Top 10 Psychology and Mental Health Topics of 2012

Can 2012 be coming to a close already? It’s staggering (and psychologically interesting!) how some years seem to last forever, while others just fly by.

We’re honored to have so many people check out our mental health and psychology resources and information on Psych Central — over 3 million people a month now. We’re also home to over 180 online support groups with over 275,000 members in two communities. The Psych Central Personality Test has also been a big hit this year (and a quick and easy way to see what kinds of things make you tick!).

The good news about 2013 is that every new year brings with it the possibility of a new start and changing some of those aspects about yourself that perhaps could use a little improvement. We’ll be here for you to help you with those goals, as we are every year.

Click through to see our top 10 lists for the World of Psychology blog, our entire blog network, and from our news bureau.

Top 10 Psychology Blog Topics

Here are the top 10 psychology and mental health topics of 2012 that appeared here on the World of Psychology blog at Psych Central:

1. Retrain Your Brain to Reduce Worry
   by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
2. How to Get Over a Breakup
   by Nathan Feiles
3. 10 Tips for Highly Sensitive People
   by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
4. Does Depression Have an Upside?
   by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
5. History of Psychology: A New Twist in the Case of Little Albert
   by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
6. 8 Sneaky Things That Can Sink Your Mood
   by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
7. Problem With Procrastination? Try Doing Nothing
   by Gretchen Rubin
8. 8 Surefire Ways To Emotionally Screw Up Your Kid
   by Julie Hanks, LCSW
9. Why Some People Love Horror Movies While Others Hate Them
   by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.
10. 5 Ways to Get to Know Yourself Better
    by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.

Top 10 Most Popular Articles from the Psych Central Blog Network

These are the top 10 most popular articles from our blog network for 2012:

1. Amanda Todd’s YouTube Video, a Cry for Help
   by Katherine Prudente, LCAT, RDT
2. How to Create a Timeline: The Power of Re-working Your Life’s Story
   by Athena Staik, Ph.D.
3. 7 Deadliest Drug Combinations
   by David Sack, M.D.
4. Borderline Personality Disorder: Terminations, Funerals, Ceremonies and Party Harty
   by Sonia Neale
5. 10 Thoughts that May be Stressing You Out
   by Christy Matta, MA
6. Is it Sadness or Depression? 10 Questions to Ask Yourself
   by Jenise Harmon, MSW, LISW
7. 12 Warning Signs That It’s Emotional Infidelity — And Not ‘Just Friendship’
   by Athena Staik, Ph.D.
8. 5 Biggest Regrets of People Who Are Dying
   by Bella DePaulo, Ph.D.
9. The Three Factors of Loneliness
   by Karyn Hall, Ph.D.
10. The Six Stages Of Bipolar And Depression
    by Tom Wootton

Top 10 Psychology, Brain and Mental Health News Topics

And finally, here are the top 10 news topics we covered in 2012:

1. Childhood development
   For example: Toddlers Don’t Sympathize with Crybabies
2. IQ and intelligence
   For example: IQ Drops When You’re in a Group
3. Happiness and well-being
   For example: Buying New Experiences, Not Things, Tied to Happiness
4. Psychopathy and sociopathy
   For example: Scans Show Psychopaths Have Brain Abnormalities
5. Depression
   For example: Treating Depression with the Oxytocin, the Love Hormone
6. Social rejection and social pain in groups
   For example: Take Two Tylenol for Social Rejection?
7. Sexuality and relationships
   For example: Timing of First Sex Has Far-Reaching Relationship Effects
8. Social bonding and communication in groups
   For example: A Little Alcohol Aids in Social Bonding
9. Habits and self-control
   For example: Is Self-Control A Limited Resource, or Driven By Motivation and Attention?
10. Sleep
    For example: Sleep Deprivation Affects Immune System Like Physical Stress