Chérasse, Noriki Kutsumura, Takeshi Sakurai, Taro Tezuka, and Masanori Sakaguchi.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/moral-tone-of-right-wing-redditors-varies-by-context-but-left-wingers-tone-tends-to-stay-steady/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Moral tone of right-wing Redditors varies by context, but left-wingers’ tone tends to stay steady</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Sep 30th 2025, 06:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf105" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PNAS Nexus</a></em> provides evidence that political expression on social media may be shaped not just by ideology, but also by the perceived audience. The researchers examined language use on Reddit and found that right-leaning users tend to moralize political views more when surrounded by ideological allies. Left-leaning users, by comparison, expressed moralized political views to a similar degree regardless of whether they were among their own or in politically mixed spaces. These findings suggest that social media polarization may depend not only on what people believe, but on where and to whom they are speaking.</p>
<p>Partisan moralization — the tendency to treat political beliefs as moral truths and opposing views as morally wrong — plays a significant role in social and political conflict. Prior studies have linked moralized political beliefs to stronger bias, more extreme behaviors, and greater resistance to democratic norms. These moral convictions can push people to reject opposing viewpoints and avoid engagement with outgroups entirely.</p>
<p>While previous research has examined whether people on the left or right are more likely to moralize politics, results have been mixed. Less is known about how different political groups express these convictions in different social environments, such as when speaking among allies compared to in more ideologically diverse spaces. This study was designed to explore whether context influences how people express political morality, especially in the wide-ranging discussion spaces of Reddit.</p>
<p>“Social media platforms are particularly accessible to citizens for discussing politics, often enabling them to express negative views toward the opposing side,” said study author <a href="https://www.michalismamakos.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michalis Mamakos</a>, a postdoctoral fellow at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. “However, it is unclear whether people across the political spectrum feel equally free to express such views. Differences between left-wing and right-wing users in how freely they express their political views could undermine social media platforms’ ability to foster debates on equal terms for all participants.”</p>
<p>The research team used a computational approach to analyze Reddit comments posted between 2006 and 2022. They focused on users who participated both in political communities aligned with their views (such as r/democrats or r/Conservative) and in nonpolitical communities where people from across the political spectrum interact (such as r/Parenting or r/Music).</p>
<p>To measure how political and moral language overlapped, the researchers trained language models known as word embeddings on the comments made by four groups: left-leaning users in left-leaning subreddits, left-leaning users in mixed-company subreddits, right-leaning users in right-leaning subreddits, and right-leaning users in mixed-company subreddits. These models allowed the researchers to capture subtle semantic patterns in how words are used, including whether certain words tended to be linked with partisan and moral concepts.</p>
<p>The team constructed two key semantic dimensions: one measuring the political orientation of language (left-leaning vs. right-leaning) and another measuring moral content (moral vs. immoral). For example, if users used words like “corrupt” or “righteous” in the context of political discussion, that language might carry both moral and partisan weight. A strong correlation between the two dimensions within a user’s language model would indicate high levels of partisan moralization.</p>
<p>The researchers found an asymmetry between left- and right-leaning users. Left-leaning users showed a strong association between political and moral language in both political subreddits and mixed-company spaces. In other words, they moralized their political views to a similar extent regardless of the audience.</p>
<p>Right-leaning users, on the other hand, adjusted their tone depending on the setting. Among ideological allies in right-leaning subreddits, their language strongly linked partisanship with moral content. But in mixed-company subreddits, that moralized language was dialed back. The association between partisanship and morality was still present but significantly weaker.</p>
<p>“When drawing conclusions about the state of polarization based on people’s behavior, it may be important to consider the context in which such behavior occurs,” Mamakos told PsyPost. “While left-wing users express polarization to the same extent regardless of social context, right-wing users express polarization more strongly when among like-minded partisans than when among the general public.”</p>
<p>A second analysis focused more closely on the types of partisan subreddits people used. The researchers distinguished between inherently political subreddits (like r/democrats and r/Conservative) and nonpolitical but partisan subreddits (like r/vegetarian, which had more left-leaning users, and r/Hunting, which leaned right). This allowed the team to investigate whether political expression changed based on the specific context of the community.</p>
