College students who post references to getting drunk, blacking out, or other aspects of dangerous drinking on Facebook are more likely to have clinically-significant alcohol problems than students who do not post such references, ZDNet reports. The findings are based on a recent study which appears online in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, and is supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) as well as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Washington, Seattle, examined public Facebook profiles of more than 300 undergraduate students at those universities…
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PTSD-gene link found in Northern Illinois University students after campus shootings
A study of college students’ reactions to shootings on their Illinois campus gives fresh insight into how genes may influence the psychological impact of traumatic events.
The researchers found that symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder were more common in Northern Illinois University students who had certain variations in a gene that regulates levels of serotonin, a brain chemical linked with mood that is the target of popular antidepressants.
The researchers say the results could someday lead to new treatments for PTSD, and also could help predict who will develop the condition, which could be useful for soldiers involved in combat.…Read More