News Mentions for the week of October 23, 2023

Health experts agree that we should ditch biannual clock changes. But here's why they say having permanent standard time — not permanent daylight saving time — is the way to go. Jamie Zeitzer, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is quoted.

This almond-sized part of the brain does a ton of work to regulate our bodies, earning the nickname 'master switchboard.' Luis de Lecea, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

Hilit Kletter, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, offers guidance on discussing complex issues with kids in an interview with KQED's Brian Watt.

In a 4-3 vote, Woodstock city council last week nixed the idea of allowing a site where drugs can legally be consumed under medical supervision, despite pleas by public health authorities that such a facility – increasingly common in Ontario – is needed to help curb the deadly toll of opioid drugs in the Southwestern Ontario city of 40,000. Keith Humphreys, the Esther Ting Memorial professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

The troubling images are all over the news and social media, so how do you address the violence and help manage your own mental health? Richa Bhatia, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, discusses tips to talk to your children about the Israel-Hamas war with CBS News Bay Area anchor Ryan Yamamoto.

A recent study, published in "Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research," suggests that reducing drinking may confer brain structural and mental health benefits and be considered a potentially viable or more achievable goal than abstinence for some people with alcohol use disorder. Timothy Durazzo, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is a co-author.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, which brings attention to the fact that tens of thousands of families across the country suffer the loss of their baby each year. It also brings awareness to the fact that the grief of these families isn’t widely acknowledged. Validating and supporting parents’ emotional distress when facing the loss of their infant is part of the role of the Pediatric Palliative Care program at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. Michelle Brown, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and colleagues in the Family Guidance and Bereavement Program, provide more information in this post.

You aren’t doomed to sleepless nights every time you leave town. Here’s what you can do to sleep better while traveling, according to health experts. Jamie Zeitzer, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

Cannabis is a popular sleep aid, but it brings risks of a worse night's sleep and addiction that ought to be understood. Fiona Barwick, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

What you need to know about this lesser known eating disorder. James Lock, the Eric Rothenberg, MD professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and professor, by courtesy, of pediatrics, is quoted.