Scott Smith LCSW

28/01/2026

One of the most important and often misunderstood aspects of neuroplasticity is that it is value-neutral. The brain adapts to repeated experiences whether those experiences are helpful or harmful.

This helps explain why conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety disorders and addiction can become self-reinforcing. Through repeated patterns of thought, feeling or behaviour, the brain learns responses that are unhelpful but deeply ingrained, a process known as maladaptive plasticity.

The hopeful side of this insight is that plasticity can also be deliberately directed toward recovery. Psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy are associated with measurable changes in brain activity and connectivity, particularly in networks involved in emotional regulation. Rehabilitation after stroke or brain injury relies on the same principles, using repeated, task-specific practice to compensate for damaged areas.

Lifelong plasticity is a core principle of neuroscience, yet it operates within real limits shaped by effort, stress and ageing.

23/01/2026

A new psychological investigation suggests that emotional abuse in childhood serves as the primary driver for a debilitating form of personality pathology characterized by chronic shame and self-criticism. While various forms of mistreatment can leave lasting scars, this specific type of belittlement appears to predict a person’s tendency to view themselves with contempt more strongly than other trauma types.

A new study suggests that verbal mistreatment drives malignant self-regard more than other forms of trauma. Researchers found that internalized shame is most closely linked to emotional abuse, with distinct patterns emerging for men.

22/01/2026

22/01/2026

“In the last few years, however, a flood of new research has altered the landscape of the debate, in two ways. First, there is now a lot more work revealing a wide range of direct harms caused by social media that extends beyond mental health (e.g., cyberbullying, sextortion, and exposure to algorithmically amplified content promoting su***de, eating-disorders, and self-harm). These direct harms are not correlations; they are harms reported by millions of young people each year. Second, recent research — including experiments conducted by Meta itself — provides increasingly strong causal evidence linking heavy social media use to depression, anxiety, and other internalizing disorders. (We refer to these as indirect harms because they appear over time rather than right away).”

Two new projects catalogue research on social media’s many harms to adolescents. Some of the strongest evidence comes from Meta.

21/01/2026

A new psychological investigation suggests that emotional abuse in childhood serves as the primary driver for a debilitating form of personality pathology characterized by chronic shame and self-criticism. While various forms of mistreatment can leave lasting scars, this specific type of belittlement appears to predict a person’s tendency to view themselves with contempt more strongly than other trauma types.

A new study suggests that verbal mistreatment drives malignant self-regard more than other forms of trauma. Researchers found that internalized shame is most closely linked to emotional abuse, with distinct patterns emerging for men.

21/01/2026

“In the last few years, however, a flood of new research has altered the landscape of the debate, in two ways. First, there is now a lot more work revealing a wide range of direct harms caused by social media that extends beyond mental health (e.g., cyberbullying, sextortion, and exposure to algorithmically amplified content promoting su***de, eating-disorders, and self-harm). These direct harms are not correlations; they are harms reported by millions of young people each year. Second, recent research — including experiments conducted by Meta itself — provides increasingly strong causal evidence linking heavy social media use to depression, anxiety, and other internalizing disorders. (We refer to these as indirect harms because they appear over time rather than right away).”

Two new projects catalogue research on social media’s many harms to adolescents. Some of the strongest evidence comes from Meta.

19/01/2026

16/01/2026

“The backlash surrounding therapy culture is already in full effect. And while I agree that it is important to be critical of the therapy industry, I worry that we aren’t critical enough of how big money has skewed the general populations’ perspective on therapy. People are legitimately struggling but instead of advertising how therapy can offer a place to learn more about one’s struggles and work towards self-understanding, the messages around mental health have veered far more into the diagnose and fix realm.

“Treating clients like customers perpetuates a dangerous cycle and allows clients to believe something that is not real, that therapy should make them feel better and it should be fast. But given how anxious many are about the economy and the oversaturated therapy market, I understand why young clinicians find themselves working on building a therapy brand and directly marketing themselves on social media.”

Venture capital has made the therapeutic landscape incredibly confusing.

14/01/2026

🤔
“Our findings tell us that young people’s choices around social media and gaming may be shaped by how they’re feeling but not necessarily the other way around,” said Prof Neil Humphrey, a co-author. “Rather than blaming technology itself, we need to pay attention to what young people are doing online, who they’re connecting with and how supported they feel in their daily lives.”

Research finds no evidence heavier social media use or more gaming increases symptoms of anxiety or depression