I am starting to think that there are no answers to the issues most worth writing about, at least in psychiatry.
This year the end of the holidays probably didn't bring the usual stress relief; there are still worries about unemployment, a flailing housing market, and a volatile stock market, all of which may be taking a toll on your health.
War and toys: two words rarely associated with one another.
updated: Thu Nov 03 2011 12:42:00
Brian McCarty discusses photographing toys as art and his new project, War-Toys.
My baby boy died January 12, and my life has been a nightmare ever since. I have tried therapy, and I have been prescribed different antidepressants and nothing seems to help. I'm told I have post-traumatic stress disorder due to the nature of his death. Is there any natural alternative? Are there any other options out there, be it holistic or medicinal? How long does the grief last? I want to feel better for the sake of my other kids, but I just feel worse.
Lately, it appears that President Barack Obama has all but given up on trying to work with Republicans.
Alissa Welker would switch the lights on, off, on, off, on, off -- however many times it took to feel "right." When she was 9, she'd spend the equivalent of an adult workday doing these kinds of rituals. She also washed her hands excessively, avoided sick people and barely ate because she feared food poisoning.
Is ketamine IV promising for medicating resistant depression? What are the possible side effects?
Anthony must reimburse police for lying to them, Judge Belvin Perry rules
The Florida woman has been seeing a grief counselor and will soon see a psychologist, a source tells PEOPLE
I have had depression for almost seven years. I saw a psychiatrist and therapist for eight months, two years ago; it made me feel worse. I started to see another psychiatrist and therapist last November; it only mildly helped. I tried Prozac first, but when the dosage increased, I started to have hallucinations and delusions. I was then prescribed Celexa (disrupted my sleep greatly) and then Cymbalta, which showed no change. I also was given several sleep medications. Medications just do not seem to work; they all have side effects. I just moved and have not found more doctors here. My depression and sleep problems seem to get worse with every day. What should my next step be?
I've been having a lot of panic attacks, almost every day; sometimes when I'm working, dealing with the kids or just nothing at all. I'll get shortness of breath, chest hurts on both sides or just one side, and a lot of my heart skipping a beat. And it scares me. I'm 29 years old and in good health. How can I control this?
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall is known as much for his headline-grabbing troubles off the field as he is for his standout play on it.
updated: Mon Aug 29 2011 16:19:00
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall was stabbed in the abdomen Friday evening. Authorities charged his wife.
My sister's dog served as our feisty family mascot for more than a decade. Her death from a seizure earlier this year felt as if someone ripped a branch from our family tree, and the loss still hurts. That's why I was intrigued when Paws, Whiskers and Wags, the Georgia pet crematory that handled Daisy's remains, introduced monthly group grief counseling sessions.
Middle-aged women searching for a safe alternative to hormone therapy to prevent bone loss and ease the symptoms of menopause are in for another letdown.
Is it dangerous to be on an antidepressant for several years?
A judge gives the actress 21 days to show proof she's seeking psychological treatment
updated: Wed Jul 06 2011 09:22:00
A new study suggests environmental factors may play a larger role in triggering autism than was previously thought.
Children whose mothers take Zoloft, Prozac, or similar antidepressants during pregnancy are twice as likely as other children to have a diagnosis of autism or a related disorder, according to a small new study, the first to examine the relationship between antidepressants and autism risk.
I suffered a pretty serious compound fracture to my ankle last year, followed by an infection, five surgeries, three rounds of IV treatment with PICC lines, hyperbaric oxygen treatment, and now physical therapy and oral antibiotics. I feel like I've let my family, my company and myself down. I find it hard to concentrate and my limited mobility makes everything worse. I am in constant pain (bone-on-bone in the ankle) and even though the infection is finally gone, I find that an alarming amount of my thoughts are related to doing away with myself. When I was really hurt, I had getting better to look forward to. Now that I am there (sort of) it isn't that much better. Right now my life seems pretty joyless. Is this typical for a Type A after an injury? Should I be (even more) worried?
I am a college student, recently diagnosed with depression, and am taking steps to figure out if I have ADHD because of a tremendous inability to focus and retain information. It is almost like, when I'm trying to focus on something someone says, it slips right through me like water. I am curious to know what prospects I have of gaining my cognitive abilities back if I start taking Lexapro or other antidepressants. If these are going to impair my ability to concentrate and focus even more, then I am not sure how to weigh the cost-benefits of taking them, because I am in school. In short, are antidepressants more helpful or hurtful to my cognitive functions? Can I look forward to reversing the concentration and memory retention problems I am currently undergoing?
