News & Updates
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What's the best way to talk about mental health?
Michelle Colder Carras - 21-09-2018There’s a belief that talking about mental illness as a disease (the disease model) reduces stigma and makes it easier for people to get treatment. Others think that the best approach to talking about mental health is to focus on the similarities, thinking of mental health problems as a continuum from the normal “being stressed out” to extreme reactions to stress. There’s no easy solution to this dilemma.
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Let’s Talk about Mental Health: YouTubers and Twitch Streamers Speak Up.
Babet Halberstadt - 16-09-2018Recently, a number of YouTubers and Twitch streamers have started talking about their own mental health struggles, trying to start a conversation with their viewers about this topic. In this blog I showcase a couple of these videos in the hopes that it might encourage you to speak up as well.
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Using video games to cope with anxiety and depression - feature by DidYouKnowGaming?
Joanneke Weerdmeester - 17-08-2018The work of our lab was recently featured in a great video by the popular Youtube channel DidYouKnowGaming? The video addresses how games can have a positive effect on players, for instance by helping them cope with anxiety, depression, pain and attention deficits.
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Placebo Roundup and Discussion
Aniek Wols - 28-06-2018This month’s theme is about placebo effects. Because the month is almost over, I would like to end the theme month with a discussion. Before I do so, I will briefly recap our previous blog posts.
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The placebo effect and our physiology
Aniek Wols - 15-06-2018Expectations and beliefs not only have an influence on self-reported improvements, but they also influence our physiology.
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Environmental and psychosocial components of the placebo effect
Aniek Wols - 11-06-2018The placebo effect is more than just a sugar pill. The social context plays an important role in reinforcing beliefs about the treatment.
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What is the placebo effect?
Joanneke Weerdmeester - 06-06-2018The placebo effect is often used to describe instances where improvements occur as a result of personal beliefs and expectations rather than active ingredients of a treatment. But what exactly does the placebo effect entail? How can it be explained? and why is it important to take into account?
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May roundup: A kaleidoscope of options for depression and anxiety
Marlou Poppelaars - 31-05-2018The month of May is almost over, which means that in the next few days we are switching over to a new topic. In case you missed any of our blogs this month, I have compiled them all here.
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Supporting a friend in need
Anouk Tuijnman - 30-05-2018We've all had first aid classes in school, but what about classes on how to help a friend who's feeling down, stressed out or anxious? In this blog post we talk about one of our games called Moving Stories which deals with supporting a friend in need.
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Dark Souls: A reflection of depression and a way to cope?
Marlou Poppelaars - 18-05-2018Dark Souls is a video game series often described as dark and incredibly difficult. Honestly, one of the last games I would have considered as beneficial for those dealing with depression. My first impression may very well be wrong though...