Tag Archives: Depression

Will Robin Williams’ Tragic Death Save the Lives of Others?

The late Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams was among the most effective public figures at de-stigmatizing mental illness and addiction by baring his own lifelong struggles with both. Williams, whose confessional brand of stand-up comedy was a form of “sharing his story” by coating anguish with humor, was found dead at his home Aug. […]

Men With Depression More Likely to Become Internet Addicts

Any psychiatric disorder is challenging enough, but there’s a single disorder that frequently makes the sufferer even more vulnerable to additional psychiatric problems. A new study from the McGill University Department of Psychiatry in Montreal, Canada, has found that people who have suffered from depression are more likely to develop an Internet addiction.

Which Patients With Psychotic Depression Will Wind Up With Bipolar Disorder?

Sometimes one illness transitions into another. Such is the case for some people with psychotic depression who start out with a form of unipolar depression and ultimately struggle with bipolar disorder. This is called conversion. A study looked for ways that clinicians can predict which patients with psychotic depression would convert to bipolar disorder.

Great Recession Blamed in More Than 10,000 Suicides

The Great Recession has been linked to more than 10,000 people killing themselves in what a startling new study called “economic suicides.” Examining death rates on two continents dating back to before the financial collapse, researchers attributed the devastating economic times between 2008 and 2010 to increasing numbers of people taking their own lives in […]

Who Do You Think You Are? Discovering the Person You Were Meant to Be

By Carolyn Hughes, BA Hons, CQSW — Who do you want to be? If you’ve experienced traumas that have left you numb, or the pressures of an image-conscious, success-driven society are forcing you to live your life trying to be someone you’re not, perhaps it’s time to start finding out who you really are. As […]

Links Between Atypical Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Atypical depression is a type of depressive illness that produces symptoms not usually found in people suffering from depression. Doctors can’t directly diagnose these symptoms as a separate mental health condition; instead, they must include them as a secondary diagnosis when identifying other mental disorders. Apart from people affected by major depression, the people most […]

The Link Between Concussions and Depression

Concussions were a major news topic in 2013. In August, the National Football League (NFL) came to a $795-million settlement with more than 18,000 former players seeking compensation for concussion-related brain injuries. The NFL is the most watched and most lucrative of the country’s professional sports leagues, so the lawsuit and eventual settlement shined a […]

Can Simple Finger Test Predict Suicide Risk?

People affected by depression-related mental disorders have increased chances of attempting and committing suicide. Examples of these disorders include major depression, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) and various forms of bipolar disorder. In a study published in September 2013 in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, a team of Swedish and German researchers examined the usefulness of […]

Why Isn’t My Depression Treatment Working?

It’s often said by medical and mental health professionals alike that depression is one of the most treatable mental health disorders. While that’s true to a point, treatment for depression isn’t always as helpful as many people would like. Not only is it discouraging when treatment isn’t working, it can make you feel more hopeless […]

When Do the Holiday Blues Become Something Major?

The holidays are often escorted by the holiday blues, so do not feel alone with this winter funk. But how do you know if you’re feeling a seasonal condition or a more lasting depression? “Comparing the holiday blues to a depressive disorder is like comparing a cold to pneumonia,” says Robert Hales, chairman of the […]

Depression Raises Risk for Parkinson’s Disease

Clinical depression is an alternate term for major depression, a serious mental health concern that affects relatively large segments of the U.S. population. This ailment is known for its potential to increase the risks for the onset of other dangerous health problems. In a study published in October 2013 in the journal Neurology, a team […]

At Risk for Depression? Try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is how the old saying goes, and when it comes to mental health, nothing could be more true. The cost of depression is high, both for the people struggling with the disease and for all of those in their work, family and social circles. Depression […]

Working Conditions Play Huge Role in Employee Depression

Workplace depression is an informal term used to describe depression symptoms linked to social and interpersonal conditions in the workplace, as well as to other work-related factors. Current evidence indicates that this type of depression places a significant mental/emotional strain on the supervisors and employees of small and large businesses, and also places a significant […]

Lithium Reduces Risk of Suicide

People suffering from a mood disorder are 30 times more likely to commit suicide than the general population. Finding an effective treatment that reduces the likelihood of suicide in individuals with mood disorders is therefore an important area of research. Previous studies have indicated that lithium may possess this effect, but concerns about its side […]

Making Friends With Symptoms: A Love-Based Approach

  “Mainstream psychology views disturbing feelings, behaviors, or experiences as an indication that something is wrong with us—an attitude that often shames people.” — David Bedrick Ruby had been described as a fearful child, one who shied away from pets, playground equipment, other children—even her teachers. Twenty-four years old, she sat on her hands in her […]

Depressed People Have a More Accurate Perception of Time

Depressive realism is a term mental health professionals sometimes use to describe a tendency among depressed people to realistically judge their relationship to certain features of their surroundings. This tendency goes against the grain of much of a depressed person’s thought processes, which typically distort reality in significant ways. In a study published in August […]

Men and Women Equally Depressed, Study Finds

Depression is a common term that can refer to either one specific mental health condition—called major depression—or to a larger group of conditions known as depressive disorders. Current statistics indicate that women in the U.S. develop some form of depression much more often than men. However, according to the results of a new study published […]

Anxiety, Depression Plague College Students, Survey Finds

Going off to college is a major life event for a teenager. For many it is the first time away from home for an extended period of time. In a way, going to college and living on campus is like a first step toward living without your parents and toward becoming an adult in the […]

The Insidious Connection Between Depression, Unwanted Weight Gain and Obesity

If you’re struggling with weight gain and depression, you know how difficult life can be. Perhaps your depression symptoms make it hard to get out of bed, much less exercise. Maybe you’ve experienced feelings of sadness, shame, self-loathing, or guilt about your body since the pounds have been slowing accumulating. Depression all-too-frequently occurs with both […]

Off-Label Use of Antipsychotics Alarms Experts

Turn on the TV for two or three hours and you’re likely to see a commercial for Abilify – one of the newer antipsychotic medications being used to treat a variety of symptoms and disorders.  It’s advertised as an adjunct medication for those taking antidepressants for depression who aren’t quite experiencing the benefits they’d hoped […]