It seems like there's therapy for everything these days, including sending photos of yourself in various states of undress to members of the opposite sex on the Internet.
updated: Thu Jun 16 2011 10:46:00
Rep. Anthony Weiner is seeking treatment as fellow members of Congress pressure him to resign.
I am curious about the working relationship of therapist and patient. I have always been aware that there is a boundary. But I also think it is human nature to make assumptions. So, of course, I make assumptions based on the way my therapist responds to some of my comments. The bad thing is that I don't feel I can ever ask if my assumptions are correct since some of them would be somewhat personal. On the other hand, I sometimes think this information would be helpful to know because I think I would trust the therapist a little more (since education and life experience are two different things). I know with my previous therapist I made several assumptions that I now know are wrong. Because of those assumptions, I feel like it slowed my progress down. So, what is that line? Can I ask questions, knowing that although I can't have, nor do I need to know, all the details of my therapist's personal life, can I ask basic information to try go get a better understanding of my therapist?
What is the best and safest way to wean yourself off of an antidepressant drug such as Zoloft?
"I'm edging towards being a recluse, but choose daily to fight for release from this crippling prison."
The growing use of a popular drug in the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder is based largely on a single, flawed clinical trial that may be steering doctors and patients away from drugs with a more established track record, a new review published this week in the journal "PLoS Medicine" suggests.
Is electroconvulsive therapy safe to use on children?
I am a 21-year-old female set to graduate from college in May. I have been taking antidepressants since roughly my senior year of high school, so approximately four or five years. I have been on Xanax, Cymbalta, Effexor, Paxil and Wellbutrin. I am currently taking only the Paxil and Wellbutrin together (in conjunction with birth control pills, which I have been on since my freshman year of college). I just read your answer about the effectiveness and safety of taking antidepressants long term, and my question is this: Since I am fairly young, and may be taking antidepressants for several years, how do I transition when I marry and decide to have children? I know that Paxil can result in serious birth defects, but it is working very well for me. What would I do instead?
I have been seeing a therapist for several weeks, and I am having trouble disclosing several issues. These issues are extremely personal and embarrassing. Do you have any suggestions to help me talk about these extremely personal, painful things?
Do you think it is worthwhile to have a psychiatric advance directive?
I have a family history of mental illness. Three of my siblings have schizoaffective disorder (one recently told by a doctor that it may be bipolar with hallucinatory symptoms). I have dealt with mild to moderate depression for over 10 years with a few episodes of major depression in that time. About three months ago, I began taking Lexapro even though I have always wondered whether doing so might aggravate an underlying genetic illness. I feel much better on this medication, and do not have a history of mania or hallucinations. (I am a 31-year-old female, and take 10mg of Lexapro a day).
What vitamins and supplements are recommended for people who have had weight loss surgery? And how much?
British researchers reported Friday that two controversial treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome appear to be more effective than a third, more commonly accepted treatment, and none of them appears to be linked to major safety problems.
I am a 26-year-old female. I have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, PTSD, and anxiety. The doctor gave me samples of a transdermal patch called Emsam. What can you tell me about the medicine and possible side effects?
updated: Thu Feb 03 2011 12:43:00
HLN's Susan Hendricks has the latest on Charlie Sheen's situation.
An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration has recommended that devices used in electroconvulsive therapy ?also known as "electroshock therapy"?should continue to be classified as high risk.
Electroshock therapy today bears little resemblance to its lurid depictions in Hollywood dramas like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
The antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram) may reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes, the bouts of sweating and overheating that are an uncomfortable fact of life for many menopausal women, a new government-funded study suggests.
I was recently scared by someone who told me that they have a depression that has "no cure," meaning they have to be on medication for life. This scared me because I am currently going through a depression and I DO NOT wish to take any medication.
Prostate-removal surgery can provide peace of mind to men who hav prostate cancer, but the procedure often carries an unwelcome and hard-to-treat side effect: leaky plumbing.
The rampage shooting in Arizona is another anguishing reminder that mental health is the weakest link in our ailing health care system.
How can I get acceptable mental health services? I am 31, living off of Supplemental Security Income and have Medicaid. I cannot get assistance to have all basic essentials met. I am limited to what can be done alone without money or being able to walk or go too many places at once. I just need to know what to do.
The number of minors treated in hospital emergency rooms for drinking on New Year's Day 2009 was nearly four times the average daily figure, according to a federal study.
