Dirk Hanson
Dirk Hanson is a freelance science writer who covers neuroscience and drug abuse. He is the author of The Chemical Carousel: What Science Tells Us About Beating Addiction and editor of the blog Addiction Inbox.

The Neuroscience of Bedtime
Chronically rising too early or too late can lead to health troubles.
This is Your Brain in Space
Want to travel to Mars? Bring empathy, communication skills; expect trouble with seeing, thinking—and keeping food down.
Neuroessentialism: The ‘Dark Side’ of Focus on Brain Plasticity?
Have we tipped too far in considering addiction a disease of only the brain, with no reference to the outside world? Some addiction researchers say yes.
Speaking in Tongues: Glossolalia and Stress Reduction
Glossolalia may be a more directed activity than previously believed, and may play a direct role in defusing stress reactions.
When the Trip Never Ends
Unlike flashbacks, Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD), as it’s known in the DSM-IV, does not abate for months or years, if ever, and can cause considerable anxiety and panic in those who experience it.
Shoplifting and Suicide
Why is there an abnormally high suicide rate among people with kleptomania?
Smoking’s Ties to Schizophrenia
The importance of nicotine to patients with schizophrenia should not be underestimated. There are rational biological reasons why schizophrenics smoke.