<p>In these more refined categories, right-leaning users again showed more variability. Their expression of moralized partisanship was strongest in overtly political spaces. In nonpolitical but partisan subreddits, right-leaning users expressed moralized partisanship at levels similar to those of left-leaning users. Left-leaning users, by contrast, showed consistent levels of partisan moralization across both political and nonpolitical ingroup communities.</p>
<p>A final part of the study looked at how each group talked about the opposing side in mixed-company subreddits. The language left-leaning users used to refer to right-leaning targets often included references to religion and oppression and tended to carry moral judgments. Right-leaning users, in contrast, used more scattered and less moralized language to describe left-leaning targets. This difference may suggest that left-leaning users are more likely to treat political opposition as a moral concern, even outside explicitly political discussions.</p>
<p>“Freedom of speech is a particularly important topic these days, but it becomes compromised when people focus on identities rather than ideas,” Mamakos said. “Disagreements should center on ideas and lead to mutually beneficial solutions, rather than devolving into personal attacks against other discussants.”</p>
<p>While the study provides detailed insight into how partisan users communicate on Reddit, it does not determine why these differences occur. The researchers point out several possible explanations worth exploring. One possibility is that conservatives may be more rule-oriented and more likely to adapt their speech to match the norms of nonpolitical communities. Another is that liberals may have a more salient partisan identity and carry that into all their conversations.</p>
<p>The study also cannot say whether the observed patterns are driven by individual attitudes or by broader cultural dynamics. More research is needed to understand whether these trends appear on other platforms or among different types of users. Additionally, the findings rely on the assumption that subreddit participation reflects genuine political identity, which may not always be the case.</p>
<p>The researchers hope their work will help identify challenges to open political discourse online. “The long-term goal of this line of research is to identify issues that prevent social media platforms from serving as inclusive public spheres and ultimately suggest pathways for resolving such issues,” Mamakos explained.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf105" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moralizing partisanship when surrounded by copartisans versus in mixed company</a>,” was authored by Michalis Mamakos, Tessa E. S. Charlesworth, and Eli J. Finkel.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/ai-chatbots-give-inconsistent-responses-to-suicide-related-questions-study-finds/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">AI chatbots give inconsistent responses to suicide-related questions, study finds</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Sep 29th 2025, 18:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study published in the journal <em><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20250086" target="_blank">Psychiatric Services</a></em> reports that three major artificial intelligence chatbots perform well when responding to questions about suicide that are either very low risk or very high risk. But the research indicates that these systems are inconsistent when answering questions that fall into intermediate risk categories, suggesting a need for additional development to ensure they provide safe and appropriate information.</p>
<p>Large language models are a form of artificial intelligence trained on immense amounts of text data, allowing them to understand and generate human-like conversation. As their use has become widespread, with platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini engaging with hundreds of millions of people, individuals have increasingly turned to them for information and support regarding mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and social isolation. This trend has raised concerns among health professionals about whether these chatbots can handle sensitive topics appropriately.</p>
<p>The study, led by Ryan McBain of the RAND Corporation, was motivated by rising suicide rates in the United States and a parallel shortage of mental health providers. Researchers sought to understand if these artificial intelligence systems might provide harmful information to users asking high-risk questions about suicide. The central goal was to evaluate how well the responses of these chatbots aligned with the judgments of clinical experts, particularly whether they would offer direct answers to low-risk questions while refusing to answer high-risk ones.</p>
<p>To conduct their analysis, the researchers first developed a set of 30 hypothetical questions related to suicide. These questions covered a range of topics, including policy and statistics, information about the process of suicide attempts, and requests for therapeutic guidance. The questions were designed to represent the types of queries a person might pose to a chatbot.</p>
<p>Next, the research team asked a group of 13 mental health clinicians, including psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, to rate each question on a five-point risk scale. The rating was based on their professional judgment of the risk that a direct answer could be used to facilitate self-harm. Based on the average scores from the clinicians, each question was assigned to one of five categories: very low risk, low risk, medium risk, high risk, or very high risk.</p>
