Minneapolis St. Paul Mental Health Blog

Mental Health Matters | Improvements in attention gained through intensive meditation training were partially maintained 7 years later, even among older practitioners, according to a study published online in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement.

“The present study is the first to offer evidence that intensive and continued meditation practice is associated with enduring improvements in sustained attention and response inhibition,” researchers wrote, “with the potential to alter longitudinal trajectories of cognitive change across the lifespan.”

The study followed 40 people who participated in a 3-month meditation retreat in Colorado, where group meditation sessions were held twice daily and participants meditated individually for 6 hours a day. Immediately after the retreat, participants demonstrated gains in attention, psychological well-being, and their ability to cope with stress.

Those attentional gains were partly evident at a 7-year follow-up, researchers reported in the new study. All 40 participants still reported practicing meditation, with those who were most diligent at maintaining meditation avoiding typical patterns of age-related decline in attention.

“In conclusion, the present study suggests that intensive and continued meditation is associated with enduring improvements in sustained attention, supporting the notion that the cognitive benefits of dedicated mental training may persist over the long-term when promoted by a regimen of continued practice,” researchers wrote.

Mental Health in the workplace | One in five Americans suffer from mental illness each year,

according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Of those, 60% diagnosed with stress, anxiety and depression do not seek treatment, according to the 2016 state of mental health in America report compiled by Mental Health America.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the voluntary destruction and recall of a large volume of kratom-containing dietary supplements manufactured and distributed nationwide under the brand names Botany Bay, Enhance Your Life and Divinity by Divinity Products Distribution of Grain Valley, Missouri.

Getting Too Much Sleep? This could be Dangerous

The mucilage of the slippery elm tree has been used medically for hundreds of years.

The aptly named slippery elm tree, or Ulmus rubra, is a deciduous tree that is native to most of North America, and it was designated as a specific species in 1793 by Gotthilf Muhlenberg, a German American clergyman and botanist from Pennsylvania.

When the White House Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force held its first public meeting in May, the message from psychiatric professionals was clear:

Parity in insurance coverage for mental health care is still far from a reality.

What are the most addictive drugs? This question seems simple, but the answer depends on whom you ask.

When the White House Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force held its first public meeting this past May, the message from psychiatric professionals was clear:

Parity in insurance coverage for mental health care is still far from a reality.

Screen time is a reality of modern childhood, with kids of every age spending hours upon hours in front of iPads, smartphones and televisions. So, what does this mean for overall development?