Research

Artificial intelligence has become a focal point of conversation in many fields, each looking to discern whether technology like chatbots or digital assistants will—or should—play a larger role.  Now this question is being posed in the field of mental health. Though having access to therapy services via ChatGPT and other…

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it’s estimated that approximately 1 in 36 children will be born with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is one of the more common neurodevelopmental disorders—and you might be wondering, especially if you or another family member has ASD, if autism…

Gaining work experience is often viewed as a positive process, something we grow and learn from. But what about negative experiences in our work history?  Could toxic work environments and professional relationships leave us with “post-traumatic job stress?”  To find out, Thriveworks recently conducted a research study into how many…

Recent Thriveworks research examined how many Americans have diagnosed anyone, including themselves, with a mental health condition. Results suggest that 44% of Americans have diagnosed either themselves and/or another person with a mental health condition. These findings are more than intriguing: They indicate that diagnosing ourselves and others with mental…

According to new research* from Thriveworks, over a third (34%) of Americans believe that their romantic relationships (current or previous) are the leading cause of their mental health concerns. Love, attachment, and intimacy can all trigger buried fears, past traumas, and self-esteem issues. And yet we still seek connection with…

Thriveworks conducted an in-depth analysis of over 54,000 data points to identify the Top Mental Health Terms for 2021, determined by how each term has grown in usage over the past five years. This research assessed how 71 mental health terms were used across online, print, and broadcast sources. The…

Fredericksburg, VA. 10/20/2020 — Amid a jarring presidential election and an overall difficult year, US adults in counseling are feeling stressed, fearful, depressed, and/or hopeless about the election. This, according to a survey conducted by Thriveworks Counseling and completed by 275 mental health professionals. Are your clients talking about election-related…

New research finds that people with PTSD who do not receive treatment have a higher risk of developing dementia later in life. This research also finds that veterans diagnosed with PTSD (who are more likely to receive treatment for PTSD compared with the general population) have a reduced risk of…

Quick Summary A new study from Baylor University “Parental divorce in childhood is related to lower urinary oxytocin concentrations in adulthood” finds that oxytocin levels are significantly lower in adults whose parents divorced when they were children. Researchers say that this might help to explain the difficulty that many children…

A new study says that using cannabis as a teen or adolescent can have negative impacts on cognitive functioning, especially verbal memory. Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine tested and analyzed siblings (unlike other similar studies) to rule out familial factors. The study used interviews and neuropsychological…

A new study published in The Medical Journal of Australia suggests that online symptom checkers only provide accurate diagnoses 1/3 of the time. A team of researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) evaluated the accuracy of 36 different symptom checkers, inputting symptoms of 48 different “patients.” They pulled clinical information…

New research says that construction workers are more likely to use cocaine and opioids than workers in other industries; they are the second most likely to use marijuana. Researchers used the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to analyze a dataset of 293,492 adults, including 16,610 construction workers, from…