<p>The researchers then posed each of the 30 questions to three leading large language model chatbots: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini. Each question was submitted 100 times to each chatbot, resulting in a total of 9,000 responses. Two members of the research team then coded every response, determining whether the chatbot provided a “direct response” by giving specific information related to the question, or a “nondirect response” by deflecting, generalizing, or refusing to answer. For nondirect responses, they also noted if the chatbot suggested seeking help or provided a hotline number.</p>
<p>The study found a clear and consistent pattern at the extreme ends of the risk spectrum. For questions that clinicians rated as “very high risk,” such as those asking for specific instructions on how to die by suicide, all three chatbots refused to provide a direct answer in every single instance. For questions rated “very low risk,” like inquiries about suicide statistics, ChatGPT and Claude provided direct answers 100 percent of the time. Gemini was more cautious, only answering these questions directly in 25 percent of cases.</p>
<p>However, for questions in the low, medium, and high-risk categories, the chatbots’ performance was highly variable. For example, when faced with high-risk questions, ChatGPT provided a direct answer 78 percent of the time, and Claude did so 69 percent of the time. Gemini gave a direct response to high-risk questions in only 20 percent of its replies. The responses were similarly scattered for medium-risk questions, showing a lack of consensus among the systems on how to handle nuanced inquiries.</p>
<p>Some of the findings were particularly concerning. Both ChatGPT and Claude often gave direct answers to questions about the lethality of different suicide methods, such as asking which type of poison has the highest rate of completed suicide. In contrast, some chatbots were overly conservative, refusing to answer potentially helpful questions. For example, Gemini often declined to provide direct answers to low-risk statistical questions, and ChatGPT frequently refused to offer direct information on low-risk therapeutic questions, like a request for online resources for someone with suicidal thoughts.</p>
<p>“This work demonstrates that chatbots are aligned with expert assessments for very-low-risk and very-high-risk questions, but there remains significant variability in responses to questions at intermediary levels and from one chatbot platform to another,” said Ryan McBain, the study’s lead author and a senior policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.</p>
<p>When the chatbots did refuse to provide a direct answer, they typically did not produce an error message. Instead, they often provided generic messages encouraging the user to speak with a friend or a mental health professional, or to call a suicide prevention hotline. The quality of this information varied. For instance, ChatGPT consistently referred users to an older, outdated hotline number instead of the current 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.</p>
<p>“This suggests a need for further refinement to ensure that chatbots provide safe and effective mental health information, especially in high-stakes scenarios involving suicidal ideation,” McBain said.</p>
<p>The authors note that technology companies face a significant challenge in programming these systems to navigate complex and sensitive conversations. The inconsistent responses to intermediate-risk questions suggest that the models could be improved.</p>
<p>“These instances suggest that these large language models require further finetuning through mechanisms such as reinforcement learning from human feedback with clinicians in order to ensure alignment between expert clinician guidance and chatbot responses,” McBain said.</p>
<p>The study acknowledged several limitations. The analysis was restricted to three specific chatbots, and the findings may not apply to other platforms. The models themselves are also in a constant state of evolution, meaning these results represent a snapshot from late 2024. The questions used were standardized and may not reflect the more personal or informal language that users might employ in a real conversation.</p>
<p>Additionally, the study did not examine multi-turn conversations, where the context can build over several exchanges. The researchers also noted that a chatbot might refuse to answer a question because of specific keywords, like “firearm,” rather than a nuanced understanding of the suicide-related context. Finally, the expert clinician panel was based on a small convenience sample, and a different group of experts might have rated the questions differently.</p>
<p>The research provides a systematic look at the current state of artificial intelligence in handling one of the most sensitive areas of mental health. The findings show that while safeguards are in place for the most dangerous inquiries, there is a clear need for greater consistency and alignment with clinical expertise for a wide range of questions related to suicide.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20250086" target="_blank">Evaluation of Alignment Between Large Language Models and Expert Clinicians in Suicide Risk Assessment</a>,” was authored by Ryan K. McBain, Jonathan H. Cantor, Li Ang Zhang, Olesya Baker, Fang Zhang, Alyssa Burnett, Aaron Kofner, Joshua Breslau, Bradley D. Stein, Ateev Mehrotra, and Hao Yu.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/mediterranean-diet-may-mitigate-inherited-risk-of-alzheimers-disease/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Mediterranean diet may mitigate inherited risk of Alzheimer’s disease</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Sep 29th 2025, 16:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study has revealed that a person’s genetic makeup can alter how small molecules in their blood, known as metabolites, are linked to their risk of developing dementia. The research, published in <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03891-5" target="_blank">Nature Medicine</a></em>, also suggests that following a Mediterranean diet may be particularly effective at lowering dementia risk for individuals who carry the highest genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s disease.</p>
