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Electroconvulsive therapy is often used as a last line of treatment against mood disorders. It works by sending short electrical shocks to the brain to induce a seizure. The approach was innovated in Italy, where they coined an efficient transitive verb to describe what the machine does to you: zapare, meaning “to zap.”
A new study found that energy drinks and stimulant supplements were linked to disproportionately frequent reports of serious heart problems, including 11 times more reports of cardiac arrest and 4.5 times more reports of heart attacks. Young adults accounted for nearly half of the cardiovascular reports involving these products, raising concerns about their potential risks despite the study being unable to prove causation.
What do you do when the only way to help someone is to break the rules and the law? This clash between compassion and solidarity on the one side and the legal framework on the other is at the heart of A Job Well Done (Un travail exemplaire), the new feature blending fiction and documentary from Swiss writer-director Fred Baillif, which dives into the complexities and moral ambiguity that social workers face.
The findings reveal widely shared concerns, but also significant differences between countries and age groups. Six in ten people in the EU see drug trafficking and drug use as serious problems in their local area. Mental health problems, such as psychosis and suicide, top the list of drug-related public health concerns (39%), while the involvement of children and teenagers in drug trafficking stands out as a major public safety concern (30%). Attitudes towards policy are more complex. EU citizens show substantial support for helping people who use drugs, while strongly supporting action against traffickers and criminal networks.
The report finds that women and girls in the countries least responsible for climate change are the hardest hit by its effects. Above: A woman holds her children in front of her flood-affected house in South Sudan.
In 27 regions of the Russian Federation, the immunodeficiency virus is spreading among the entire population, not only risk groups, according to the latest Rospotrebnadzor data. People increasingly pass the virus to one another, often unaware they are infected.
I remember opening presents and saying this was the best Christmas I’d had in years, and then finding myself in a curtained bay in the ER of a hospital in the town across the river…. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to think of myself as a sick person that I paid so much attention, maybe undue attention, to those other sick people around me, whose exchanges with caregivers I overheard – that is, eavesdropped on – for the thirty-six hours I spent there. I never saw most of them. But I had feelings about them, often quite violent ones. Some of what I felt toward my fellow sufferers in the ER was exacerbated by the conditions of the hospital: that hospital in particular, but also hospitals in general, at least in the US.
A study of more than 17,700 US adults found that people who use cannabis in multiple forms have dramatically higher rates of daily consumption and addiction symptoms than those who stick primarily to one method. Nearly 67% of those who used almost every form met criteria for cannabis use disorder, compared with just 15% of people who mainly consumed edibles.
Food and housing costs are the most expensive items for household budgets in the region, and incomes are not keeping pace with surging prices, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). Dr. Christine Saulnier (above), CCPA Atlantic director and co-author of the new report, says employers paying a living wage is only one part of the solution.
In recent years a number of high-profile editorial boards have walked away from their journals to found competitor publications. Drawing on a comparative analysis of these breakaway journals and their predecessors, Kyle Siler explores how journal value is both tied to and separable from journal titles.
The author, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP is cabinet secretary for social justice and housing.
As a term describing literary, artistic or intellectual theft, “plagiarism” is derived from one of the epigrams of the ancient Roman poet Martial (above)…. The Latin word for “kidnapper” Martial uses is plagiario, which gives us the English term “plagiarism”. Other Roman writers, like Cicero, already familiar with the phenomenon of literary theft, used different terms like furtum (a trick) and surripio (taking something secretly), which cover a range of connotations…. Hegel was right: plagiarism has to be a matter of honour. But we live in dishonourable times.
If you’re over 60 and have started lifting weights, you’ve probably been told to take it slowly. Lift steadily, lower steadily, keep it controlled. This may sound like sensible advice, but lifting slowly isn’t always better. While the technique may have an edge when it comes to building strength and muscle, lifting with speed may be the better option if you want to stay fit and keep moving well for years to come.
There’s a simple reason for why voters in an anti-oligarchic mood didn’t pass a wealth tax so modest that the 250 mega-rich households affected would have made it back entirely within 31 days. Or rather, there were 597 million identical reasons. That’s how many dollars were spent on opposition to Prop 40 and boosting of the poison pills, Props 41 and 42, that would have nullified it. It’s an old story in California’s failed experiment with direct democracy; if you have the cash, you win.
Anderson has been an oncology social worker at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for the past four years, where she works with cancer patients and their families to provide emotional counseling and holistic care throughout their cancer journey.
No one warned me, when I became a parent, about all the apps that would colonize my phone: the app for the baby monitor where I could gaze at my daughter, even when my husband and I finally had a night out. The app for the Snoo smart bassinet we rented in bleary-eyed desperation, which logged her sleep by the minute. The app where I logged her sleep manually because the Snoo was not accurate enough. And still, I remember thinking that I had been quite restrained. I mean, I didn’t buy the $299 Owlet smart sock, which would send her pulse rate and oxygen saturation directly to my phone, or the $290 Nanit monitor, which would track her every breath.
