A wide range of studies has confirmed that depression is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). However, a 2016 new study done at The Reading Hospital in Pennsylvania is the first to demonstrate how this risk may differ by age. The study results were be presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of… Continue reading Depression After Age 65 Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Disease
Category: Mental & Emotional Health
Your mental health, including your psychological & emotional health, impacts our daily life. Learn more about the most common mental disorders.
Overcoming Barriers to Treating Fear and Anxiety
A misunderstanding of how the certain parts of the brain function has hampered the creation of pharmaceuticals to effectively address fear and anxiety disorders, according to a paper published in September 2016 in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The researchers’ analysis also offers new insights into neurological processes, with the aim of overcoming existing barriers… Continue reading Overcoming Barriers to Treating Fear and Anxiety
7 Ways to Banish Negative Chatter Forever and Reclaim your Life
Most of us received plenty of negative messages growing up, which now manifest as incessant chatter inside our heads. Is there a way to make it stop? Is there some escape from the negative criticism? The answer is yes! I have developed a special way to help people through the various difficulties and challenges we… Continue reading 7 Ways to Banish Negative Chatter Forever and Reclaim your Life
Depression Treatment: Too Little and Too Much
Although depression is commonly discussed in the media, researchers have found that most Americans affected by the condition don’t receive treatment. At the same time, the investigators found, it’s possible that overtreatment of depression is widespread. Less than a third of American adults who screened positive for depression received treatment for their symptoms, whereas over… Continue reading Depression Treatment: Too Little and Too Much
Self-Sabotage and The Time of Day
New research shows that people are more likely to undermine their performance at stressful tasks when they’re operating at “peak capacity” based on their preferred time of the day. The seemingly counterintuitive results, recently reported in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, are based on an investigation into the connection between people’s circadian rhythm and… Continue reading Self-Sabotage and The Time of Day
Standing Up for Yourself Is Worth It
Although avoiding disagreements might seem easier than confronting them, in fact it’s worth the effort, new research shows. A new study from the University at Buffalo that assessed bodily responses suggests that standing up for your beliefs, expressing your opinions and demonstrating your core values can be a positive psychological experience. There can be a… Continue reading Standing Up for Yourself Is Worth It
Good News as We Age! We’re Happier Now Than Ever, Health Issues and All.
A study done by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and published in the August 2016 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry suggests a paradoxical trend in the mental health of aging adults: They seem to consistently get better over time. A release from the university quotes senior author Dilip… Continue reading Good News as We Age! We’re Happier Now Than Ever, Health Issues and All.
Backup Plans May Keep You From Achieving Your Goal
When it comes to setting organizational and personal goals, making a backup plan has been seen as a sensible way to deal with uncertainty — to be prepared if things don’t go as expected. However, new research from the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison challenges that conventional wisdom and finds that… Continue reading Backup Plans May Keep You From Achieving Your Goal
Volunteering in Middle Age and Beyond Can Enhance Your Mental Health
Volunteering in middle and older age is linked to good mental health and emotional wellbeing, according to a study published in the online journal BMJ Open in August 2016. However, no such association was seen before the age of 40. A release from the publisher notes that previous research has shown that volunteering in older… Continue reading Volunteering in Middle Age and Beyond Can Enhance Your Mental Health
Common Mental Health Issues: When To Go It Alone and When to Seek Help
Life gets stressful. We’re all guilty of habits and behaviors that aren’t exactly awesome for our mental health. Obsessing over something minor for no apparent reason, being too hard on ourselves because we can’t fit into those tiny jeans, having too many drinks at dinner… we’ve all been there. But how do you know if… Continue reading Common Mental Health Issues: When To Go It Alone and When to Seek Help
Smartphone Exercises Make People Feel Better Fast
Exercises on smartphones can help people quickly improve their mood, according to researchers from the University of Basel, Switzerland, and international colleagues. The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. Participants in the international study felt more alert, calmer and uplifted after – using five-minute video tutorials on their smartphones as a guide… Continue reading Smartphone Exercises Make People Feel Better Fast
Is Fiction Good for You?
It is assumed that reading fiction is good for your mental health, but evidence linking Jane Eyre or Anna Karenina to a broadened mind has been mostly anecdotal. In a Review published on July 19th 2016 in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, a psychologist-novelist delves into that issue, arguing that reading or watching narratives may encourage… Continue reading Is Fiction Good for You?
Five Things to Never Say to Someone with Depression
In hopes of helping those experiencing depression, we can unintentionally actually make things worse. In my latest book “When Someone You Know Has Depression: Words to Say and Things to Do” (Johns Hopkins Press, June 1, 2016), I give advice for loved ones who have depression or bipolar disorder, including what to say, how to… Continue reading Five Things to Never Say to Someone with Depression
Why Depression in Later Life is Often Overlooked
Depression can occur at any age, but it’s often overlooked in adults 65 and older—a population that is expected to soar to 72 million by the year 2030. In her new book Depression in Later Life: An Essential Guide, Dr. Deborah Serani says depression affects an estimated 15 percent of Americans aged 65 and older,… Continue reading Why Depression in Later Life is Often Overlooked
Thinking “I can do better” Improves Performance
Telling yourself “I can do better” really can really make you do better at a given task, according to a study published in June 2016 in Frontiers in Psychology. A release from the publisher notes that over 44,000 people took part in an experiment to discover what motivational techniques really worked. In conjunction with BBC… Continue reading Thinking “I can do better” Improves Performance
A New Genetic Clue to Bipolar Disorder
Researchers from Johns Hopkins have identified 84 potential inherited gene mutations that could contribute to the most severe forms of bipolar disorder. The study is one of the first of rare genetic variations in people with bipolar disorder, which affects about 5.6 million Americans. The work, published in JAMA Psychiatry, was led by Fernando Goes,… Continue reading A New Genetic Clue to Bipolar Disorder
Finding Beauty in the Broken Pieces
“Heartbroken”. “Shattered”. “Fall apart into a million pieces”. “Fractured”. “Broken spirit”. These are just a few of the many commonplace metaphors that we all use when life-altering circumstances touch us – and curiously, all of them involve breakage. But what happens to these broken pieces that comprise our lives? How do we begin to recover… Continue reading Finding Beauty in the Broken Pieces
Phubbing: the Act of Ignoring People While Staring at Your Phone
It’s common now to see people snubbing social companions to concentrate on their smartphones. But what causes this behavior, known as “phubbing”, and how did it come to be regarded as normal? Research by psychologists at the University of Kent in the UK suggests people’s internet addiction is leading them increasingly to “phub” – and… Continue reading Phubbing: the Act of Ignoring People While Staring at Your Phone