I have had a quite a few ups and downs in my life. I have had depression since I was 8 years old. (I am now 26 and was diagnosed as bipolar three years ago.) In my lifetime, I have suffered major emotional abuse and betrayals from a variety of people, not to mention rough circumstances (losing a job last year, and unstable conditions in my current job). I have now gotten to a point where I've become obsessive about money due to fears of once again becoming unemployed, and I find myself drifting away from friends because I don't feel safe being close to anyone any more. It's scary for me because I went through a major depressive episode from ages 14 to 18, and I had to fight just to keep myself alive (medication was not available for me at the time, either). I've fought so hard just to get to my current point in life, which was graduating from college and living independently. I'm just so terrified of losing everything that I've fought for and returning to those lows, but I feel like
Schizophrenia drugs, increasingly prescribed to children with bipolar disorder and other conditions, can cause youngsters to experience rapid weight gain, according to a new study.
My 11-year-old daughter got a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) about six months ago. She is not currently on any medication but has been regularly seeing a therapist.
Post-traumatic stress disorder may be a condition of the mind, but research has implicated it in the ills of the body. Now, a new study suggests it may be associated with death after surgery.
Can a stimulant medication for ADHD make the child taking it have mood swings and violent aggression?
Why do some people get hooked on drugs and alcohol, while others can party hard and walk away? We tend to think it's a matter of willpower or moral fiber, but it has more to do with a roll of the genetic dice.
The brother of a convicted British drug smuggler facing imminent execution in China has pleaded for authorities to show compassion amid concerns over the man's mental health at the time of his arrest.
More than one in 10 women develops depression during pregnancy. Now, a new study suggests that women who are treated with antidepressants are more likely to give birth early or to have newborns that need to spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit.
I have a diagnosis of brittle bipolar disorder. Most peer-reviewed literature tells me that setting up concrete routines (daily, work, home, etc.) is a good way to help control symptoms. Is this true? Is it an important tool or just speculation? How can I work with my employer/coworkers to limit my symptoms with routines?
Actress Mackenzie Phillips reveals she had a long-term incestuous relationship with her famous father, musician John Philips, in a tell-all memoir, according to People.com, which obtained an advance copy of her book.
I have had a quite a few ups and downs in my life. I have had depression since I was 8 years old. (I am now 26 and was diagnosed as bipolar three years ago.) In my lifetime, I have suffered major emotional abuse and betrayals from a variety of people, not to mention rough circumstances (losing a job last year, and unstable conditions in my current job). I have now gotten to a point where I've become obsessive about money due to fears of once again becoming unemployed, and I find myself drifting away from friends because I don't feel safe being close to anyone any more. It's scary for me because I went through a major depressive episode from ages 14 to 18, and I had to fight just to keep myself alive (medication was not available for me at the time, either). I've fought so hard just to get to my current point in life, which was graduating from college and living independently. I'm just so terrified of losing everything that I've fought for and returning to those lows, but I feel like
Schizophrenia drugs, increasingly prescribed to children with bipolar disorder and other conditions, can cause youngsters to experience rapid weight gain, according to a new study.
My 11-year-old daughter got a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) about six months ago. She is not currently on any medication but has been regularly seeing a therapist.
Post-traumatic stress disorder may be a condition of the mind, but research has implicated it in the ills of the body. Now, a new study suggests it may be associated with death after surgery.
Can a stimulant medication for ADHD make the child taking it have mood swings and violent aggression?
Why do some people get hooked on drugs and alcohol, while others can party hard and walk away? We tend to think it's a matter of willpower or moral fiber, but it has more to do with a roll of the genetic dice.
The brother of a convicted British drug smuggler facing imminent execution in China has pleaded for authorities to show compassion amid concerns over the man's mental health at the time of his arrest.
More than one in 10 women develops depression during pregnancy. Now, a new study suggests that women who are treated with antidepressants are more likely to give birth early or to have newborns that need to spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit.