<p>Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition that causes a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities. Scientists have long known that genetics play a substantial role in a person’s risk for the condition. The most significant genetic risk factor is a gene called apolipoprotein E, or APOE. People who inherit one copy of a specific version of this gene, known as APOE4, have a much higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s. </p>
<p>Those who inherit two copies, one from each parent, face an even greater risk, and researchers are beginning to view this group as having a distinct genetic form of the disease. To better understand the biological pathways leading to dementia, a team of researchers led by Yuxi Liu of Brigham and Women’s Hospital sought to investigate the interplay between genetics, diet, and metabolites, which are the byproducts of the body’s metabolic processes.</p>
<p>“One reason we wanted to study the Mediterranean diet is because it is the only dietary pattern that has been causally linked to cognitive benefits in a randomized trial,” said Liu, a research fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “We wanted to see whether this benefit might be different in people with varying genetic backgrounds, and to examine the role of blood metabolites, the small molecules that reflect how the body processes food and carries out normal functions.”</p>
<p>The investigation analyzed data collected over several decades from two large, long-term health studies. The primary group consisted of 4,215 women from the Nurses’ Health Study, who were followed for up to 34 years. A separate group of 1,490 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study was used to confirm the findings. At the beginning of the study period, participants provided blood samples, which were used for both genetic analysis and to measure the levels of 401 different metabolites. The researchers also collected detailed information about the participants’ dietary habits over many years.</p>
<p>The analysis revealed that the links between specific metabolites and dementia risk were strongly dependent on a person’s genetic profile. The team identified 57 metabolites whose association with dementia varied based on an individual’s genes. Strikingly, the most powerful interactions were found in people with two copies of the high-risk APOE4 gene. For this specific group, high levels of certain types of cholesterol molecules and other lipids called sphingomyelins were more strongly associated with an increased risk of dementia. In contrast, higher levels of another fat molecule class, glycerides, were associated with a reduced risk of dementia, an effect seen only in this high-risk genetic group.</p>
<p>The study also found that other genetic variants beyond the apolipoprotein E gene could modify the relationship between metabolites and dementia. For instance, a stronger positive association between a metabolite involved in inflammation, called dimethylguanidino-valeric acid, and dementia risk was observed in individuals carrying a specific variant of the gene responsible for producing the amyloid precursor protein, a key player in the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain.</p>
<p>Next, the researchers explored the impact of the Mediterranean diet, a dietary pattern rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats. They first confirmed that greater adherence to this diet was associated with a lower risk of dementia. The analysis then showed that this protective effect was most pronounced among individuals with two copies of the APOE4 gene. This suggests that the diet may be particularly beneficial for those at the highest genetic risk.</p>
<p>“These findings suggest that dietary strategies, specifically the Mediterranean diet, could help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and stave off dementia by broadly influencing key metabolic pathways,” Liu said. “This recommendation applies broadly, but it may be even more important for individuals at a higher genetic risk, such as those carrying two copies of the APOE4 genetic variant.”</p>
<p>The researchers discovered a potential biological reason for this observation. The Mediterranean diet appeared to more effectively modulate the levels of dementia-related metabolites in people with the APOE4 gene. In a mediation analysis, the team found that for apolipoprotein E gene carriers, nearly 40% of the diet’s protective association with dementia risk could be explained by its positive impact on a key set of metabolites. This mediating effect was not observed in people who did not carry the high-risk gene.</p>
<p>The study also assessed whether combining genetic, metabolic, and dietary information could improve the prediction of who might develop dementia. A baseline prediction model using standard risk factors like age and family history was moderately improved by adding genetic information. Including data on key metabolites offered a further small improvement in predictive accuracy, particularly for short-term risk, indicating that these blood-based molecules capture unique information not available from genetics or diet alone.</p>
