Tag: psychology

There are tens of thousands of psychopaths in Norway – but they are hard to spot

They have an inflated self-image and little empathy. They manipulate and defraud others. There are tens of thousands of them in Norway. But they can be difficult to detect, Pål Grøndahl writes in his new book on psychopathy.

A new, simplified therapy approach may help against self-harm

Various forms of self-harm have increased significantly in recent years, especially among adolescents. A new, simplified treatment could help more young people access support more quickly.

The paradox of diagnosis: How labels impact the mental health of adolescents

An entire generation of young people is being labelled as sick. Adult culture should instead protect young people's space so that they have time to find themselves, clinical psychologist Per Are Løkke believes.

Norwegian Psychological Association to lawmakers: Patient experience is crucial in therapy outcomes

Several researchers are asking critical questions about the research that the field of psychology is based on. The Norwegian Psychological Association wants the authorities to tackle one issue in particular.

What makes us happy? A new global study provides answers

Why are people in the world happy or unhappy? An international study led by researchers in Oslo can give us a more definitive answer.

Elderly suicide rates are on the rise. Home healthcare services have an important responsibility

The greatest increase in the number of suicides in recent years has been among seniors over 80 years old. Healthcare professionals can detect suicide risk among the elderly but lack the necessary resources, according to a new study.

The theoretical foundation for psychology is shaky. No one knows if the the theories are valid

As a therapist, you need to be ready to abandon the method you know and like if it doesn’t make sense for the patient, according to researcher Andreas Høstmælingen.

Something is wrong with psychological research

Almost all the studies in psychology confirm what the researchers believe. Should that set off alarm bells?

What is the problem with waitlist control groups in psychological research?

Many psychology studies compare patients who receive treatment with patients who are on a waitlist. Research shows that this might be artificially inflating the results.

Five to ten percent of patients get sicker after seeing a psychologist

Some forms of treatment pose a greater risk of injury than others.

Psychology folklore or science? Uncovering facts about repressed memories

Psychological theories that have become truths in our culture may be built more on naive belief than on science, according to researchers.

“I've wasted enough time going to therapy”

The meeting with multiple psychotherapists led Dag Wollebæk to delve into psychological research. What he found did not impress him and now he has given up all psychological treatment.

Why are there 500 different types of psychotherapy?

Treatments can vary widely and are sometimes even contradictory. But no one is making sure that the method you use actually works.

Can patients get just as well by talking to someone who is not a psychologist?

Researchers have no idea why some people get better from going to therapy.

Why do researchers disagree so much about how well psychotherapy works?

We have to give people realistic expectations of the kind of help a psychologist can offer, says researcher.

More stress hormones found in children cared for at home than in kindergartens

Does the research finding flip our understanding of stress in the nursery and kindergarten setting?

This may explain why women earn less on savings than men

A new study shows that the fear of a potential loss in an investment outweighed the potential gain.

Why do we remember our childhood summers as sun-filled and long?

It's all about nostalgia, says psychology professor Per-Einar Binder.

Society is spending more and more money on mental health. Why aren't we getting any better?

The proportion of the population with depression – the most common mental illness – has remained unchanged for more than 30 years. One professor believes that we need to think about the issue in a completely new way.

Has digitization destroyed our ability to read long and complicated texts?

Experts disagree about whether something has happened to our ability to read for a long time. In any case, it is entirely possible to learn to improve your concentration, says one researcher.

Shy children are more likely to be sad and more anxious than other children

Children who find it particularly difficult to get close to others are often sad, says the researcher behind a new Norwegian study.

Bente Træen had cancer surgery: "What will this mean for my sex life?"

OPINION: When you’re a patient, you're not exactly at the top of your game. And yet healthcare personnel expect patients to take the initiative in talking about their most intimate issues. It goes without saying that this doesn’t work.

Researchers use hypnosis to help breast cancer patients cope better with surgery

One in ten women develops breast cancer during their lives. But how they cope with the disease mentally varies dramatically. Now, researchers may have found a method that can help patients recover better following surgery.

