Little free library use may improve rural mental health access

Using a little free library to improve access to mental health and wellness resources at a primary care clinic

2025-05-27

(Press-News.org) Mental‑health disorders and suicide rates have risen steadily over the past 20 years, with rural areas seeing the sharpest increases. To broaden access to mental‑health resources for adults, physicians placed a little free library containing 10–15 books on anxiety, depression, post‑traumatic stress disorder, and related conditions near the entrance of a rural primary care clinic in Minnesota. A flyer with a QR code directs visitors to a community‑run webpage with additional resources. Patients who take a book are asked to complete a short survey capturing demographics, referral source, and the usefulness of the materials. The authors are still studying the intervention’s utility and impact. This low cost, patient-centered, community-informed innovation can be adopted by other primary care and community settings.

Using a Little Free Library to Improve Access to Mental Health and Wellness Resources at a Primary Care Clinic

Marijo Botten, DO, and Erin Westfall, DO

Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency, Mankato, Minnesota

PRE-EMBARGO LINK

PERMANENT LINK

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Perfumes and lotions disrupt how body protects itself from indoor air pollutants

2025-05-27

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Fragrances and lotions don't just change the way people smell, they actively alter the indoor air chemistry around the wearer, disrupting a critical natural process the body uses to protect itself from pollution, according to an international research team that includes scientists from Penn State. The new study, published in the journal Science Advances, revealed that personal care products like perfumes and even unscented lotions alter the chemical composition of the “human oxidation field,” a natural protective air shield around a person’s breathing zone ...

Overlooked cells might explain the human brain’s huge storage capacity

2025-05-27

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- The human brain contains about 86 billion neurons. These cells fire electrical signals that help the brain store memories and send information and commands throughout the brain and the nervous system. The brain also contains billions of astrocytes — star-shaped cells with many long extensions that allow them to interact with millions of neurons. Although they have long been thought to be mainly supportive cells, recent studies have suggested that astrocytes may play a role in memory storage ...

Employees assigned more complex projects early in their work history had better outcomes later in their careers

2025-05-27

Employees’ early work experiences in an organization can significantly affect their socialization. Much of the research on this topic has documented how certain organization-wide practices succeed or fail in making newcomers so-called good citizens, but little is known about how different early experiences lead to varied socialization outcomes. In a new study, researchers examined the impact of early project team assignments on newcomers’ career kickoffs. They found that those assigned to more complex projects during this phase had better outcomes later in their careers. The study, ...

Pioneering ADHD researcher reveals biological pathways linking genes to behavior

2025-05-27

NIJMEGEN, The Netherlands, 27 May 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press interview published today, Professor Barbara Franke unveils her remarkable scientific journey from an inquisitive child fascinated by nature to becoming one of the world's most influential researchers in biological psychiatry. The molecular psychiatrist at Radboud University has fundamentally transformed our understanding of how genetic variations lead to altered behavior in neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly ...

Mitochondrial DNA mutation accumulation may not be a determining factor in aging

2025-05-27

Tsukuba, Japan—The human genome is broadly classified into the genome residing in the cell nucleus (nuclear DNA) and the genome residing in the mitochondria (mitochondrial DNA: mtDNA). Mitochondria are cell organelles that produce energy essential for life activities through oxidative phosphorylation (mitochondrial respiration), and mtDNA encodes a set of genes required for mitochondrial respiration. Previous research has led to the widely accepted hypothesis that the accumulation of multiple mutations in mtDNA with aging induces a decline in mitochondrial respiratory function, resulting in the "mitochondrial theory of aging." Nevertheless, whether the decrease in mitochondrial ...

Researchers unveil epigenetic mechanism of cold adaptation in rice

2025-05-27

Chinese researchers recently uncovered molecular evidence supporting Lamarckism—a long-debated theory from the early 19th century that acquired characteristics can be inherited. The evidence was revealed in a new study by scientists from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which deciphered the evolutionary patterns of cold adaptation during rice's northward expansion. The study was published on May 22 in Cell. Led by Prof. CAO Xiaofeng, the researchers demonstrated that DNA methylation—a form of epigenetic variation ...

Hitting the right notes to play music by ear

2025-05-27

Learning to play music by ear is challenging for most musicians, but research from a team at the University of Waterloo may help musicians-in-training find the right notes. The Waterloo team analyzed a range of YouTube videos that focused on learning music by ear and identified four simple ways music learning technology can better aid prospective musicians – helping people improve recall while listening, limiting playback to small chunks, identifying musical subsequences to memorize, and replaying notes indefinitely. “There ...

ASH and ISTH publish revised clinical practice guidelines for pediatric venous thromboembolism

2025-05-27

(WASHINGTON—May 27, 2025) The American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) released new and updated clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of pediatric venous thromboembolism (VTE). The guidelines, published in ASH’s peer-reviewed journal Blood Advances, were developed by an expert panel following a rigorous review process. They aim to improve health outcomes by providing evidence-based recommendations for managing VTE in children. The ...

Space-to-ground infrared camouflage with radiative heat dissipation

2025-05-27

In recent years, the space industry has experienced unprecedented explosive growth, with the number of satellite launches increasing exponentially. By the end of 2023, the number of global operational spacecraft exceeded 9,850, and the annual revenue of the space economy reached a staggering $400 billion. As space technology becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, enhancing the stealth of high-value space objects like spacecraft to reduce the risk of detection has become a critical challenge. Currently, space objects face ground-based detection threats primarily ...

High-speed binary phase-engraved superpixels improve complex light modulation

2025-05-27

Complex modulation of optical fields (i.e., the control of light’s amplitude and phase) is vital to the application of lasers in diverse fields, such as optical communication, three-dimensional display, biomedical imaging, and astronomy. Yet, despite dazzling progress seen by applications of complex field modulation (CFM), improvements to technical capabilities such as accuracy, speed, and versatility remain highly in demand. Key to the overall performance of CFM technologies are spatial light modulators (SLMs): advanced devices that provide two-dimensional arrays of electronically addressable pixels whose optical properties can be independently controlled to ...

Lack of gender lens in tobacco control research could stymie efforts to help smokers quit, York University researchers say

Adolescents in India whose mothers experience domestic violence face significantly increased risk of anxiety and depression

We might become less sociable as we age as brain scans of adults across the lifespan show disruption of brain connectivity, suggesting impairments in our ability to form and maintain relationships

Llamas may have been domesticated in the semi-arid North of Chile prior to the Incas, according to multi-proxy analysis of early camelid remains

How do we transform global health?

Refugees in Sweden who lived in institutional housing during the asylum process are prescribed more anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medication and visit hospital more than those who lived in self-org

Little free library use may improve rural mental health access

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: