_ Mental & Emotional HealthDepression: Supporting a Family Member or Friend By Jane Farrell articleHelping someone with depression can be a challenge. If someone in your life has depression, you may feel helpless and … Read More→
_ Mental & Emotional HealthNature Group Walks Improve Mental Health By Jane Farrell articleGroup nature walks are linked with significantly lower depression, less perceived stress, and enhanced mental health and well-being, according to … Read More→
_ Hearing Loss and Depression By Jane Farrell articleBy Dr. Carol Meyers Living with hearing loss means a lot more than just not being able to hear as … Read More→
_ Positive Expectations and Depression By articlePositive thinking may help some depressed patients after all, according to a new study on the placebo effect in medical … Read More→
_ Celebrate National Yoga Month! By articleYoga, once a relatively unknown practice that many considered exotic, has gone so mainstream that September has been declared National … Read More→
_ Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias Brain Health Mental & Emotional HealthDepression & Cognitive Decline = Faster Brain Aging By Sondra Forsyth articlePeople who develop depression and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) after age 65 are more likely to have biological and brain imaging markers that reflect a greater vulnerability for accelerated brain aging, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings were published online in Molecular Psychiatry.
_ The Mathematics of Happiness By Jane Farrell articleScientists have developed a mathematical model to measure happiness, and that may eventually lead to better treatments for mood disorders.Researchers from University College London used the equation to analyze the happiness of more than 18,000 people worldwide. As a result, they found that moment-by-moment happiness is due not only to how well things are going but whether they are going better than a person expected.
_ Complicated Grief: When Sorrow Is Overwhelming By Jane Farrell articleLosing a loved one is one of the most distressing and, unfortunately, common experiences people face. Most people experiencing normal grief and bereavement have a period of sorrow, numbness, and even guilt and anger. Gradually these feelings ease, and it's possible to accept loss and move forward.For some people, feelings of loss are debilitating and don't improve even after time passes. This is known as complicated grief. In complicated grief, painful emotions are so long lasting and severe that you have trouble accepting the loss and resuming your own life.
_ Mental & Emotional HealthImproving How Docs Manage Depression By Sondra Forsyth articleA performance improvement initiative for physicians can significantly increase their use of evidence-based practices in screening for and treating depression, according to a study published in the July 2014 issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Practice.
_ 5 Facts To Know About Depression By Jane Farrell articleDepression, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition, affects 14.8 million American adults, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The percentage of seniors who have the disorder varies from less than 1 percent to 5 percent, the CDC says. But the percentage rises sharply to 11.5 percent among elderly hospital patients to 13.5 percent among those who have home health care. The condition is complex and multi-faceted, encompassing both physical and mental symptoms, and for a patient or caregiver it’s essential to know as much as possible about it.
Mental & Emotional HealthDepression & Diabetes Linked to Early Death in Seniors By Adprime Admin articleA study led by the University of Californina, Los Angeles and published in June 2014 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that among adults 65 and older with diabetes, depression is linked with a far greater chance for early death than it is for diabetics of the same age who do not have depression.
_ 10 Facts About Depression By Jane Farrell articleBy Dr. Prakash MasandMay is Mental Health Month, and a time to bring awareness to the many conditions that make up mental illness. One of the most common is depression. Unfortunately, many people have been misled about the facts of depression from what they’ve seen on TV or in the movies, or have heard about from their friends and others. What are the real facts about depression? Here are the 10 ten facts that everyone should know about depression: 1. There’s more to depression than just feeling blue.
_ Internet Use Could Help With Depression By Jane Farrell articleInternet use by elderly people can sharply reduce the likelihood of depression, a common ailment among older Americans, research shows. The finding comes from Michigan State University researchers, who followed the lives of thousands of older Americans for six years. They concluded that Internet use by elderly people can reduce the risk of depression by more than 30 percent.
_ Nasal Spray May Stop Depression By Jane Farrell articleNew research from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City shows that an antidepressant nasal spray can become effective within 24 hours – an unusually rapid amount of time. The ketamine spray was well-tolerated by patients who have treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. Of 18 patients who took ketamine or the placebo saline for two days, eight responded to ketamine within 24 hours, while one responded to saline.
_ Why It May Be More Than "The Blues" By Jane Farrell articleEveryone feels blue now and then. It’s part of life. But if you no longer enjoy activities that you usually like, there may be a more serious problem. Feeling depressed without letup can change the way you think and the way you experience emotions. Doctors call this clinical depression.
_ Depression and Lifestyle Changes By Jane Farrell articleDiscussing healthy eating habits with a nutrition coach was as effective as talk therapy in preventing major depression among older adults with mild symptoms of mood disorder, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Maryland. The findings, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, examined both black and white adults.
_ Self-Esteem Helps Avoid Health Problems By Jane Farrell articleHaving a high level of self-esteem in older adulthood can have a positive effect on physical as well as mental health, new research shows. A study by researchers from Concordia University in Montreal analyzed responses from 147 adults aged 60 and older to measure their self-esteem, stress and symptoms of depression every 24 months over four years. The investigators also measured the levels of cortisol, a hormone that’s released when stress levels are high.
_ New Depression Treatments On the Horizon By Jane Farrell articleNew research into the physiological causes of depression could eventually yield treatments beyond common antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft. According to the research, published in Current Psychiatry, treatments on the horizon include new medications, electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain and long-term cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management.