Mind

How Patient Suicide Affects Psychiatrists

Mental-health practitioners whose clients kill themselves can face stigma from their colleagues, lawsuits, and a toll on their own psyches—making them less likely to take on suicidal patients who need their help.

• Sulome Anderson
• January 20, 2015

Diagnosis or Delusion?

Patients who say they have Morgellons point to skin lesions as proof of their disease. But doctors believe the lesions are self-inflicted—that the condition is psychological, not dermatological.

• Katherine Foley
• January 18, 2015

Coping After Captivity

The mental-health effects of being held hostage

• Andrew Giambrone
• January 16, 2015

The Psychological Reason 'Billie Jean' Kills at Weddings

Research suggests that a love of particular songs can be passed from generation to generation.

• Megan Garber
• January 15, 2015

Listening to the Star Wars Soundtrack in a Pygmy Village

A new study looks at how music affects emotions across cultures.

• Iulia Filip
• January 10, 2015

Getting Back With Carbs

The original low-carb diet flirts with reason.

• James Hamblin
• January 9, 2015

What Happens to a Woman’s Brain When She Becomes a Mother

From joy and attachment to anxiety and protectiveness, mothering behavior begins with biochemical reactions.

• Adrienne LaFrance
• January 8, 2015

Beyond the Smiley-Face Pain Scale

People with autism, who often have trouble describing discomfort, could benefit from alternative methods of measurement. But there are so many to choose from it can be hard to know which to use.

• Rose Eveleth
• January 7, 2015

Homeless and Hoarding

For those in poverty, excessively stockpiling possessions can act as a link to a more prosperous past or insurance for a difficult future.

• Leah Sottile
• January 7, 2015

Is 2015 the Year We All Sequence Our Microbiomes?

Intriguing inventions for a healthier New Year

• The Editors
• December 26, 2014

No Phones in Bed

Or, the health case for books. New research looks into how screens tell our brains to stay unnaturally alert.

• James Hamblin
• December 22, 2014

'People Can Be Afraid of Anything'

There are plenty of people afraid of whales who will never even see one. How I learned about, and tried to conquer, my own cetaphobia.

• Kate Horowitz
• December 19, 2014

Operating Tunes: How Music Helps Surgery

A new study analyzes the songs played in the OR.

• Julie Beck
• December 16, 2014

Enlightenment's Evil Twin

There's a lot that psychologists still don't understand about depersonalization disorder, in which the self doesn't feel real.

• Gracie Lofthouse
• December 16, 2014

The Myth of the Brain Game

Puzzles designed to sharpen mental acuity may not actually do much to improve memory or intelligence in the long run.

• Venkat Srinivasan
• December 15, 2014

The Humane Interrogation Technique That Actually Works

A study finds that confessions are four times more likely when interrogators adopt a respectful stance toward detainees and build rapport, instead of torturing.

• Olga Khazan
• December 14, 2014

Vaccine Myth-Busting Can Backfire

For people who mistrust vaccination, learning the facts may make the problem worse.

• Cari Romm
• December 12, 2014

Medicine's Unrelenting Race Gap

New studies show just how seriously racial disparities continue to manifest in healthcare—and what can be done

• James Hamblin
• December 10, 2014

For the Love of Stuff

Though many turn up their noses at materialism, being attached to possessions isn't all bad. Objects can be bridges to other people, places, and times, and create meaning and comfort for their owners.

• Julie Beck
• December 10, 2014

A Podcast for Your Mental Health

Former comedian Paul Gilmartin has built a devoted following for The Mental-Illness Happy Hour, which tackles everything from incest to alcoholism to serial killers.

• Amanda Bloom
• December 9, 2014