More people with narcissistic personality disorder should get help

They often behave so unpleasantly that therapists are not comfortable having them as patients. But people with narcissistic personality disorder need help. And treatment can help, says researcher.

Narcissists feel overly self-important but are also very fragile, says psychiatrist

In the media, they are portrayed almost exclusively as arrogant and reckless. But people with narcissistic personality disorder also have another, often well hidden, side to their personality.

Why are some people so picky when it comes to food?

ASK A RESEARCHER: Some people pick at their food and don't like fish and vegetables. What's the problem?

4-day anxiety treatment receives research award

Researchers Gerd Kvale and Bjarne Hansen have received the innovation award from the Research Council of Norway for a four-day treatment program that has shown very good effects against severe anxiety disorders.

Why am I at my best when it doesn't matter?

When a lot is at stake, things tend to go awry. In terms of evolution, it doesn't make sense. Why aren't we at our very best when we need it most?

The feeling of being worthless is the most important cause of depression, researchers say

Have you ever felt worthless? A large Norwegian study now points to this as perhaps the most important driver and cause of worsening depression.

This is why we forget names

And this is what you can do to remember them.

Do relationships suffer from the seven-year itch?

Both men and women feel most close to their partner at the beginning of their relationship. These feelings then steadily erode, especially for women, writes Bente Træen.

Twin study: Genes explain only a third of our psychological resilience

A new, Norwegian twin study reveals that people who think life is meaningful, are physically active and have good relationships with their loved ones, are far better equipped to cope with stress.

Maternal behaviour may transmit mental health problems to children

Mental health issues and the personality trait of neuroticism may be transmitted from parents to children. But does this transmission occur through genes or upbringing and environment? A new Norwegian study sheds light on the subject.

He knows where the voices in your head are from — and maybe he can stop them

Kenneth Hugdahl has found out where the voices in your head come from. Now he hopes that it will be possible to turn off the switch.

People often have mysterious dreams before they die

Many people experience characteristic dreams and visions in the weeks and days before life ends. It is high time we recognize the importance of such experiences, says one researcher. Several Norwegian researchers agree.

The British guideline for CFS/ME is the result of activism, not research

OPINION: Unfortunately, the recommendations made in the new NICE guidelines for chronic fatigue were not based on the published research. This means that the Norwegian Directorate of Health can be confident in ignoring their suggestions.

Can psychopaths be helped after all?

After having worked with them for several years, a Norwegian psychologist specialist believes they can. This goes against the prevailing attitude of many of her colleagues.

This plant’s perfume can affect your health

Plants with a strong scent, such as geraniums, lavender and conifers, can have a positive impact on our health. Norwegian researcher believes they involve good memories.

Research on Utøya survivors:"We were probably a little naive. We did not understand how difficult things would be for those who survived the attack.”

“There are two ways in which the Utøya attack differs from other traumatic events,” says Head of Research Grete Dyb.

Adults with ADHD have increased risk of obesity, epilepsy and a number of other diseases

Researcher believes new findings from ADHD research could be significant for treating the condition.

Older people are less worried about climate change than before the pandemic

Are we more concerned about coronavirus than the climate?

Children who slept less had fewer positive emotions

Over time, insufficient sleep can affect our concentration and our relationships with friends.

We need to acknowledge how tough it is for toddlers to start in kindergarten, say psychologists

What should you consider when leaving your one-year-old with other adults? Specialists in children's attachment offer some advice.

Have we lost a generation of children during the Corona pandemic?

OPINION: I fear that we are neglecting the children most in need because of a Eurocentric focus on the Covid-19 pandemic.

Women who struggle with urinary incontinence are more likely to experience anxiety and depression

A study of Norwegian women suggests there may be a common underlying connection.

Brain researcher: Here’s why the pandemic came as a surprise to us

The brain’s two systems make it difficult for us to understand dangers we haven’t actually experienced.

Older men don’t talk enough about sex

Women do so much of the talking that men become mute, according to Elsa Mari Almås, a professor and couple therapist.

