Can psychiatric disorders like depression be prevented, instead of just treated? Well, the obvious answer is also the correct one — yes.
Just like we can all do things to help prevent the spread of the flu or cold viruses in the winter (such as washing your hands regularly), there are also scientifically proven techniques that […]

Have you ever wondered how drug companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing their drugs to the docs who make the prescribing decisions? To me, it always seemed a little like voodoo — give a doctor a pen and they’ll prescribe more of your medication.
Well, it turns out it’s more complicated than that. […]

According to research by Zogby International, 37% of the American workforce experiences bullying on the job. Further, according to the NY Times, the common workplace bully is much more subtle than “the playground” bully, which makes it difficult for the person being bullied to report him/her.
It may start with a belittling comment […]

A recent study by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston concludes that chronic sleeplessness in adolescents is linked to many health problems, including those of a psychological nature. The study involved interviews with 3,134, 11 to 17 year old kids. More than twenty-five percent of the children had one or […]

For several weeks, the state of Alaska has been battling the maker of Zyprexa, Lilly, for Medicaid bills incurred when patients taking the drug for Schizophrenia developed diabetes. The NY Times reported on Friday that the $15 million is only “a fraction of the hundreds of millions of dollars in damages that Ed Sniffen, […]

Mind Hacks has a good entry today about U.K. psychologist Tanya Byron’s take on the effects of digital media — mainly the Internet and video games — on children (PDF). It’s a 226 page file, and I stopped about 10% of the way through it, but hope to finish reading it over the weekend. The […]

Just yesterday we were lambasting the lack of science behind the bipolar genetic test on the market. And now this hits the newswire — genetic mutations and schizophrenia.
The new research examined DNA sequences within individuals’ genes, looking for what are called “mutations” — uncommon deletions or duplications that scientists wouldn’t ordinarily expect to find. […]

No, not yet. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today notified the maker of Singulair, a popular drug used to treat asthma, that it wanted more information and data about its use and suicide and suicidal thoughts.
According to a report at WebMD, “In response to inquiries received by the FDA, the FDA […]

Keeping Kids Healthy is an award winning, long running public television program about pediatrics and parenting. Their archives feature lots of half-hour productions about mental illnesses and behavioural issues in children. One, about bipolar disorder in children, is the second most viewed video in my Vodpod collection, with hundreds of views compared to dozens for […]

Facing Us is an online clubhouse created by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) that hosts some nice multimedia. Remember their video contest last fall? Winners are posted on the site now. First prize went to A piece of me… by S. Braun of New York City. With the soundtrack In the Backseat by […]

The first wave of companies is coming on the scene to peddle genetic tests that purport to help people see if they have genes associated with possible higher incidences of a particular disease or condition. Sound a little fishy? Well, given the complexity of genomics today, it is.
One of the first of these tests is […]

Why does mental health always play second fiddle to health concerns?
From ERs to health insurance reimbursement, mental health concerns always seem to get the short shrift. Nobody cares, nobody pays them much attention. Mainstream family physicians and medical doctors nearly always look at a mental health concern as something akin to a rare STD or […]