Psychology Roundup

September 30, 2011

More time spent playing outside could help decrease symptoms in children with ADHD.

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Transcript

BOB HIRSHON (host):

Treating ADHD with nature. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

A healthy dose of nature may help relieve symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in kids, according to researchers at the University of Illinois. They found that playing in nature on a regular basis—even if it was just a green backyard—resulted in milder symptoms overall. The scientists don’t tout nature as a cure-all, but conclude that it could be one more way to help control symptoms.

In other psychology news, over 2 million Americans have been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD, with symptoms like repetitive hand washing or hair pulling. Coming up with new treatments for the disorder may now be easier, thanks to a new mouse model developed at the University of Chicago. The mice seem to mirror the disorder closely enough that studying them could help the researchers better understand OCD and try new treatments. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.