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UPI
a day ago
- Health
- UPI
Hoarders say they feel stigmatized, face 'everyday discrimination'
Compulsive hoarders reported "significantly higher" perceptions of social and physical disorder in their neighborhoods as well as more "everyday discrimination" than did matched counterparts, according to a recent study. Photo by Josefina/ Pexels ST. PAUL. Minn., June 27 (UPI) -- Compulsive hoarders feel stigmatized and are more likely to view their neighborhoods as less safe and more chaotic than counterparts do, according to researchers who are seeking to promote empathy for sufferers. Tapping data made available from a wide-ranging National Institutes of Health initiative, the analysts found that people with hoarding reported "significantly higher" perceived neighborhood social disorder, neighborhood physical disorder and everyday discrimination than did matched counterparts. That perceived "daily discrimination" was also found to be a strong predictor of hoarding disorder relative to other participants, even those diagnosed with related types of obsessive-compulsive disorders, according to a recent study online in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The study comes as medical science is struggling with how to effectively address hoarding that when left untreated can put sufferers and family members at serious risk of heath problems, injury, removal of at-risk children or older adults from the home, homelessness or in the worst case, even death. Hoarding also comes with high public costs. Between 2014 and 2022, more than 5,200 residential fires connected to cluttered environments resulted in 1,367 fire service injuries, 1,119 civilian injuries and over $396 million in losses, according to data collected through the National Fire Incident Reporting System. The study's lead author, Mississippi State University clinical psychology doctoral student Jarrod Williams, said the findings shed new light on how hoarders view themselves and their communities, and can perhaps serve to humanize them, reduce the stigma they feel and lead to new avenues of treatment. "We already know that people with hoarding experience high rates of isolation and loneliness, and this study demonstrates that they not only have worse neighborhood experiences but also worse perceived discrimination," he told UPI. "If we can reduce how often people with hoarding experience discrimination and improve how they interact with their communities, that would be really helpful step in the right direction to alleviating this public health issue," he said. Psychiatrists define hoarding disorder as a type of obsessive-compulsive mental health condition primarily characterized by difficulty discarding objects regardless of their value, with the result being the accumulation of clutter that compromises living spaces. It is a chronic condition that particularly affects older people: an estimated 6% of older adults have hoarding disorder, compared to roughly 2% of the general population. Hoarding behaviors typically emerge before age 20, but the severity of disorder symptoms often increase with each decade of life. For those afflicted, compulsive hoarding results in more functional impairment than many of the most common medical and psychiatric disorders such as major depression, chronic pain and diabetes, according to studies. The greatest risks associated with severe cases include fires, injuries from falls, pest infestations and medical illnesses. Recent research suggests that trauma and stressful events during one's life can impact hoarding disorder, including interpersonal violence, having belongings taken by force or childhood abuse. Biology and genetics may play a role. Since the 1990s, the "gold standard" treatment for hoarding disorder has been cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, in which a patient's beliefs about possessions and discarding are identified, challenged and modified through a process called "cognitive restructuring" This involves learning to identify and disregard irrational, harmful thoughts. Results with CBT, appearing promising. One study found that 71% of patients were considered improved after 26 CBT sessions and 81% of patients rated themselves improved. However, treatment refusal and compliance remains a concern: Few people seek treatment for hoarding disorder on their own and often refuse treatment when it is offered to them. Williams said the Mississippi State study could provide new clues about how to approach hoarders by illuminating their "neighborhood experience," which is defined as someone's perception of their neighborhood and the victimization and/or discrimination they experience within it. Using survey responses from the NIH's All of Us research program, he and his colleagues focused on 64 participants diagnosed with HD, 1,265 participants diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder but not hoarding disorder, and 85,329 individuals without records of psychiatric issues. The 64 hoarding disorder patients were matched to up to five participants with OCD exactly by age, race/ethnicity, gender and using nearest neighbor matching for income, marital status and education, while up to 10 non-psychiatric control participants were matched exactly using age, race/ethnicity, gender, marital status and education. "Significant differences" were found in the hoarding disorder patients' survey responses about neighborhood social cohesion and safety, neighborhood social disorder, neighborhood physical disorder, neighborhood crime/safety, medical discrimination and overall discrimination, Williams reported. "What these findings say to me is that people with hoarding know they're being stigmatized, and I would hypothesize that's why their neighborhood experience is worse," he said. "And I hope that this knowledge can promote a level of compassion for them. "I would guess that part of the reason for the disfunction they experience in their communities is due to stigma and perceived stigma. Part of how we help them is being compassionate and understanding." Agreeing with that sentiment is Lisa M. O'Neill, associate director of research and education