I have a diagnosis of brittle bipolar disorder. Most peer-reviewed literature tells me that setting up concrete routines (daily, work, home, etc.) is a good way to help control symptoms. Is this true? Is it an important tool or just speculation? How can I work with my employer/coworkers to limit my symptoms with routines?
Actress Mackenzie Phillips reveals she had a long-term incestuous relationship with her famous father, musician John Philips, in a tell-all memoir, according to People.com, which obtained an advance copy of her book.
My friend's 20-year-old daughter has been diagnosed as bipolar. I have seen the depressive effects, but can you tell me how someone who is having a manic episode would behave? This girl yells, screams, swears, kicks the walls, uses inappropriate language to her parents and it usually happens when she is not getting her way. It looks like a temper tantrum to me.
My boyfriend and I are discussing getting engaged and having children one day. He said he's scared to have kids. His biological grandmother and his father both have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He has no symptoms of it, but some of his siblings do. He is terrified that his children could inherit this disorder! My family has no history of it at all. Since neither of us have it, should we be worried?
I have a 4-month-old baby. I am going through postpartum depression with a lot of anxiety and panic attacks. I went through postpartum depression with my first baby eight years ago but at that time I didn't have anxiety and I didn't take any medication. And I started getting better after 3½ months itself. But now it's been three months that I am going through this. I have been taking medications (Paxil 20 mg, Buspar 10 mg) and getting counseling but it's not helping much. I still don't feel myself and am having unwanted thoughts. How long does postpartum depression last? Is this temporary? Will this anxiety and depression ever go away? Should I stop the medications and try it on my own? Does exercise help to get out of the depression? Will I ever be normal like I was before?
Michael Jackson died of an overdose, according to the preliminary finding of the Los Angeles coroner described in court documents. The King of Pop apparently was given a variety of drugs that included the powerful sedative propofol, according to authorities.
Your therapist's name is ELIZA, and she interacts with you through text on a computer screen. However embarrassing or difficult your problem may be, ELIZA will not hesitate to ask you a question about it, or respond graciously, "That is very interesting. Why do you say that?"
Because of the complexity of this viewer question, three of CNNHealth's expert doctors are offering advice. Last week, Diet and Fitness expert Dr. Melina Jampolis had ideas for gaining weight in a healthy way. Yesterday, Dr. Jennifer Shu offered information about concerns for a baby born to an addicted woman. Today, Mental Health expert Dr. Charles Raison weighs in.
My daughter was treated for anxiety with Zoloft around a year ago. However, her school reported alarming, violent behavior (she never had that before), and we stopped it after only a week. I always understood this to be an "adverse effect," but a nurse today told me it was an allergy. An allergy means she should never take it again, but an adverse effect could be grown out of, and doesn't rule out similar drugs. Was the nurse just dumbing things down, or was she correct?
Driving over a pothole may not be a big deal for most people, but for Jeff Bell, it was a source of endless frustration.
Insomnia, the inability to fall or stay asleep, can make the days feel fuzzy and the nights never-ending.
With the change to ADHD from ADD in the past decades (DSM-III-R, 1987 - DSM-IV-TR), why are professional sites such as CNNhealth.com's Mental Health still utilizing archaic terminology in some articles?
A 16-year-old Hong Kong boy makes two phone calls for delivery: One for pizza, the other for the drug ketamine. Two teenage girls are found semi-conscious in a car park after overdosing on ketamine. A 13-year-old boy joins a gang and is given free ketamine.
The American Psychological Association concluded Wednesday that there is little evidence that efforts to change a person's sexual orientation from gay or lesbian to heterosexual are effective.
My husband has generalized anxiety disorder, and he always seems to bring up something he says he has seen me do or something I supposedly said when I cannot recall that ever happening. So my question is, can GAD cause a person to worry so much about something that he believes it happened?
When Holly Betten, 28, came home from the hospital after a rough delivery, she had one day to adjust to her new life as a mom before her husband went back to working 12-hour days as a computer-software architect.
