Psychology

First drug to improve sexual desire in women approved in the United States

Addyi (flibanserin), a drug dubbed the ‘female Viagra’, has been approved for the treatment of acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women by the FDA.…

Awareness of risks can change anti-vaccination beliefs

Sceptical parents may be persuaded to vaccinate their children against measles, mumps and rubella if they are provided with information about the risk and severity of the diseases.…

Benzodiazepines should not be given to patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

A systematic review and meta-analysis has concluded that benzodiazepines are ineffective in post traumatic stress disorder and that the risks “tend to outweigh” potential short-term benefits. …

Psychiatric drugs can affect moral decisions about willingness to harm

Commonly prescribed psychiatric drugs can influence moral decisions about self-harm or inflicting harm on others, according to new research.…

Paying people to quit smoking promotes sustained abstinence

Offering people financial incentives to quit can promote sustained abstinence from smoking, but the results differ depending on the type of programme on offer, according to research published in The New England Journal of Medicine.…

Erectile dysfunction treatments leave men unsatisfied

Drugs developed to improve erectile dysfunction have improved sexual function and activity in 80% of users, but did not translate into satisfaction with sex and relationships for older men, a study has found.…

Paracetamol blunts both negative and positive emotions

Researchers have shown that compared with placebo paracetamol blunts emotional responses to both unpleasant and pleasant images.…

Researchers survey the psychological factors of medication adherence

Four out of ten people would be willing to accept some degree of risk of immediate death rather than having to take a daily pill to prevent cardiovascular disease. …

Hospital workers wash their hands less frequently as their shifts progress

Hospital employees who work with patients wash their hands less frequently as they get deeper into their shifts, a study finds.…

Treatment of schizophrenia should not be limited to drugs, says WHO

Treatment of schizophrenia should not be limited to pharmacotherapy but should also include psychosocial interventions, says the World Health Organization (WHO).…