at the University of Arizona's Center on Aging in Tucson and a clinical assistant professor of medicine. She also serves on the Arizona governor's Advisory Council on Aging and is the co-founder and chair of the Southern Arizona Hoarding Taskforce. O'Neill told UPI that after five years of teaching community education classes for people struggling with hoarding behaviors, she is convinced that to make real headway against this disorder, sufferers "need to feel understood, not judged." Reaching them and finding effective treatments requires empathy with how they view their situations, especially among professionals and community members, she said in emailed comments. "For example, even if someone hasn't had any direct contact with a person who struggles with alcohol addiction, we have all had enough education to know that simply saying 'just stop drinking' isn't going to solve anything. We know that people struggling with addiction need help. "While physical addiction and mental health disorders are not the same thing, education on these issues builds a community-wide understanding and hopefully a small measure of empathy," she said. Because most hoarding behaviors usually begin in adolescence or the early 20s, it's likely that every conversation sufferers have ever had with anyone about their behaviors or possessions "has not been positive, and after a lifetime of negative conversations/outcomes, they might be afraid to openly seek help because no one seems to understand," O'Neill added. People with hoarding behaviors "need education and behavior modification as well as realistic tips so they can practice building new thought processes and behavior patterns -- new habits, all while keeping their anxiety and emotional distress in check," she urged, adding, "Behavior modification is hard, and it takes time." Hoarders' negative views of their neighborhoods are most likely influenced by their tendency to be "socially isolated from others," added Jessica Rasmussen, a psychologist with Mass General Brigham in Boston, who specializes in the psychopathology of hoarding and provides cognitive behavioral therapy. "Individuals with HD often are dealing with depressive symptoms or social anxiety that can lead them to withdraw from those around them and be less likely to reach out for help," she told UPI in emailed comments. "They are also frequently dealing with feelings of embarrassment or shame concerning the hoarding, they are fearful of how they will be perceived and worried about being negatively judged. "It is often family members, friends or the local community that may reach out for help for the individual with HD," she said. CBT is effective and has been shown to help sufferers reduce clutter in their homes, improve their ability to discard possessions as well as resist acquiring more than they need, Rasmussen added. CBT for hoarding disorder "focuses on examining beliefs about possessions and shifting them, as well as gradual exposure to discarding and resisting excessive acquisition. It also provides cognitive skills training for executive functions such as decision making and categorization."
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump wielded an ax at DEI. Federal judge was not having it.
Young rightly ruled that this kneecapping of basic medical research explicitly based on race and gender characteristics of those being studied is itself a form of racism decreed with apparently no care for the medical value and relevance of the banned research. Advertisement William August Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Cambridge The writer is a lawyer who previously served as general counsel responsible for administrative law matters for a Massachusetts state agency. Administration runs smack into the rule of law and a courageous jurist Chris Serres's article US District Judge William G. Young, finding the administration to have been discriminatory against minorities and LGBTQ individuals, ruled that the cuts to more than 800 research grants by the National Institutes of Health were 'illegal and void.' The judge confirmed what millions of Americans now believe, namely that the government's wholesale assault on government programs and constitutional rights is not about policy nor based on facts. It is about revenge, retribution, and cruelty. Advertisement There can be no good-faith or legal basis for the wholesale assault on America's universities, law firms, medical researchers, scientists, and libraries, to name a few. This judge called it as he saw it. In typical overheated fashion, a White House spokesperson attacked the judge's ruling as 'appalling.' Perhaps this spokesperson never had a civics lesson in high school. What this judge did was to apply the law and look for some rational basis for the cuts the administration had imposed. He found none. Thomas F. Maffei Melrose The writer practices law in Boston.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Harvard uni's liver specialist ranks 10 foods for fatty liver on a scale of 1 to 10: Ripe bananas to green tea
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body, helping you digest food, store energy, and remove toxic material. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the global prevalence of NAFLD (Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) is 30 percent and increasing. This requires urgent strategies to raise awareness and for people to improve their diet and lifestyle. Per Dr Saurabh Sethi, green tea may not be the best option for you if you have fatty liver. (Adobe Stock) Also Read | Urologist explains role of gut microbiota in kidney health and diseases: 'To avoid kidney issues, focus on gut health' In a video posted on June 26, Dr Saurabh Sethi, a gastroenterologist and liver specialist trained at AIIMS, Harvard, and Stanford Universities, ranked 10 common foods based on how good they are for fatty liver. The list will help you make informed decisions the next time you are picking up a food that may be harmful if you have a fatty liver. Liver specialist ranks 10 common foods Sharing the list, Dr Sethi wrote, 'Are you struggling with fatty liver or worried about your liver health? In this video, I'm ranking 