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There’s so much to celebrate during the month of December. Multicultural celebrations of Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa incorporate timeless rituals passed down for generations. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. And December marks Bodhi Day for Buddhists–the day the Buddha (which means Awakened One) sat under a tree until he rose enlightened. For some, pandemic restrictions have cast a cloud over these sacred and fun celebrations.

“Highly-visual social media (HVSM), such as Instagram and Snapchat, have experienced a significant increase in popularity among adolescents in recent years. Findings indicate use of social media is related to body image concerns and poorer mental health in adolescence.

However, previous research on HVSM is scant and mainly focus on female samples. In this view, the present study investigated the association between time spent on HVSM, body image concerns and internalizing symptoms, in sample of adolescents attending grades 6–11 in Northern Italy. Data for this study were based on 523 students, 54.2% female; Mean age (SD) = 14.82 (1.52).

Multiple linear regression was used to examine the associations between time spent using social media, body image concerns, and internalizing symptoms.

Researchers have discovered a brain abnormality in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that may help predict which patients are most likely to respond to treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), according to a study published online in Brain Imaging and Behavior.

“The hemodynamic response function (HRF) represents the transfer function linking neural activity with the functional MRI (fMRI) signal, modeling neurovascular coupling,” wrote Jamie Feusner, MD, professor-in-residence of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at University of California – Los Angeles Health Sciences, and coauthors. “Since HRF is influenced by non-neural factors, to date it has largely been considered as a confound or has been ignored in many analyses.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online communication increased considerably, causing an increase in burnout. Apps, such as Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, and Cisco Webex were key in keeping the educational, economic, and health sectors alive and ongoing during the pandemic.

“Prolonged time facing screens, tablets, and smart devices increases stress and anxiety,” said lead author of the study Nour Mheidly. “Mental health stressors resulting from extensive online communication can add to other stressors related to quarantine time and lockdown to eventually lead to exhaustion and burnout.

With winter on the horizon, it’s getting darker earlier each day, and temperatures are slipping. Seasonal affective disorder could hit particularly hard this year, especially after months of social distancing and limited contact with family or large groups. “Our emotional winter is coming,” said Jaime Blandino, a clinical psychologist and cofounder of Thrive Center for Psychological Health in Decatur, Georgia.

Seasonal affective disorder, also known by its apt acronym, SAD, is a form of depression that some people get for a few months each year, most commonly during the late fall and winter months, as the days shorten. It can linger until the following spring or summer. Although less common, SAD can also appear in the summer months and go away as the season changes.