My daughter suffers from borderline personality disorder that appears to be worsening, even though she is now 36 years old. Treatment centers are too expensive, and her insurance will not cover it unless it is a hospital. Why would this disorder seem to be worsening -- mainly impulse control/depression -- and should she have a CT scan or other brain imaging to see if there is an underlying problem? Her primary care doctor has given up on her, and there are no psychiatrists in this town who will treat borderline personality disorder. Any help or information could help.
If you're feeling down, it can be hard to tell if you're experiencing a temporary case of the blues or a serious depression. Now a group of researchers say there's a relatively easy way to figure out whether some young adults are at greater risk of psychiatric problems or drug abuse -- just ask about their family.
I have phase II bipolar and cannot afford the necessary drugs. I'm dealing with this alone, which as you may know is tough. Are there any tips you can give in management of my disorder?
Amir was a salesman before being arrested and taken to the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2003. During his time there, he says, he was forced to lay down in urine and feces, stay naked in his cell for days, and "howl like dogs do" while being pulled by a dog leash. According to his accounts, he was also sodomized with a broomstick and had his genitals stepped on.
My husband's bipolar disorder was diagnosed several years ago. He has tried several medications and the side effects have far outweighed any benefits. Now he refuses to see a doctor about it because he thinks it's hopeless. Not to mention we have moved and discovered that there are few psychiatrists in the area, and the ones who will take him have a six-month waiting list. Our primary care doctor won't treat him for the bipolar (he asked). It is terrible to see him suffer from this disease without any relief in sight. Any suggestions?
When rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings didn't work for Eddie Freas, he sought another way to kick his 20-year drug and alcohol addiction.
A University of Georgia professor shot and killed his wife and two other adults in Athens, Georgia, in late April, according to police. A U.S. soldier fired on fellow troops in early May at a counseling center at a base outside Baghdad, Iraq, killing five comrades, according to authorities.
Substance abuse, addiction and its consequences cost U.S. governmental bodies nearly $500 billion in 2005 with only a fraction of state and federal dollars spent on prevention and treatment, according to a report released Thursday.
Please help. My son has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, when he starts feeling better he won't take his medicine, which is risperidone, and it is very difficult for us to get him to take it when he is not feeling well. He is a bright young man who has lost his job many times because of this illness. Are there any new findings for this illness? Can you explain what part of the brain is affected?
For the first 45 of her 50 years of living, Bonnie Neighbour used to wake up feeling sorry to be alive.
What is the best and safest way to wean yourself off of an antidepressant drug such as Zoloft?
His dangerous (but kicked) habit included Vicodin, Ambien, Valium, and nearly resulted in his death, he says
Douglas Cootey is replacing his lightbulbs with brighter ones, but not just to see better. The new broad spectrum lights simulate sunlight, and might help enliven his mood in the gloomy winter months.
A no-frills bar called Goober's, just north of Providence, Rhode Island, is probably the last place you'd expect to find a debate over cutting-edge addiction therapy. But this is where Walter Kent, a retired mechanic, spends his Fridays. He helps in the kitchen and hangs out in the bar, catching up with old friends.
Listen up, insomniacs! Tossing and turning into the wee hours may be more harmful than you think.
The poet Sylvia Plath, who made a name for herself through prose and poetry that conveyed a sense of depression and suicidal tendencies, famously died by asphyxiating herself in an oven in 1963.
I suffered long-term verbal abuse and bullying at school for nearly six years. Recently a friend in the mental health field suggested that some behaviors I have begun to exhibit appear to correlate strongly with PTSD. Is it possible to develop PTSD from schoolyard bullying?
If you're lying awake at night, feeling angry or fatigued, because of stress, you're in the majority, according to a nationwide report released Tuesday.
The doors have closed and my seat belt is buckled tight. Flight attendants are rushing to close the overhead bins. I feel a lurch, and out the window I see the terminal recede as the plane taxis toward the runway. But I don't really notice any of this. My chest is pounding. My stomach is a churning pit - I'm nauseous. My shirt is drenched in sweat, and I can barely breathe.