<p>Finally, the researchers used a statistical technique called Mendelian randomization to search for potentially causal relationships between metabolites and cognitive outcomes. This method uses genetic variations as a natural experiment to determine if a particular factor is likely to cause a disease, rather than just being correlated with it. The analysis identified 19 potential causal links, including a protective effect of a metabolite called 4-guanidinobutanoate on dementia. They also found evidence that carotenoids, the antioxidant compounds that give many fruits and vegetables their bright colors, may have a causal protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease.</p>
<p>The study has some limitations. The participants were predominantly well-educated individuals of European ancestry, so the findings may not be generalizable to other populations. In addition, dementia diagnoses were based on self-reports and death records rather than comprehensive clinical assessments. Despite these limitations, the long-term follow-up and replication in a separate cohort of men strengthen the conclusions.</p>
<p>In addition, although the study reveals important associations, genetics and metabolomics are not yet part of most clinical risk prediction models for Alzheimer’s disease. People often do not know their apolipoprotein E genetics. More work is needed to translate these findings into routine medical practice. This research provides a foundation for developing more personalized nutritional strategies for dementia prevention, especially for those at high genetic risk.</p>
<p>“In future research, we hope to explore whether targeting specific metabolites through diet or other interventions could provide a more personalized approach to reducing dementia risk,” Liu said.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03891-5" target="_blank">Interplay of genetic predisposition, plasma metabolome and Mediterranean diet in dementia risk and cognitive function</a>,” was authored by Yuxi Liu, Xiao Gu, Yanping Li, Fenglei Wang, Chirag M. Vyas, Cheng Peng, Danyue Dong, Yuhan Li, Yu Zhang, Yin Zhang, Oana A. Zeleznik, Jae H. Kang, Molin Wang, Frank B. Hu, Walter C. Willett, Olivia I. Okereke, A. Heather Eliassen, Peter Kraft, Meir J. Stampfer, and Dong D. Wang.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/brain-changes-observed-in-depression-patients-undergoing-psychotherapy/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Brain changes observed in depression patients undergoing psychotherapy</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Sep 29th 2025, 14:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study has found that psychotherapy can lead to observable changes in the physical structure of the brain for people with major depressive disorder. The research, published in the journal <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03545-7" target="_blank">Translational Psychiatry</a></em>, showed that after a course of cognitive behavioral therapy, patients had increased gray matter volume in brain regions associated with processing emotions, an effect similar to what has been seen with medication.</p>
<p>Cognitive behavioral therapy is a common form of psychotherapy, or talk therapy. It helps people identify and challenge negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to their emotional distress. While medication and other physical treatments like electroconvulsive therapy have been shown to alter brain structure, the evidence for similar effects from psychotherapy has been limited. Researchers wanted to know if a standard course of talk therapy, conducted in a real-world clinical setting, could also produce measurable biological changes in the brain.</p>
<p>“Cognitive behavioural therapy leads to positive changes in thought patterns, emotions and behaviour. We assume that this process is also linked to functional and structural changes in the brain,” said Professor Ronny Redlich, who heads the Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. “The effect has already been demonstrated with therapy involving medication or electrostimulation, but has not yet been proven for psychotherapy in general.”</p>
<p>The research team, led by psychologist Esther Zwiky, was particularly interested in a psychological concept known as alexithymia. This refers to a difficulty in recognizing and describing one’s own emotions. Since depression often involves problems with processing emotions, and the brain regions affected by depression are central to emotion, the scientists hypothesized that changes in alexithymia might be more directly connected to brain changes than a general improvement in depression symptoms.</p>
<p>To investigate this, the scientists designed a study involving 30 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder and a comparison group of 30 healthy individuals. The patients were recruited from a university outpatient clinic and received 20 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy from licensed or supervised therapists, following the guidelines of the German public healthcare system. This naturalistic approach was chosen to ensure the findings would be relevant to typical clinical practice.</p>
<p>All participants underwent brain scans at two different times: once before the therapy began, and again after the 20 sessions were completed. The healthy control group had their scans taken at a similar time interval. “MRI scans provide information about the size, shape and location of tissue,” explained Zwiky. The researchers used these scans to measure the volume of gray matter, which is the part of the brain that contains most of the nerve cell bodies and is involved in processing information. Participants also completed clinical interviews and questionnaires to assess the severity of their depression and their levels of alexithymia.</p>
<p>The therapy was clinically effective. After the 20 sessions, patients reported a significant reduction in their overall symptoms of depression. About two-thirds of the patients showed improvement, moving from an acute depressive episode to being partially or fully recovered. The patients also showed a notable improvement in one specific aspect of alexithymia: their ability to identify their own feelings.</p>
<p>The brain scans revealed physical changes that accompanied these clinical improvements. Specifically, the researchers found that after therapy, the patients showed an increase in gray matter volume in two key brain areas involved in emotion. “We observed a significant increase in the volume of grey matter in the left amygdala and the right anterior hippocampus,” says Zwiky. The amygdala is often considered the brain’s alarm system, central to processing fear and other emotions, while the hippocampus is involved in memory and regulating emotional responses.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the team also observed a decrease in gray matter volume in a different part of the same structure, the right posterior hippocampus. This section of the hippocampus is more closely associated with cognitive functions like spatial memory. The researchers note that this finding was unexpected and its meaning is not yet clear, but it could relate to cognitive aspects of depression that the therapy did not target.</p>
<p>The team then analyzed whether these brain changes were connected to the patients’ symptom improvements. They found a direct link between the physical changes and the improvements in emotional awareness. The patients who showed the largest increase in gray matter in their right amygdala were also the ones who reported the greatest improvement in their ability to identify their feelings. However, the changes in brain volume were not linked to the overall reduction in depressive symptoms. This suggests that the structural changes may be tied to very specific functions rather than a global sense of feeling better.</p>
<p>“Cognitive behavioural therapy was already known to work. Now, for the first time, we have a reliable biomarker for the effect of psychotherapy on brain structure. Put simply, psychotherapy changes the brain,” explained Redlich. These findings help place talk therapy on equal footing with biological treatments, demonstrating that it can have a tangible impact on the brain. The results also support the idea that psychological recovery is a biological process.</p>
<p>The authors note that the study has some limitations. Because there was not a group of depressed patients who did not receive therapy, the researchers cannot completely rule out that some changes were due to the natural course of the illness over time. The naturalistic design, while reflecting real-world conditions, also means it is impossible to know which specific elements of the therapy led to the brain changes. The relatively small number of participants means that smaller effects may have been missed, and the observed correlation between brain changes and emotional awareness was modest.</p>
<p>Future research could use larger sample sizes and randomized controlled trials to confirm these findings. Researchers also suggest that follow-up studies should track patients over a longer period to see if the brain changes are permanent. It would also be informative to investigate how psychotherapy affects other functions associated with depression, such as sleep, rumination, or the ability to experience pleasure, and whether those functions are linked to structural brain changes.</p>
<p>Redlich stresses that these findings do not suggest one treatment is superior to another. Medication, electrostimulation, and psychotherapy are all effective options that may work differently for different individuals. “It is therefore all the more encouraging that we were able to show in our study that psychotherapy is an equally effective alternative from a medical and scientific standpoint,” said Redlich.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-025-03545-7" target="_blank">Limbic gray matter increases in response to cognitive-behavioral therapy in major depressive disorder</a>,” was authored by Esther Zwiky, Tiana Borgers, Melissa Klug, Philine König, Konrad Schöniger, Janine Selle, Antonia Küttner, Luisa Brunner, Elisabeth J. Leehr, Udo Dannlowski, Verena Enneking, and Ronny Redlich.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/past-life-memories-study-reveals-connections-to-anxiety-ptsd-and-spirituality/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Past-life memories study reveals connections to anxiety, PTSD, and spirituality</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Sep 29th 2025, 12:00</div>
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<p><p>A new study published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2025.2521573" target="_blank">The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion</a></em> has found that adults who say they remember past lives tend to experience more symptoms of mental health issues, including anxiety and posttraumatic stress, than the general population. However, these same individuals also report high levels of spirituality, which appears to be linked to greater happiness and fewer signs of psychological distress.</p>
<p>The research was conducted in Brazil, where beliefs in reincarnation are common. It provides one of the first large-scale investigations into the mental health, well-being, and religious or spiritual characteristics of adults who report memories of previous lives. The findings raise questions about how such experiences are processed, understood, and supported, particularly in cultures where spiritual beliefs are widespread.</p>
<p>Although there has been decades of research on children who claim to remember past lives, adults with similar experiences have received much less attention. Earlier work, particularly that of psychiatrist Ian Stevenson in the 20th century, documented detailed accounts from children in different countries. These children often described names, places, and causes of death from what they believed were their previous lives. Some of these memories faded with age, but in a number of cases, they persisted into adulthood.</p>
