Citation

Carr M. Sci. Am. Mind 2017; 28(1): 13.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Scientific American)

DOI

10.1038/scientificamericanmind0117-13

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Nighttime terrors increase suicidal behavior independently of other risk factors. Suicide rates have been rising alarmingly in the U.S. and have reached a 30-year peak of 13 per 100,000 people, according to a 2016 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As psychologists and public health officials scramble to find solutions, Michael Nadorff, a psychologist at Mississippi State University, argues that one treatable risk factor has been hiding in the dark: nightmares.

Over the past five years Nadorff's research has shown that nightmares are an important clue to suicide risk among healthy individuals--and that therapy aimed at addressing their nightmares could help save lives...

Language: en