10 common foods based on how good or bad they are for fatty liver, using the latest scientific research and clinical evidence.' Let's check out the list: Green tea: 5/10 Smoothies: 4/10 Berries: 7/10 Chia and basil seeds: 8/10 Beets: 6/10 Very ripe banana: 3/10 Freshly squeezed fruit juice: 2/10 Avocado: 9/10 Store-bought fruit juice: 1/10 Black coffee: 10/10 What is fatty liver? According to MedlinePlus, fatty liver disease is a condition in which fat builds up in your liver, and there are mainly two types: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic fatty liver disease, also called alcoholic steatohepatitis. Though the cause of NAFLD is unknown. Researchers do know that it is more common in people who: Have type 2 diabetes and prediabetes Have obesity Are middle-aged or older (although children can also get it) Have high levels of fats in the blood, such as cholesterol and triglycerides Have high blood pressure Have certain metabolic disorders, including metabolic syndrome Have rapid weight loss Have certain infections, such as hepatitis C Have been exposed to some toxins Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition. Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crick-it, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Quizzes, Polls & much more. Explore now!. Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Scoop: Trump admin cuts contracts with scientific publishing giant
The Trump administration has terminated millions worth of funding for Springer Nature, a German-owned scientific publishing giant that has long received payments for subscriptions from National Institutes of Health and other agencies, Axios has learned. Why it matters: President Trump and MAGA have made a push to target academic institutions as well as research organizations perceived to be the source of so-called "woke" ideology, including DEI and gender-affirming care policies, by withholding federal funding and in some cases initiating legal action. State of play: Earlier this year, the Justice Department sent a letter to a Springer publication questioning its editorial practices and accusing the publishing house of acting as a partisan in scientific debates, as well as wrongfully advocating for positions, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. The letter also posed questions about Springer's alleged ties to China, CCP funding and related claims of censorship. At least one other scientific journal, Chest, also received a letter about taking sides in scientific debates, as the Washington Post reported in April. Springer Nature has more than 3,000 journals and publications, and its portfolio includes Nature and Scientific American. The editorial content ranges from science and medical news to peer-reviewed research papers written by scientists. The company went public last October. Prior to the administrative action, Donald Trump Jr. had tweeted"No more taxpayer money for woke publishers!" linking to a Breitbart story about possible cuts to government-funded subscriptions for scientific and medical journals. About $20 million in grants covering subscriptions have been cut, with billions more being evaluated, according to the source. Springer Nature declined to comment. Zoom out: Over the last year, Springer Nature has issued hundreds of retractions of faulty research that it published in open access journals due to compromised peer-reviewed processes and other quality and reliability concerns.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Cardiologist says vitamin B12 is ‘unsung hero of energy levels'; explains why you need it, how much to take, sources
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is one of the most popular supplements. But can having a little too vitamin B12 in your body really do any harm? For starters, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it is an important nutrient that helps your body keep your nerve cells and blood cells healthy. It also helps your body make DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. From boosting brain function to keeping fatigue at bay, vitamin B12 plays a big role in your overall health. (Freepik) Also Read | Cardiologist explains how fructose in fruits can silently damage your liver, leads to cirrhosis and fatty liver disease Meanwhile, per the NHS, its deficiency can cause symptoms that affect your brain and nervous system, including numbness, muscle weakness, psychological problems, which can range from mild depression or anxiety, to confusion and dementia, problems with balance and coordination, pins and needles, and incontinence. Vitamin B12: The unsung hero of your energy levels In a post shared on March 10, Dr Alok Chopra, cardiologist and functional medicine expert, shared a guide to taking vitamin B12 supplements. He wrote, 'The unsung hero of your energy levels — Vitamin B12. From boosting brain function to keeping fatigue at bay, this small nutrient plays a big role in your overall health. Are you getting enough of it?' Here's a comprehensive guide you need to know before taking vitamin B12: Why do you need it? Supports Red Blood Cell Formation Prevents Anemia Boosts Brain Function Improves Memory Reduces Fatigue Essential for Nerve Health DNA Synthesis Mood Regulation What foods are sources of vitamin B12? Animal products like Meat Fish Eggs Dairy Are there any plant-based sources of vitamin B12? According to the cardiologist, for plant-based sources, opt for fortified foods and supplements. What are fortified foods? According to WHO, fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of one or more micronutrients (ie, vitamins and minerals) in a food or condiment. How much vitamin B12 should you consume? General: 2.4 mcg/day for adults, the cardiologist suggested. Deficiency: For those with a deficiency, the cardiologist suggested taking supplements, but to be taken under guidance. Who needs vitamin B12 more? According to the cardiologist, vegans and vegetarians may need more supplements. The best time to take it: The best time to take vitamin B12 supplements is in the morning for maximum absorption and energy boost, Dr Alok Chopra advised. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
