The allegations surrounding the hostage case in Cleveland, Ohio, remain truly astonishing; how can three women be kidnapped, raped and beaten for so long?

One possible explanation derives from a psychiatric phenomenon which is supposed to develop in these extraordinary and intense predicaments, termed 'Stockholm Syndrome'.

Named after a failed...

Dr Anne Speckhard, an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University, USA, and author of a new book entitled Talking to Terrorists, includes in that account of a decade of interviewing terrorists, some research also undertaken between herself and Dr. Khapta Akhmedova, professor of psychology at Chechen State University.

A team of 42 doctors, professors and other experts have just published in the prestigious medical journal the Lancet, the most definitive and up to date assessment of how the NHS is doing.

The authors, led by Professor Christopher Murray from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of...

Dr Joseph Bergeron, an Associate Physician at a North American Pain Clinic, has recently examined the details of Jesus' death.

The paper, published in the 'Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine' finds that death by crucifixion was usually slow, marked by pain, environmental exposure, starvation, dehydration, and probable infection.

Researchers are uncovering different and surprising ways Banking Crises can kill.

'Do Banking Crises Cause Terrorism?' is the title of a new research paper analysing the effect of banking crises on terrorist activity for 146 countries between 1972 and 2006. The study, from the Universities of Paderborn and of Freiburg,...

The media became obsessed with footballers and other celebrities taking out gagging orders, or 'super-injunctions', to prevent the press reporting affairs and other indiscretions. But journalists were turning a blind eye to a much more important and prevalent form of 'super-injunction' - doctors were not being allowed to talk about...

The extraordinary texts and phone conversations between former Lib Dem MP Chris Huhne and his son, which have been widely reported, are difficult to comprehend. Do the latest findings from the psychology of revenge provide an insight into a family hurting each other so publicly?

Their Huhnes' son, Peter, appears...

Beyonce has confirmed that she mimed during the national anthem at the inauguration of President Obama last month. She has now explained she's a "perfectionist" and - due to lack of rehearsal time - "did not feel comfortable taking a risk". To make a point, Beyonce opened the press conference,...

What would you choose to enjoy as your very last meal?

Most of us don't know when our final serving will be, but there are some who know precisely when their last meal is with near certainty - those on death row.

It is routine for newspaper reports...

Lindsay Sandiford a 56 year-old grandmother has been sentenced to death by Indonesian firing squad for carrying 4.8kg of cocaine. A verdict where the judges delivered a sentence harsher than the prosecution's recommendation.

What may have contributed to this judgement, besides the lack of mitigating factors in their opinion,...

What motivates a sex offender to do charity work is an important question; various agencies involved will be reeling from the continuing spate of allegations regarding Jimmy Savile.

It is well known that sex offenders often target deserving causes, in order to get close to a pool of vulnerable...

Autism and Asperger Syndrome have been in the news this week linked to a high profile case of computer hacking. Hackers are believed to be generally further along the so-called 'autism spectrum' than the general population. Hackers, and those in computing, as well as engineering, physics and maths, also tend...

Children running away from home - a secret epidemic in the UK? New research finds one in ten women in England report running away before aged 16.

Megan Stammers, the school girl who ran away with her married maths teacher, appears unusual, hence all the headlines, but in fact running...

There is widespread public concern and anxiety about GM foods or crops. Genetically Modified substances raise anxiety over possible dangers - yet illegal drugs could also be targeted by GM technology.

Cannabis is the most controversial drug worldwide in terms of safety, yet it's also probably the most illegally consumed...

Andy Murray will be remembered for crying after his Wimbledon Final just as much for his gutsy tennis. He said, through his tears, he was getting closer to eventual victory - but is his emotional reaction revealing the real truth of the matter? Does this dramatic weeping predict future performance...

A French Psychoanalyst, Dr Thierry Lamote, claims in a book (La Scientologie déchiffrée par la psychanalyse. La folie du fondateur, Universitaires du Mirail Press), and in a paper just published in the academic Journal 'L'Évolution Psychiatrique', that L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the religious group, The Church of Scientology,...

Should Anorexics be force fed? The latest legal ruling could kill the patient - but doing nothing might also condemn her to death.

The Daily Telegraph has reported that a leading judge who sits in the Court of Protection, Mr Justice Peter Jackson, has ruled that a former medical student...

We look upset because we feel distraught. Obvious?

Maybe the other way round? Does looking sad contribute to low mood?

This would have revolutionary implications for understanding the causes of depression, and indeed the treatment of mood disorders.

How often have...

As doctors start voting from today on whether to strike in the UK, what's the likely impact of withdrawing medical care on the health of the nation? The doctor's union, the British Medical Association, seems to be gambling that the government doesn't want to alarm the electorate.

But when...