The nation does a poor job in the ways it serves its mentally ill population, earning a D, according to a report card issued Wednesday by an advocacy group.
I suffered a career-ending injury in the past and now have further health issues related to that incident. How do you keep from going into a deep depression when you lost your job, have undergone 12 surgical procedures and almost three years of rehab since 2002? I have battled depression, lack of self-worth and confidence.
A man charged in the beheading death of his seatmate on a Greyhound Canada bus last summer is not criminally responsible because he is mentally ill, a judge ruled Thursday, said CNN affiliate CBC News.
Children and teens who have a parent with bipolar disorder are 14 times more likely than their peers to have bipolar-like symptoms themselves, and are two to three times more likely to be found to have an anxiety or mood disorder, such as depression, according to a report in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
A former student who killed five people at Northern Illinois University last Valentine's Day had been drummed out of the Army for hiding his psychiatric history and expressed admiration for famous murderers, CNN has learned.
When she heard news of the Continental Airlines plane that plunged into a house in suburban Buffalo, New York, on Thursday night, killing 50 people, Jenny Gomez experienced a familiar feeling creep deep within her psyche. "It definitely sparked those old feelings of anxiety," she said.
Concerns about alcohol abuse have been making headlines this week.
All antidepressant drugs are not created equal, according to the authors of one of the few studies that have ever systematically analyzed and compared "new generation" medicines for treating depression.
The 24-year-old is in an L.A.-area treatment center, her rep confirms to PEOPLE
Stacey Rosenberg, a former marketing manger in Boston, knows the catastrophic feeling of a layoff. She has lost her job twice in the midst of the recession.
Why do people lie, in the form of storytelling? My 3½-year-old grandson is already showing signs of it. His father is a liar/storyteller. I find it hard to believe that a 3-year-old could copy that behavior. I believe it must be hereditary, and I will not accept that all 3-year-olds do this. I have two grown children and have been around a lot of children/toddlers and have never seen this type of intelligence in such a young child. My daughter and I are quite concerned because we can't believe a word he says -- he too often gives us dishonest answers or info. What part of the brain is responsible for this behavior, and how can it be corrected? Thank you.
Is it OK to take antidepressants while pregnant?
I am 29 and have been suffering from depression for more than 10 years. It started with losing my virginity in an unpleasant situation, and continues through my mother's battles with severe depression, alcoholism and drug abuse. I have also lost two grandparents to slow, declining dementia. I have tried talk therapy but didn't find it to be very useful. I walk 20 miles a week, try to eat well and maintain social relationships.
People who displayed behavioral problems as teenagers were likely to develop mental or personal problems in adulthood, according to a new study published in the British Medical Journal.
I've started having terrible anxiety over the past month and it's starting to become debilitating. What can I do to calm myself down when I feel it start to build up?
Has Cymbalta antidepressant caused any aggression problems such as those alleged for Prozac?
Long-term outcome research indicates that deep brain stimulation holds promise for the treatment of intractable major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, a frequent companion illness. The technique targets a specific node in the cerebral cortex. When that one region is stimulated, the effects spread throughout the frontal lobe of the brain.
I've been on different depression meds. They make me feel loopy. I have disscussed it with my doctor. He says that it's something that I must live with. Now I'm off all meds and feel great but I can feel the symptoms coming back. What could I do without having to go back on the meds? I just don't like the loopiness.
I have suffered from bipolar depression for five years. I am taking medication and worked with a specialist for three years. My question is, can one ever grow out of or heal from this affliction?
I have been taking Zoloft for a few years now and it does not seem to work as well these days, even with a dosage increase. My question is: Can you become immune to antidepressants after a while?
Let me introduce myself. My name is Charles L. Raison, M.D., although whenever anyone calls me "Charles" instead of "Chuck" I get nervous, because as a kid I was called Charles only when I was in trouble.
