PsychBriefs: October 6-12, 2007

Medication May Treat Alcoholism
Topiramate, an anticonvulsant used to control seizures, has been shown to perform better than a placebo in treating alcoholism. Researchers tested 371 alcohol-dependent men and women in a randomized 14-week trial and found that 8.44 percent more of those taking topiramate showed a reduction in heavy drinking.
[ABSTRACT]

9/11 Stress Led to Lower Birth Weights
Comparing weights of infants born shortly after September 11, 2001, in both New York City and upstate New York, researchers found that the risk of babies being born at below-normal weights increased by as much as 46 percent. This relationship is thought to be primarily due to stress-related early deliveries.
[ARTICLE]

Stress and Chronic Disease
Stress increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, hastens the progression of HIV/AIDS and cancer and makes depression relapse more likely, states an article published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Noting that stress is not a direct cause of disease, researchers believe stress affects health in two ways, triggering unhealthy behaviors such as overeating and causing endocrinological changes that may influence other body systems including the immune system.
[EXTRACT]