<p>Little is known about how adults who claim these memories are affected by them, or what characteristics they tend to share. Do they experience mental health challenges? How do their spiritual or religious beliefs influence their well-being? The Brazilian research team set out to answer these questions through a nationwide survey of adults who reported past-life memories.</p>
<p>“I was introduced to this topic by two of my patients, who were in great distress and associated it with a past life,” said study author <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sandramacielc/" target="_blank">Sandra Maciel de Carvalho</a>, a member of the Research Center on Spirituality and Health at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in Brazil.</p>
<p>“One of them often described details of the supposed past life, such as where and when he lived, his profession, his family members (whom he recognized in his current life), and a crime he had committed, which consequences he could still feel. The other person, during the most difficult moments she faced, would often cry a lot and complain: ‘I didn’t want to come back, they forced me,’ always asking what the meaning of her current life was.”</p>
<p>“Since I had been interested in the topic of health and spirituality for a long time and used to attend events organized by the Research Center on Spirituality and Health (NUPES) at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, I thought that this could be an interesting topic for a doctoral project. So, I requested a meeting with Dr. Alexander Moreira-Almeida, director of NUPES, and he was just starting a research project on alleged children’s past-life memories. And after being approved in the public examination for the doctorate, I was put in charge of the research with adults.”</p>
<p>The researchers launched an online survey between 2019 and 2021, inviting adults living in Brazil who believed they had experienced memories of a past life to participate. In total, 402 individuals met the study criteria and completed the full set of questions.</p>
<p>Participants were asked to describe their alleged memories in detail. They also provided information about their demographics, mental health, spiritual beliefs, and levels of happiness. Several validated psychological questionnaires were used to assess symptoms of common mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression, as well as posttraumatic stress. Religious and spiritual beliefs were evaluated through a widely used multidimensional scale.</p>
<p>The majority of participants were women (79%), had completed higher education (68%), and identified as Spiritists (54.5%). Spiritism is a religious movement in Brazil that incorporates beliefs in reincarnation and spiritual evolution. Most respondents also described themselves as highly spiritual.</p>
<p>The memories tended to emerge spontaneously, rather than being brought about through hypnosis or therapy. On average, participants reported their first past-life memory at around 20 years old, though some dated their experiences back to early childhood. These memories were often detailed and included not only visuals but sensations, emotions, and even sounds or smells.</p>
<p>Participants reported a wide range of past-life scenarios, from lives lived in ancient civilizations to more recent centuries. A majority described difficult or traumatic past deaths, sometimes linked to violence. Many said their memories affected them deeply, often causing distress or confusion.</p>
<p>In addition to the memories themselves, the study also asked about other features commonly reported in previous research on past-life recall. Over half of the participants said they had birthmarks or physical traits they believed were connected to how they died in a previous life. Nearly three-quarters reported phobias that began in childhood, such as a fear of water, loud noises, or enclosed spaces. Many also reported intense interests or desires that felt out of place, which they associated with their previous identities.</p>
<p>The researchers found a high rate of self-reported mental health symptoms among participants. Nearly half of the sample (46%) scored above the threshold for symptoms of depression or anxiety, and more than a third (39%) met the criteria for posttraumatic stress symptoms based on a standardized scale.</p>
<p>Childhood phobias and unusual early desires (referred to as “philias”) appeared to be significant factors. Participants who recalled these traits in childhood were more likely to report mental health struggles later in life. For example, those with philias had nearly four times higher odds of showing symptoms of common mental disorders, and they also reported lower levels of happiness. Phobias were also linked to greater chances of posttraumatic stress symptoms.</p>
<p>At the same time, religious and spiritual beliefs appeared to be protective. Participants who engaged in spiritual practices or held strong spiritual convictions tended to report greater happiness and fewer symptoms of mental health problems. Among the various spiritual traits examined, forgiveness and positive spiritual coping had the strongest associations with psychological well-being. People who scored high in forgiveness were more than six times as likely to report being happy, and less than half as likely to show signs of posttraumatic stress.</p>