A recovery worker has become the first employee at The Alcohol and Drug Service (ADS) to complete a social work degree apprenticeship through its investment in staff development…. Her achievement brings to fruition an ambition ADS began discussing in 2013. Six further apprentices are due to graduate over the next three years.
Amazing Social Workers returns for its seventh year! The campaign is your opportunity to give a colleague a shout-out and help BASW to shine a spotlight on examples of exceptional social work practice happening across the country. Nominations close: 7 Dec
Many global studies have found that a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of serious health conditions. Everything we can do to decrease sedentary time therefore benefits our overall health. But it can be challenging to find the time. That’s where incidental exercise comes in. This is the moving around we do outside of deliberate exercise. It’s also known as “non-exercise activity thermogenesis”, or NEAT. This refers to any energy we use for movement that isn’t sleeping, eating or deliberate exercise, says Anantha Narayanan, a research fellow at the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand.
Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have all recorded rising numbers of child abuse cases in recent years, but child welfare advocates say this may be a sign of progress rather than worsening violence, as greater awareness and improved reporting bring more cases to the attention of authorities…. Official figures show growing caseloads in all three countries, but differences in how the data is collected make it hard to tell whether abuse itself is becoming more widespread. Above: Defendants accused of child abuse at a daycare centre attend trial before a panel of judges in Yogyakarta on October 28
Missing from this triumphalist narrative is any serious reckoning with the Democratic Party’s own complicity in creating those conditions. From Clinton to Obama, Democratic administrations embraced neoliberal policies that deepened economic inequality, strengthened corporate power, weakened working-class institutions, and helped create the social and political landscape in which authoritarianism could flourish. Nor can the party’s leadership escape responsibility for its support of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, its exporting of horrendous military weapons, and its broader allegiance to a colonizing authoritarian order, sustained through violence and dispossession. A party so deeply implicated in the machinery of neoliberal capitalism cannot be entrusted with dismantling the very structures of power it has helped legitimate and preserve.
Nithya Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), defeated incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, MSW, a fellow Democrat she previously endorsed, to become mayor-elect of the second-largest city in the United States.
The Canadian menopause wellness market is projected to reach a revenue of US$784.9 million by 2030.
Whilst the vast majority of other council services remain within budget or are managing comparatively limited pressures, 108% of the remaining pressure (previously 97%) continues to be concentrated within Children’s and Adult Social Care. The increasing complexity of care needs and the rising cost of specialist provision continue to place significant pressure on social care budgets.
Alcohol is deeply embedded in British culture, from celebrations and religious ceremonies to everyday social life. Government guidelines offer a way to reduce the risks associated with drinking, but consuming alcohol within recommended limits does not mean those risks disappear…. For many years, some studies suggested that moderate drinking might actually offer health benefits. But the evidence has been changing. A 2026 study is particularly interesting because it translates research on alcohol-related illness and death into estimates of the lifetime probability of dying from alcohol consumption.
The articles were published in Computers in Biology and Medicine from 2019 to 2023. The October 15 retraction notices list suspicious changes in authorship, irrelevant citations to the work of authors and peer reviewers and self-plagiarism as reasons for retraction.
Rizwan Habib, 44, supports ex-offenders and inmates as a social worker with Yellow Ribbon Cares.
The New School administration executed a corporatist reworking of the institution that razes its founding ideal of academic freedom
Join the Medicare for All National Coalition for an important post-election strategy call.
Sanders listed other specific policy items that Democrats must embrace, alongside polling numbers showing just how popular those policies are—not just among Democrats and progressives—but American voters overall.
– 66% want Medicare for All
– 61% want a billionaire wealth tax
– 57% want a $20/hour minimum wage
– 63% want a data center moratorium
– 58% want to end military aid to Israel
– 73% want to ban super PACs
– 79% want a 10% credit card interest rate cap
With both Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) under pressure to recognize that the base of the Democratic Party is moving away from the kind of leadership the pair of New York lawmakers represent as key members of the Establishment wing, Sanders’ message—which he has been railing on since his 2016 presidential run—is resonating among those seeking deeper and transformative change.
Troubled from the age of three, by 35 the American journalist viewed himself as ‘the lowest piece of dirt on the Earth’ – and neither therapy nor drugs seemed to help. But there was one thing he hadn’t tried… Above: Scheinman in 1988.
Mental health charity SAMH has demanded a doubling of Scotland’s suicide prevention budget, warning that government investment remains inadequate as hundreds of people continue to lose their lives each year. The charity is calling for at least £6 million annually, alongside ring-fenced funding for local prevention services, after new figures revealed 703 probable suicide deaths in Scotland during 2025.
A researcher at The University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work recently received the Motherland Pride Award, which honors members of the Kyrgyz diaspora whose professional achievements contribute to the country’s development. Dr. Saltanat Childress, a social work associate professor and Fulbright Scholar, received the award from the Kyrgyz Government and a consortium of civil society organizations during celebrations surrounding the country’s Independence Day, observed annually on Aug. 31.