Financial worries gave Norwegians symptoms of PTSD when the pandemic hit the country

Worrying about losing your income is extremely stressful, says researcher.

Why does therapy for mental illness work?

Psychoanalysis. Cognitive behavioural therapy. Compassion-based therapy. People use countless forms of therapy for mental illness. Why do they all work equally well?

Quiet people suffer without being seen

A surprisingly large portion of the population may suffer from a personality disorder that very few have heard of.

Brain researcher: It’s difficult to separate the physical and mental when it comes to our brains

Emotions, mental ailments, brain diseases: Everything happens in the brain. Technological advances have given us new perspectives on how the brain works, according to Norwegian brain researchers.

Norwegians almost three times as likely to suffer from symptoms of depression after the lockdown in March

As several countries in Europe prepare for new lockdowns, studies are emerging on the effects of the first wave.

Why do we condemn, blame and stigmatize people who have experienced something traumatic?

OPINION: Some trauma victims are met with negative social reactions when they tell others about what they have experienced. Why does this happen?

Why do jihadists cry?

Norwegian researcher has collected hundreds of stories about terrorists crying over the past decade. For it appears that terrorists shed quite a few tears when they are together. But why?

Social media “likes” and comments lead to poorer self-esteem

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Girls who “like” and comment on what others post on social media develop a worse self-image over time. Posting on your own profile doesn’t have the same effect.

Preferring to be social on social media rather than face-to-face is not deviant. It’s the new normal.

OPINION: Are you secretly dreading the day when social distancing is just a vague memory? When you once again have to physically interact with other people, whether you like them or not? Chances are you are not a social deviant or a freak, but a representative of the new normal.

How long does sex normally last before climaxing?

For sure not all night, in case you might have thought so.

Mum drinking just a little too much led to behavioural problems in children

This doesn’t only apply to mothers with alcohol abuse issues. A Norwegian study shows that merely a slightly elevated alcohol consumption in mothers of toddlers can lead to more behavioural problems in children.

What if psychological disorders don’t have any underlying cause?

Traditionally, both researchers and practicing psychologists have searched for the root cause of mental disorders: The trauma. The genes. The biochemistry that causes symptoms of anxiety or depression. But what if the symptoms are the actual disease?

Online therapy: Many more people can get help with the fear of public speaking

Many people who suffer from social anxiety don’t dare to contact a psychologist. As a consequence, the people who struggle the most are the least likely to get help. A new study shows that online therapy is as effective as face-to-face therapy.

This is how they treat obsessive-compulsive disorder — in 4 days

Gerd Kvale and Bjarne Hansen have had great success with their four-day treatment programme for obsessive-compulsive disorder. They think the general trend towards shorter treatment programmes is long overdue.

We should spend more time studying successful psychopaths, says forensic psychiatrist Randi Rosenqvist

Upon retiring, forensic psychiatrist Randi Rosenqvist talks to ScienceNorway.no about abnormalities in the brains of psychopaths, how it would be interesting to study successful psychopaths, and why she doesn’t actually like the term psychopaths.

Suicide researcher is more optimistic than in a long time

Youth who repeatedly injure themselves, think about suicide or try to commit suicide have not always received the right treatment. Now scientists are beginning to better understand what helps.

Should children be allowed to choose teams in gym class?

ASK A RESEARCHER: Or should the teacher do it? We ask the experts.

Norway builds top athletes through not focusing on winning

Athletes and trainers who are most concerned with their overall development rather than results are the ones who often do the best, research suggests.

Why are we more concerned about someone seeing us fall on our face than whether it hurt?

ASK A RESEARCHER: Avoiding social pain is often more important than avoiding physical pain, according to psychology researcher.

Why do schizophrenia patients die earlier than other people?

The average life expectancy of Norwegians with schizophrenic disorders is 62 years. If you also have a drug problem, it goes down to 47 years. “It’s difficult to understand why this isn’t prioritized by the health services,” says a veteran psychiatric researcher.