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What if you could spot undiagnosed ADHD in a 40-year-old father who came in for marriage counseling? Dr. Jared Minkel did exactly that—and it changed his patient's life. But first, the backstory...

Every job comes with a certain level of stress, but there are some industries where the pressure on employees is more intense than in others. Consider, for example, racing against the clock to restore electricity in a disaster zone, where hospitals only have backup power and there is damage everywhere. Or, consider the high-stakes environment of a nuclear energy plant where a single mistake could have serious consequences. 

The growing number of clinical trials and increasing number of drugs in the pipeline are reasons for optimism in the quest for new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). At the same time, there are concerns that many of the clinical assessments used to evaluate cognition are no longer fit for purpose.

Alzheimer’s researcher Jeffrey Cummings, MD, a neurologist and research professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, notes, “The assessments often date from the 1970s and 1980s, when we had a much less thorough understanding of early disease presentation.” Digital testing offers a solution.

In a new episode of a Pearson-sponsored podcast series, “The Progress Profile: Alzheimer’s Research in Focus,” Cummings joined moderator John Harrison, Ph.D., CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS, an associate professor at Alzheimercentrum, AUmc, Amsterdam, to share his thoughts on the role of digital testing in Alzheimer’s disease.

Heart rate, blood pressure, pain, hunger, thirst: Our awareness of these internal states is called interoception. It’s been called the “eighth sense,” and it has strong links to the capacity to regulate emotions.

If your district is like most others, you face a two-part challenge that is getting worse:

1. You struggle to find and keep school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and other student services specialists.
2. The number of students who require IEPs and specialized support continues to rise.

Some jobs are inherently more challenging than others, due to higher stress levels, degree of physical and mental risk, and overall responsibility. Roles in industries like logging, fishing, construction, and mining top the list for risk of personal injury. Firefighters, corrections officers, pilots, and police officers face dangers that threaten their safety and the public’s well-being. Many of these professionals are repeatedly exposed to trauma, even when they are not directly involved.

 Although many organizations are working to increase safety in these roles, it is impossible to remove every aspect of risk. The stress of working in these positions, with the constant exposure to trauma and the threat of danger, takes a toll on employees — both physically and mentally. Over time, this stress can have a cumulative impact, not only on individual employees but also on the organizations they serve. Research shows the effects of workplace stress and the scope of impact (see chart below).

New agreement brings the CAT-MH^® and K-CAT^® assessments to Pearson's Q-global^® clinical assessment platform later this year.

Work is stressful — that’s a given. However, for some jobs, the sources of stress go beyond a demanding boss or a stream of deadlines, such as in positions in law enforcement or public safety, like firefighters, dispatchers, EMTs, corrections officers, and private security personnel.