For many women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), declines in mental and physical health too often go hand-in-hand, researchers report.
“Posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with a greater burden of medical illness than is seen in depression alone,” write the authors of a study in the June 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Young women with a history of depression are twice as likely to have the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that raise the risk of heart disease, according to a new study.
Men with a similar history do not suffer as frequently from the same symptoms, writes Leslie S. Kinder, Ph.D., of the Veterans’ Affairs Puget […]

Most Americans List Lack of Insurance Coverage & Cost as Top Reasons For Not Seeking Mental Health Services
Insurance coverage problems and costs supplant stigma as the number one obstacle to accessing mental health services according to a survey commissioned by the American Psychological Association.
Americans say it’s lack of insurance coverage (87%) or cost (81%) […]

GlaxoSmithKline PLC, which is being sued for allegedly concealing negative information on the effects of its Paxil anti-depressant on children, admitted this week that the drug didn’t show a benefit over a sugar pill when treating depression in children.
Better late than never I suppose… The full list of studies, called for by the medical […]

So, given that summer’s here, school’s out and everyone is hopefully doing fun, cool stuff instead of boring, indoor stuff, well, you’ll notice the updates here to be fewer and far between for the next 2-3 months. That’s the way we spend our summers — outside whenever possible, sipping mint julips under the palm trees […]

Community leaders, children’s advocates, caregivers and scores of children descended on AutoZone Park last week to observe Early Childhood Day in Memphis and Shelby County.
Led by Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton, a strong advocate of early childhood initiatives, the celebration included the announcement of the opening of the first of several “Bright Spaces” […]

“For Michael and others who are uncomfortable discussing sexual issues face-to-face, distance sex therapy, as it’s known, is providing a new option. Its practitioners include credentialed sex therapists who counsel clients by phone, e-mail or in Internet chat rooms, where they address deeply personal issues without ever meeting. In doing so, they’ve set off a […]

“A surgical implant that stimulates the brain should get government approval to treat chronic depression, an expert panel of federal experts said yesterday — marking the first time an implanted device has been recommended for the treatment of a psychiatric disorder.
Using a technique known as vagus nerve stimulation, the device uses electrodes implanted in the […]

Want to make college science faculty really nervous? Tell them to stop lecturing and start telling stories, instead.
That’s the advice that science faculty hear when they participate in one of the “Case Studies in Science” workshops at the University at Buffalo, directed by Clyde (Kipp) Herreid, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of […]

Across the country, psychiatrists and psychologists are engaged in a bruising battle. Two professions normally focused on respecting emotions and listening are instead hurling barbs, accusing each other of caring more about money and turf than patients.
The issue: giving psychologists the authority to prescribe drugs.
I usually side on psychiatrists on this one. If you look […]

Aided by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, insurance companies successfully have blocked legislation to make them provide equal coverage for mental and physical illnesses if their policies include both.
President Bush endorsed the concept two years ago. Today, supporters of the bill are willing to settle for a scaled-back version they hope Congress will pass in 2004.

While the Internet has arguably increased the chances of meeting potential mates, it carries its own share of heartbreak and growing complaints about false profiles, bad behavior and ill-suited matches.
A number of online daters and Internet sites are taking matters into their own hands, critiquing these services and warning their peers of the pitfalls of […]