No, it’s not.
Pharmaceutical companies have done a bang-up job over the past two decades in promoting the serotonin theory of depression — namely that people who are depressed suffer from an “imbalance” in their serotonin levels which certain antidepressants can fix. This is such a simple explanation that most people can readily understand it, and […]

According to recent research, there’s a definite connection between panic attacks and heart attacks. What that connection is, however, remains open to additional research.
Smoller and his colleagues (2007) decided to see whether panic attacks are associated with a greater risk of either a heart attack or stroke in older women.
They examined data from […]

Over the last couple of decades researchers have spent increasingly more time studying the therapeutic effects of animals on humans. A cursory search on google.com revealed there are more than 11,000 pages associated with the words “animal therapy and depression”. Whether this number represents legitimate research articles or personal blog babble, one thing […]

Just in case you had any doubts that there are a great deal of politics and money involved in healthcare, look no further than some the entries posted by psychologist Bruce Levin over at the Huffington Post. Furious Seasons has the full coverage.
I feel profession bashing is too easy to do, and you have […]

John Edwards, a U.S. presidential candidate, would apparently ban drug ads targeted at consumers for 2 years. This type of advertising by pharmaceutical companies is called direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising in the industry, and it pays well because pharmaceutical companies recognize the value in getting their brand names in front of the right audiences.
Why does John […]

Does teaching children to read and build a larger vocabulary earlier actually help the child with learning and school? The Boston Globe Magazine on Sunday had an excellent article that examined what research actually shows in this area, contrary to conventional wisdom.
The upshot? Trying to raise a baby Einstein is likely more harmful to […]

So I was watching a commercial during the Boston Red Sox game tonight (likely going to sweep the World Series, unfortunately for our Rockies’ fans) for Flomax. Flomax is used to treat symptoms such as — having to urinate often, urinating urgently, weak urine stream and frequently waking up at night to urinate — you […]

I had the honor of attending a talk today by naturalist David Sibley, who is the author of the famous Sibley Guide to Birds. He’s made his life observing birds and spoke about the timeless nature of such an activity — birds today are largely the same way they were 1,000 years ago. They regularly […]

Author Tom Wootton thinks it just may be. Mr. Wootton just released his second book “The Depression Advantage”, which touts being depressed as a potential benefit.
An article posted on the website, Medical News Today, reviews the book and its poignant and harrowing look at depression throughout history and its advantages of “spiritual, […]

Recently, a friend came to me for advice about a treatment for a mental disorder. The friend who was suffering from symptoms of depression asked me; “If I see a therapist using my company sponsored health insurance, will the firm find out about it?” This may seem like a ridiculous question, but for […]

Do women find other men more attractive if they are sexually active, either by themselves (e.g., via masturbation) or with a partner (e.g., via sexual intercourse)?
The answer appears to be no, according to new research.
Researchers were interested in discovering whether individual differences in sexual activity during the past 30 days, in particular penile-vaginal intercourse (a […]

This letter writer to the Florida Times-Union had me agreeing until this ill-formed paragraph:

If there is blame, let’s blame those professions that delay mental illness recovery. Let’s educate the churches, which call mental illnesses sin or demonic possession; the medical professionals who do not screen for mental illnesses; the therapists who do not teach the […]