One in five Australians lives with chronic pain, meaning pain that persists longer than three months. Among people with disabilities, the rate is far higher. Yet this overlap between disability and chronic pain is still misunderstood. Even if someone is on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for a disability, they may not get adequate support for how pain also affects their functioning and interacts with their other impairment/s. Many people with chronic pain are not eligible for the NDIS, despite it having a severe, ongoing impact.
Key takeaways
– The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment will increase payments by 3.6 percent in 2027, boosting the average retirement benefit by about $75 a month.
– A projected $6.60 increase in the standard Medicare Part B premium could partially offset the COLA.
– Workers will pay Social Security taxes on earnings up to $192,300.
Full-fat dairy may not be the health villain it has long been portrayed as, according to a new study finding that three daily servings did not worsen weight, cholesterol, or insulin resistance over 12 weeks. Researchers also observed improvements in blood pressure and nutrient intake, raising questions about longstanding recommendations to choose low-fat dairy.
The Ask and Act Conference, was held by the charity Advice Direct Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Government. The event at the University of Strathclyde brought together hundreds of delegates who are taking action on the issue, focusing on insights from 15 pilot projects involving local authorities, health boards, Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service.
If schools are going to be a true equalizer – closing gaps, not just keeping them from growing – more catch-up help won’t be enough on its own. These students also need more of what helps their wealthier peers get ahead. And because the widest gaps open before kindergarten – in housing and childcare, where public support is thinnest – closing them can’t be left to schools alone.
The Home Office figures record a significant rise in rates of forced marriage and female genital mutilation, among other offences, in the year ending in March. Under the police and Crown Prosecution Service definition, honour-based abuse encompasses violence, threats, intimidation and coercion carried out to defend the perceived honour of an individual, family or community. Police forces across England and Wales logged a record 3,145 honour-based abuse offences over the past 12 months.
Applications are now open for 100 places on Tusla’s Master’s in Social Work Apprenticeship Programme, offering aspiring social workers the opportunity to earn a salary while gaining a professional qualification. Delivered in partnership with University College Cork, the full-time, 24-month programme combines paid employment with academic study, leading to a CORU-accredited, Level 9 Master of Social Work or Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work Studies.
In the next few weeks, Congress is set to pass what should be viewed as the deadliest piece of legislation of our time – the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – or the country’s defense budget, as it is more commonly known. Its potential passage is setting U.S. taxpayers up to be the funders of their own demise by giving carte blanche to a department of war criminals and their humanity-destroying tech-fascist friends with an obscene 1.5 trillion-dollar treasure chest to control, murder, oppress, and destroy the planet as we know it.
A drug commonly used to prevent organ transplant rejection may offer an unexpected new approach to protecting people at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at the University of Missouri have discovered that rapamycin, a medication also studied for its effects on aging, can improve blood flow in the brains of middle-aged adults who carry a gene variant linked to Alzheimer’s.
A decade after he first ran for president, the proposals Sanders pushed in 2016 have been embraced by large majorities of Democratic voters, and even Americans across the political spectrum. His signature proposal, Medicare for All, dismissed then by former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as something that would “never, ever come to pass,” is supported by 66% of US adults, according to a KFF poll taken last month, with 52% of respondents still supporting the idea if it would “eliminate private health insurance companies.”
A decade after he first ran for president, the proposals Sanders pushed in 2016 have been embraced by large majorities of Democratic voters, and even Americans across the political spectrum. His signature proposal, Medicare for All, dismissed then by former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as something that would “never, ever come to pass,” is supported by 66% of US adults, according to a KFF poll taken last month, with 52% of respondents still supporting the idea if it would “eliminate private health insurance companies.”
Scotland’s social work chiefs have challenged government plans to centralise control of social care…. Structural problems keeping patients in hospital must be addressed as a matter of urgency, Social Work Scotland and the SASW union said. In a joint briefing, the two organisations say delayed discharge is not a governance problem but a capacity issue.
The Home Office has included social workers on a list of public service professionals who will retain the right to qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) after five years, rather than face the 10-year wait that will become the new standard for international workers. The news follows a campaign by the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) to ensure practitioners retained a five-year pathway.
Scientists in Japan have identified a promising molecule that could help protect the body’s natural muscle repair system and potentially make it more effective. In laboratory experiments, the compound strengthened an important biological signal involved in muscle regeneration, increasing its ability to connect with a key cellular receptor by more than twofold.
FDA approval means the generic can now be prescribed in low- and middle-income countries for just $40 a year. Initial supplies are expected to reach countries by the end of the year, according to a press release from Unitaid, a global health agency that’s affiliated with the World Health Organization (WHO)…. Some 570,000 people died of HIV-related illnesses last year, according to the WHO. The highest incidence of the virus is in sub-Saharan Africa, where 50% of all new HIV infections globally occur.
According to unofficial results from the Minnesota Secretary of State, Bernice Cooper has narrowly won the open West District seat on the Brooklyn Park City Council…. Cooper is employed as a police embedded social work supervisor. Her campaign emphasized a need for safety, opportunity and dignity for every family in Brooklyn Park.
The Texas Harm Reduction Alliance’s mobile clinic provides services and supplies to Austinites. The nonprofit is among the social service providers facing proposed city funding cuts.