Bipolar disorder is being better understood each day. There is also ongoing research into its treatment. But successfully treating bipolar disorder can involve several medication trials, and it can take years to achieve remission. Even if remission is attained, ...

New discoveries are being made about changes in the brain during depression. Dr. Mia Lindskog of the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and her team say that two separate mechanisms cause the emotional symptoms and the deficits in memory and learning seen in ...

Southwest Pennsylvania National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) held its annual conference at the beginning of April, and one of their afternoon breakout workshop presenters was Dr. Robert Hudak, assistant professor of psychiatry at Western Psychiatric ...

The cognitive symptoms of depression tend to receive less attention than other symptoms of this difficult illness. Namely, symptoms such as sinking mood, fatigue and loss of interest garner more recognition. Yet cognitive symptoms are quite common. “[They] are actually significantly ...

When the first treatment you try for your depression doesn’t work, it can feel utterly painful. As it is, depression makes you feel hopeless and helpless. An ineffective intervention might feel like the final ...

There are a lot of different opinions and strong emotions when it comes to the topic of obesity and weight loss. This article is simply another opinion about obesity in America. By writing this article, I am ...

BOOK REVIEW.
  So many times we think we know where we’re headed; then we’re taking an unexpected turn. ~ Hopping Roller Coasters Rachel Pappas’s memoir, Hopping Roller Coasters, details the unpredictable story of a mother and daughter who must cope with their mood disorders, until they can reach a place of mutual understanding that gives way to ...

BOOK REVIEW.
Though uneven, Resources for Extraordinary Healing: Schizophrenia, Bipolar and Other Serious Mental Illnesses by Emma Bragdon nevertheless offers some fascinating insights into mental wellness from a perspective not normally considered by the Western psychological community: that of spiritual and holistic health. The author discusses the Spiritist healing movement of Brazil -- a model that offers ...

Bipolar disorder is a complex and chronic illness. It produces major shifts in mood and energy. It impairs all areas of a person’s life, including work, relationships and daily functioning. Fortunately, however, effective treatment ...

The diagnosis of schizophrenia has countless implications for an individual’s life. Being diagnosed with schizophrenia can mean many things to a person, including the loss of identity and sense of self, the ...

BOOK REVIEW.
Many different types of people, for many different reasons, read memoirs about mental illness. Some may be suffering from an illness themselves and are looking for guidance or inspiration. Some may have questions as a result of their friend’s or family member’s suffering. Others may be professionals in the mental health field. Then there are ...

BOOK REVIEW.
After my girlfriend, whom we will call Elle, had her first full-blown manic episode, I began to read several books on bipolar disorder. These included books on medications and the use of ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), which Elle received after being involuntarily committed by her parents. In her manic states, typically after several days with little or no sleep, she ...