I have been on antidepressants for many years and have taken almost every kind of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. One side effect I developed is temporomandibular joint disease symptoms and tinnitus. I also recently have been diagnosed with attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder. All of these medications aggravate my TMJ. The only medication that has helped me in the past is Valium. I am now taking clonazepam with less effectiveness. How common are TMJ symptoms and tinnitus with both of these medications? Any suggestions on how can I get relief for my jaw pain and ringing in my ears?
My daughter started taking Zoloft for anxiety two weeks ago and since then, she has gone from talking to me every day to not speaking to me for days. We were very close, and now she gives me the cold shoulder. Her response is she doesn't want to talk and she is depressed. She has more or less cut herself off from her family. Is this a side effect?
Diabetes and depression often occur together, but it's always been a chicken-or-egg scenario. Does diabetes make people depressed or are depressed people more likely to develop diabetes? Now a large new study suggests it's both.
While Lindsay Lohan deals with drug addiction at the Betty Ford Center, the actress is also working through her very public differences with her father, Michael Lohan.
Katie's temper tantrums and emotional outbursts became uncontrollable when she was 5 years old. After diagnosing her with Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), doctors placed her on risperidone, an antipsychotic drug used to treat irritability and aggression in autistic children.
At what point in a bipolar patient should ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) be tried?
Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir started removal Tuesday of paramilitary bunkers from the capital, Srinagar, as part of their announced effort to defuse the ongoing unrest that has so far claimed 107 lives and left hundreds wounded.
How do I help my daughter who has a diagnosis of bipolar and each time the doctors put her on an antidepressant, her liver counts go up and she goes into mania? This happens when the liver levels rise. It takes at least two weeks to cycle through.
He now plays the dapper, suave Don Draper in Mad Men, so it's hard to picture Jon Hamm battling chronic depression, relying on antidepressants and therapy to beat the illness. But that's just what he did.
Helped by friends, therapy and antidepressants, the star beat chronic depression after his father's death
I have been taking 10 mg of Paxil for nine years. I would like to get off of it but have heard of the many side effects associated with stopping it. Brain "buzzes" and various other frightening possibilities.
Jennifer Konjoian was 10 years old when she put a plastic bag over her head. She remembers doing it impulsively, for no other reason than to get attention.
The actress "is serious about her sobriety" her attorney tells the new judge overseeing Lohan's case
Pamela Sakuda, 57, was anxious and depressed. After two years of intensive chemotherapy for late-stage colon cancer, and having outlived her prognosis by several months, she'd finally lost hope. She was living in fear and was worried how her impending death would affect her husband.
Why do antidepressants cause weight gain?
To treat depression, what remedy do you suggest other than antidepressants? I'm taking 200mg of Zoloft, but I feel just as depressed as I did two years ago. My sex drive has virtually ended. Is there not another way to treat depression? Possibly talk therapy once or twice a week?
updated: Mon Jun 28 2010 19:41:00
Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen explains how Tropical Storm Alex could impact oil cleanup and recovery efforts.
Exposure to the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has resulted in 162 cases of illnesses reported to the Louisiana state health department, according to a report released Monday. Of those cases, 128 involved workers on oil rigs or individuals involved in the oil spill cleanup efforts, the report said.
Can you suggest alternatives for depression sufferers who have experienced serotonin syndrome? I've suffered from dysthymia and major depressive episodes for my entire life. Until recently, I controlled my depression through strenuous exercise, but returning to graduate school forced me to try antidepressants for the first time. After having adverse reactions to five different SSRIs, I was recently diagnosed with serotonin syndrome. Most of the information I've found talks about treating the syndrome itself but says nothing about what to do next.
updated: Mon Jun 21 2010 09:26:00
Michele Madonna Lindsey, a bipolar manic depressive, discusses what it takes to cope with the mental illness.
I've received medical treatment for depression for approximately 10 years. Recently, single therapies haven't done the trick, so my doctor augmented my antidepressant with Abilify. Due to side effects, I went off that, and he prescribed lithium. I always associated lithium with bipolar disorder, which I don't have. Is lithium an approved therapy to augment an antidepressant? What other add-on therapies are possible?
As recently as 10 years ago, doctors advised women with bipolar disorder not to have children. While that thinking is now dated, bipolar women often face tough decisions about how to handle their medication during pregnancy.
The multibillion-dollar market for dietary supplements is filled with products that claim to boost mood or improve depression. Some products are even billed as an alternative to prescription antidepressants.
David Weiss sat down on his therapist's couch on Thursday troubled by moments of emptiness that made him ask himself, "Is this it?" After talking it through with her, however, he realized that such experiences could be peaceful, and even welcome, if he viewed them with a different mind-set.
