A study conducted by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, has uncovered some encouraging results for individuals who are coping with both depression and alcoholism. This research may set the stage for new treatment methods and therapies for people living with these two disorders. The results of this study were published in […]

Bipolar affective disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a rapid cycling of mania intermixed with periods of depression. It affects approximately 4 percent of individuals in the United States. Mania is characterized by symptoms such as grandiosity, decreased sleep, pressured speech, racing thoughts, distractibility and excessive pleasure with mundane activities. These manic symptoms must […]

Depression isn’t just sadness; major depressive disorder is a genuine mental disorder affecting 14.8 million Americans a year, according to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). Although depressive disorders respond to treatment, in most people the exact causes aren’t completely understood. Mayo Clinic says depression can emerge from genetic causes, hormone changes and differences […]

“A 29-year-old Caucasian man was brought to the emergency department by the police after he was found wandering barefoot through the snow on Main Street. The police had been called after passers-by reported that the man seemed intoxicated and was acting strangely. When an officer approached the man, he became belligerent and agitated and angrily […]

“Yoga is the cessation of the movements of the mind.” – Patanjali, “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali” Yoga is more than just a good way to get in shape. It is also the practice of creating a fluid current with the body to move the bubbling buildup of unrest in the mind. Its efficacy is […]

A public service announcement on trauma effects could mirror the drug ads of the 1990s. You’d see a close up of a nonstick pan, and the voiceover would narrate, “This is your brain. This is your brain after a traumatic event with nitrous oxide treatment.” The egg would glide easily onto a plate, sunny-side-up. According […]

Adjusting for population density, studies show opioid abuse is more prevalent in rural areas than in metropolitan or suburban areas. While strong evidence is lacking as to why, medical professionals have a number of theories. Macro, local and micro risk levels In a February 2014 article in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers examined […]

It gets used incorrectly a lot when writing about mental disease: victims of schizophrenia, victims of depression, and so on. It’s wrong, chiefly because in many cases of mental disorders there’s no crime involved. Mental disorders develop in a variety of ways – genetic, environmental and biological. However, there are cases where the word “victim” […]