Emotions and schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia experience emotion through their bodies differently from those who do not suffer from the disorder, a study has found. Researchers from the Vanderbilt University in the US compared individuals with schizophrenia with matched control participants, asking each to fill in a “body map” in a way that correlates to the way they physically experience emotion. They used a computerised colouring task to locate where participants feel sensations when they experience, for example, anger or depression. The outcomes differed radically between groups, with the control group showing distinct maps of sensations for 13 different emotions, indicating specific patterns of increased arousal and decreased energy across the body for each emotion. The study also found that individuals with schizophrenia do not differentiate on their body maps for varying emotions. That may pose a problem for them in identifying, recognising and verbalising their emotions or trying to understand the emotions of others.
Drinking and social media
College students who binge drink frequently post on social media in an intoxicated condition and show signs of social media addiction, a new study has warned. The findings suggested that when compared to those students who had never binged, those who did were more likely to have posted on any social media platform while drinking and while intoxicated. “During these times when young students are feeling disinhibited by alcohol, they may be even more likely than usual to post inappropriate material without considering the future impact,” said lead author Natalie A Ceballos from the Texas State University in San Marcos. For the study, the research team recruited 425 undergraduate students aged between 18 and 25.
The risk inUrology Procedures
Antibiotics are being overused in patients undergoing common urological procedures, which exposes them to potential harm including an increased risk of infection by C difficile bacteria, researchers warned. Clostridium difficile, often called C difficile, is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhoea to potentially fatal inflammation of the colon. The study showed that almost 60 per cent of patients were prescribed antibiotics in a way that did not follow the American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines, which recommends that antibiotics should be given for no more than 24 hours following most urological procedures. According to author Daniel Livorsi from the University of Iowa in the US, “Reducing unnecessary antibiotic use in this setting is just one example of how physicians can be better stewards of antibiotics,” said Livorsi.