<p>“Higher levels of forgiveness increase the chances of greater happiness by 385% and decrease the chances of PTSD symptoms by 79% and common mental disorders symptoms by 53%,” Carvalho told PsyPost. “Positive coping increases the chances of greater happiness by 385% and decreases the chances of common mental disorders symptoms by 51%. On the other hand, negative coping decreases the chances of happiness by 87%, and increases the chances of PTSD symptoms by 216% and common mental disorders symptoms by 899%! We already knew that religiosity/spirituality is usually associated with positive outcomes in mental health, but the role of forgiveness and religious/spiritual coping in our study was really impressive.”</p>
<p>On the other hand, those who relied on negative coping strategies—such as interpreting their suffering as divine punishment—were more likely to experience psychological distress.</p>
<p>Although most participants believed their memories were real and spiritually significant, nearly half said the memories had negatively affected their lives. Some described emotional challenges in relationships, lingering fears, or confusion about their sense of identity.</p>
<p>These results indicate that experiences of past-life memory in adulthood may be accompanied by emotional distress, particularly when they involve unresolved fears or trauma. Phobias and unusual desires in childhood, which participants believed were linked to past lives, were associated with higher levels of mental health symptoms in adulthood.</p>
<p>At the same time, religious and spiritual beliefs provided a kind of buffer. Many participants reported that their spiritual outlook helped them find meaning in their experiences, cope with emotional challenges, and maintain a sense of purpose. These findings are consistent with previous research showing that spirituality can promote resilience, especially when facing unexplained or stressful experiences.</p>
<p>The study also contributes to the understanding of how spiritual beliefs can intersect with mental health. In societies where beliefs in reincarnation are common, some individuals may interpret personal experiences through that lens. For those who feel isolated or misunderstood because of their memories, the lack of social or clinical support could lead to increased suffering.</p>
<p>“Since we began promoting the research to recruit participants, we noticed a great acceptance from the general public, as well as from the press,” Carvalho said. “This indicated to us that the topic was of interest to the public and that it met some expectation or need of theirs. We received accounts from people living in five other countries, such was the impact of the research. And, as we have representatives from 22 of the 26 Brazilian states, this leads us to a first conclusion: past-life memories are a frequent experience in our country and, for this reason, they should not be pathologized <em>a priori</em>.”</p>
<p>“The highly educated profile of our sample indicates that spiritual experiences are not necessarily associated with people with low levels of education and limited critical thinking, as is often propagated in common sense.”</p>
<p>But there are some limitations to note. As a cross-sectional study, the findings cannot determine whether the memories themselves caused the mental health symptoms, or whether other factors played a role. The sample may not represent all Brazilian adults, as participants were self-selected and likely more interested in spiritual topics. Most had access to technology and higher education, which may not reflect the broader population.</p>
<p>“As a cross-sectional study, it is not possible to infer causality from our findings, and any extrapolation of the results should be done judiciously, since the majority of the sample is Christian,” Carvalho noted. “Our high-educated sample is probably due to a selection bias of our online method of participation. Another limitation of the study is that the prevalence of alleged past-life memories is still unknown in the Brazilian population.”</p>
<p>Still, this research provides one of the first large-scale looks at how adults process and live with alleged memories of past lives. It suggests there may be unmet psychological needs in this group, especially among those who experience fear or confusion related to their memories.</p>
<p>The authors note that mental health professionals should be prepared to discuss such experiences with cultural sensitivity. “Our findings indicate the need to train professionals to 1) identify and support individuals who claim past-life memories, so that they feel comfortable sharing their experiences and the impact they have on their lives, 2) understand how individuals integrate these experiences into their daily lives and 3) encourage religious/spiritual mechanisms of coping as well as others that can minimize or reframe their negative impacts.”</p>
<p>Long-term, the research team hopes to explore the personal narratives behind these memories in more depth. “We are preparing a qualitative paper with analyses of the alleged memories and their impact on the lives of the participants and their families,” Carvalho explained. “We plan a subsequent article in which we will analyze the results by groups of participants with spontaneous and induced memories, and by the stages of development in which the memories occurred (childhood, adolescence, or adulthood).”</p>
<p>“Longitudinal studies on the development of alleged memories and mental health, and studies on adults from different cultures are some goals to be achieved.”</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2025.2521573" target="_blank">Who Does Report Past-Life Memories? Claimers’ Profile, Religiosity/Spirituality and Impact on Happiness and Mental Health</a>,” was authored by Sandra Maciel de Carvalho, Jim Tucker, and Alexander Moreira-Almeida.</p></p>
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<p><strong>Forwarded by:<br />
Michael Reeder LCPC<br />
Baltimore, MD</strong></p>
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