Potential cancer vaccine! Possible anxiety treatment! Scientific studies looking at potential therapies for physical and mental illness often sound exciting -- that is, until you read further and realize they're in mice.
I have been seeing a therapist for the past four months now. In that time she had diagnosed me with depression with symptoms of [Obsessive Compulsive Disorder]. She suggested I try medication but looking online I found a therapy called EMDR. I was wondering which is more effective: talk therapy plus medication or EMDR? I have never been on any type of antidepressants but I do have a history of various traumatic experiences. (I may have [post-traumatic stress disorder] as well).
When their kids turn 12, parents are concerned about peers pressuring them to smoke cigarettes, drink and use drugs, but it turns out 12-year-olds are doing something else: getting high on inhalants.
Help to control binge eating could be as simple as a self-help book and check-ins with a health educator, according to new research out this month.
What else can I do? I have tried antidepressants, therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, rational behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, a treatment center in Arizona. My kids are now 11 and 10. I feel like I have missed their entire lives. My wife is fed up. I joined Alcoholics Anonymous in 2004. That is not working, although I'm not drinking ... no serenity, no peace, no happiness. House has been on the market for a year. Job is miserable. One doctor says, " No meds." Another says, "Go back to a treatment center." Another says to "do my dishes." I feel so lost. ... 40 years old and I'm at the end of my rope. Please help.
It is known that people who have had a depressive episode have a high chance of experiencing a second depressive episode. It seems that people are more "sensitive" to stress/life events (kindling hypothesis). What options are available for people who had a depressive episode in the past, to avoid having a recurrence or at least lower the chances of a recurrence in the future?
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?"
After a long day's work, workers often look forward to a relaxing evening at home, enjoying their favorite TV shows to escape the chaos that they (hopefully) left at the office.
How can I calm myself down when anxiety strikes? I hate feeling nervous.
How can I calm myself down when anxiety strikes? I hate feeling nervous.
Listen up, insomniacs! Tossing and turning into the wee hours may be more harmful than you think.
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.
The new field of telemental health offers far-flung participants therapy they might otherwise never seek
updated: Fri Sep 05 2008 13:26:00
Police report a shooting spree in northwest Washington state has left six people dead and two more wounded.
I swear on the "Thelma & Louise" video we watched into a scratchy oblivion: I didn't mean to be the worst friend ever. When Lisa -- my roommate and boon companion of three years --stepped into our apartment, sank to the floor, and clutched our cocker spaniel, I asked, "What's wrong?" with sympathy.
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).
When a 24-year-old woman who called herself "90DayJane" launched a blog in February announcing she would write about her life and feelings for three months and then commit suicide, 150,000 readers flocked to the site. Some came to offer help, some to delight in the drama. Others speculated it was all a hoax.
CNN spoke with radio show hosts, authors, consultants and home-based business owners Paul and Sarah Edwards to find out some of their hard-learned secrets to being successful while working from home.
The British consulting firm I-Opener tackles an unusual concern in the business world. Rather than bottom-line profits, stockholder share prices and market expectations, the firm focuses on happiness.
I've noticed something about the financial advice that seems to register with Americans these days: It's getting louder.
Too busy with their careers to find love, Nicole Harcourt and Jasper Self have put their fate in the hands of a dating matchmaker with a difference.
Jennifer Wilbanks dealt with it one way. Years earlier, Nicole Contos -- almost literally left at the altar at a high-profile Manhattan gathering -- changed into a black dress and went on with the party.
Your boss has stopped saying hello in the morning. One of your underlings now goes to the weekly meeting that you're no longer invited to. Everybody at the office is looking tanned, fit, and rel...
War, stock market blowouts, unemployment, terrorist alerts--there's no question that life in America has been stressful lately. Says Michael Faenza, ceo of the National Mental Health Association: "...
THE MARCH of science has produced this arresting tidbit: Though most of us are in a blah or foul mood three days out of ten, an annoying 0.5% of the population is in a good mood all the time. And j...
Imagine this. You get a note one day from the Internal Revenue Service saying the agency feels bad that it's been taxing you on money you need to pay for such basic expenses as health insurance ded...
At 12:30 one morning last November, freelance journalist Leslie Albin, 33, finished writing a newsletter on the telephone industry for her client, a Washington, D.C. trade association. After turnin...
DAVID RICHARDS, 49, and his wife Lonnette, 43, are of an age when they should be battling healthy cases of mid-life crisis. Instead, they are afflicted with an even more modern malaise: the full-ne...
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