Depression

Why Isn’t There A Gene For Depression?

Pixabay Images Depression is sometimes categorised as a mental, rather than a physical illness – as though somehow mental health is different from physical health. But the brain is not a magical black box inside your head. It is an organ, just like the heart or lungs, made up of cells and supplied [...]

Could Bad Buildings Damage Your Mental Health?

Pixabay Images Research has shown city dwellers are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression – but could individual buildings have a negative impact on wellbeing? Screaming sirens, overcrowding, traffic; life in the city isn’t always relaxing. These stressors aren’t simply inconvenient or irritating, though; research has suggested that urban living has [...]

The ‘Tyranny’ Of Positive Thinking Can Threaten Your Health And Happiness

Images: MichaelBlann/Getty Everyone has heard “Just look on the bright side!” or “Happiness is a choice—so choose to be happy!” Countless self-help books on choosing happiness line the shelves of bookstores; You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero has been on the New York Times best-seller list for 32 weeks; and The Power of [...]

Parents’ Mental Health Linked To Violence In Kids

Flickr Images Kids who have a parent who has been diagnosed with certain psychiatric disorders may be at increased risk for attempting suicide or committing a violent offense, a new study of people in Denmark suggests. These kids are at even greater risk of these behaviors when both parents have the disorders, the study [...]

Mental Health At Work A Challenge

Pixabay Images Reported mental health issues in the workplace have risen 56 per cent in the past year, and almost half of companies in a major survey say at least one employee has committed suicide or been at risk of doing so, according to a new report. Eighty-one per cent of the company [...]

We May Be Able To Treat Depression With Anti-Inflammatory Drugs – Here’s Why

Pixabay Images There is growing evidence that inflammation – already known to be a cause of many whole-body diseases – is also involved in diseases of the brain, including psychiatric conditions like depression. Depression is a common and crippling disease affecting over 350m people worldwide. Around 20% of the UK population will suffer [...]

It’s ‘Digital Heroin’: How Screens Turn Kids Into Psychotic Junkies

Flickr Images Susan* bought her 6-year-old son John an iPad when he was in first grade. “I thought, ‘Why not let him get a jump on things?’ ” she told me during a therapy session. John’s school had begun using the devices with younger and younger grades — and his technology teacher had [...]

First ‘Gold-standard’ Trial Of Ketamine’s Anti-depressant Effects Launched

Flickr Images The first “gold standard” clinical trial of ketamine for the ongoing treatment of major depression was launched in Sydney on Tuesday and will involve seven research institutions and 200 patients from across Australia and New Zealand. Several pilot studies have examined the effectiveness of ketamine for depression but these have typically [...]

Why Are So Many Of Britain’s Teen Girls Struggling With Mental Health Problems?

Pixabay Images A new study shows a worrying rise in mental health problems among teenagers in the UK. According to the Department of Education, which spoke to 30,000 pupils aged 14-15, more than one in three teen girls suffer from anxiety or depression. It's a rise of 10 per cent in the past decade, [...]

How Artificial Intelligence Could Help Diagnose Mental Disorders

Flickr Images People convey meaning by what they say as well as how they say it: Tone, word choice, and the length of a phrase are all crucial cues to understanding what’s going on in someone’s mind. When a psychiatrist or psychologist examines a person, they listen for these signals to get a [...]

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