Mental health in a neuroscience conversation

Mental health. Two words that carry so much weight, yet are often left out of everyday conversations. In a world that’s constantly moving, it’s easy to push our emotional well-being to the sidelines. But the truth is, mental health is just as vital as physical health. And it’s time we gave it the attention it deserves. So, in honor of European Mental Health Week, let’s dive in and look at some recent discoveries in the fields of neuroscience and psychology.

In today’s world of social media, cyberbullying is one of the serious mental health concerns. A new study sheds light on the deep psychological toll online harassment can have on teens and young adults. Even when people tried to dismiss the effects of harmful comments and such, cyberbullying is now linked to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), meaning those who had experienced it report significant trauma levels, of course, also dependent on how much cyberbullying they went through.

What can be surprising is that no single type of cyberbullying was found to be more harmful than others. Whether it was exclusion from a group chat, spreading rumors, sharing private information, or direct threats, all forms contributed similarly to psychological trauma, meaning we can’t say one action is less harmful than another; everything hurts the person involved. In this research, girls also reported higher rates of trauma caused by cyberbullying than boys.

We’re in the middle of a youth mental health crisis, and this research makes a strong case for treating it as a public health concern. Schools and youth-serving organizations should better recognize the emotional weight students carry and offer the right support, from emotional safety and coping tools to crisis response plans. Strong peer relationships, supportive adults, and resilience training could also help protect them from the lasting effects of online harm.

One of the techniques often used for mental health management is mindfulness. Many studies support its benefits, however, a deeper look reveals a more complicated relationship, depending heavily on how we define anxiety and mindfulness in the first place. A new review argues that the inconsistent findings in research could be attributed to fuzzy definitions and mixed methods. They propose a new, more precise way to understand this issue.

From their research, we gather that anxiety can be either a state (temporary nervousness or panic), a trait (a long-term tendency to worry), or a clinical disorder (generalized anxiety disorder or social phobia). Each form of anxiety affects the brain differently, especially in how it controls attention and behavior. The same goes for mindfulness. It can be a trait (naturally mindful people), a state (a mindful moment), a skill (something you get better at), or even a training method (like meditation programs). There are differences in how different mindfulness practices affect the brain; for example, Focused Attention training helps with proactive control (staying focused on goals), while Open Monitoring may support reactive control (staying flexible when things change).

In future research, the focus should be on matching specific types of anxiety with appropriate mindfulness strategies and suitable tasks that measure control. It’s also recommended to combine behavioral measures with neural data (EEG or MRI) for a fuller picture of what’s happening in the brain.

Something similar lies for breathwork, which, although controversial, has its benefits. Neuroscience is now providing concrete evidence to support these claims. There is a brain region called the preBötzinger Complex, which is responsible for generating and regulating breathing rhythms. It’s indicated that slow, intentional breathing activates neural circuits that regulate emotional states, leading to a measurable calming effect. This effect is not merely psychological; animal studies have shown that mice trained to breathe slowly exhibited reduced fear responses, suggesting a biological basis for breathwork's benefits.

It’s safe to say that the discussion and research about mental health still has a long way from being important enough, but through spreading awareness, we can hopefully help speed up this process. Be patient and kind with yourself. And most importantly, know that reaching out for support is a sign of strength, not weakness. Let’s keep the conversation going, because mental health matters, and so do you.

---

Resources:

S. Hinduja, J. W. Patchin (2025). Cyberbullying through the lens of trauma

R. S. Gupta, et al. (2025). Reconceptualizing the relationship between anxiety, mindfulness, and cognitive control.

neurosciencenews.com

www.breathinspired.com