President Bush reflected on his own struggle with alcohol in a White House meeting Thursday that touted gains in the war on drug abuse.
The sweet smell of sugar cookies baking filled the air in Kris Shock's kitchen.
"This is me, this is my body – I have accepted it," the 90210 star tells PEOPLE
One man showed up at a federal building, asking for release from the reality show he was sure was being made of his life.
As mental health advocates, policy makers, practitioners, educators and researchers gathered at the Carter Center to discuss the progress in addressing American children's mental health needs, a drama of sorts was reaching its conclusion halfway across the country.
Advocates are working to change that with a nationwide effort to make sure those with mental disabilities know their rights and exercise them on Election Day
The man sits gently rocking on the bed, one hand clutching a cloth, the other hiding his face from view.
Walking through a crowded shopping mall can bring back memories of war. The shifting crowds, the jostle of passers-by and the din can all trigger Army Sgt. Kristofer Goldsmith's post-traumatic stress disorder.
Depressed moms-to-be are more likely than nondepressed women to have a preterm birth, and the worse their mood, the greater their risk, says a new study published in Human Reproduction. In fact, women in the study who were severely depressed during early pregnancy more than doubled their risk of giving birth to premature babies.
Rob Sandler comforted his infant son as he lifted him out of the crib, cooing in his ear while he walked to the living room.
The Senator from New Mexico talks about his career-long campaign for mental health parity, and the landmark legislation he's passed as part of the $700 billion Congressional bailout package
Carol Ann Carnese never considered herself an anxious person. Except when it came to wet wood.
It was hard to miss the bright yellow Student Driver bumper sticker on the back of the car driven by Tosha Mulligan.
"Californication" star David Duchovny made headlines for voluntarily entering rehab last week. But it wasn't for drugs or alcohol. It was for another dependency, one that affects millions of Americans but is seldom discussed: sex addiction.
When actor David Duchovny made headlines for voluntarily entering rehab for sex addiction, fans of the "X-Files" star were left wondering: How can someone become addicted to sex?
The actor, father to two children with Téa Leoni, requests privacy for his family
The air in and around New Orleans is electrified with anticipation -- and anxiety.
National Guard and Reserve combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to develop drinking problems than active-duty soldiers, a new military study suggests
Two huge international studies show that people who lack certain chunks of DNA run a dramatically higher risk of getting schizophrenia
More older children are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder while the rate is holding steady for children under 12
Oregon State Hospital, the mental institution where the 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was filmed, is making way for a new complex
The Prom Night star, who once battled eating disorders, is finished with weight worries
"She has always been thin [and is] her daddy's daughter, with his long body," says mom
What if you could get out from under what's been bothering you - anxiety, depression, low self-esteem - in three or four months for about $320? That's the promise of cognitive behavioral therapy (also called cognitive therapy or CT).
Victims of disasters are told it's good to talk about your feelings. But a new study questions the benefits
Thousands of troops are being given antidepressant drugs to deal with battle field stress. A TIME investigation reveals combat's heavy toll on their mental health -- and why the military's efforts to treat it may be making the problem worse
Doctors may want to give stroke victims antidepressants right away instead of waiting until they develop depression, a common complication, new research suggests.
Thousands of private counselors are offering free services to troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems
Consultations: TIME asks a prominent bioethicist whether antidepressants should be more widely available
Marya Hornbacher's courageous memoir tracks her coming to terms with a difficult mental illness
Maggie O'Connor minces garlic for a Mexican lasagna while across the kitchen Melissa Thornton chops basil for a turkey wrap.
A new analysis suggests that mental illness costs society nearly $200 billion a year in lost earnings -- and that is just the tip of the iceberg
Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report
An estimated 300 to 400 U.S. doctors kill themselves each year -- a suicide rate thought to be higher than in the general population
Imagine what a pacemaker does to your heart: Its electrical impulses regulate a heartbeat that's out of whack.
A new study shows that adopted kids are more likely to require mental health help as teens than non-adopted ones
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