Health News

Anxious or Depressed? Or Both?
When it rains it pours, they say. The old adage may hold more truth than expected when it comes to mental health diagnosis. Commonly, those who are diagnosed with depression are also suffering from anxiety as well. This seems to hold true for both unipolar and bipolar depressive disorders, and it presents unique challenges for both patient and clinician. Difficulties in Diagnosis Proper diagnosis of depression and anxiety disorders is difficult. For starters, patients commonly report physical symptoms, like back or chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue and loss of appeti...
Self-Starvation May Predict Suicide Attempt
People who starve themselves due to an imagined body flaw are likely to view suicide as less painful than the pain they already experience.
Self-Medicating College Students
College is a tough time of transitions and self-exploration for many students. But students feeling depressed may be self-medicating instead of seeking the help they need.
Ketamine to Treat Bipolar Depression
Ketamine is a drug commonly used in surgical anesthesia. A potential new use for this drug might be in the treatment of bipolar depression. A recent study found that an injection of ketamine improved mood within minutes for people with bipolar disorder, who were not responsive to other medications. The effects of the one-time injection lasted for up to two weeks. Ask your psychiatrist about available treatment options. In an effort to replicate previous findings, Carlos Zarate , MD, of the National Institute of Mental Health, and colleagues enrolled 15 people with either ty...
Guitarist Bob Welch Dead
Bob Welch, the guitarist who grooved with Fleetwood Mac for three years, died Thursday at age 65 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Associated Press reported.
Head Injuries, Depression & Suicide
Concussions don’t have to knock a person out cold to cause brain damage. A couple of good tackles in a contact sport can cause damage that can affect a person’s ability to process emotions and information later in life. 
Good Relationships may Decrease Suicide Risk
Suicide attempts are common for people with borderline personality disorder (BPD). New research looks into the predictors of suicide in patients with BPD with aims at designing treatments to offset the risk.
Predicting Dropout Will Help Treat BPD
One obstacle in treating patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the frequent discontinuation of therapy.  New research shows that causes for dropout are identifiable and possibly preventable.
Pro Bowl Linebacker Seau Dies
One of the most feared linebackers in the NFL died today as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.
The Effects of Bullying on the Young
It isn’t easy to deal with a bully, and young children are often the victims. These young bullies probably don’t understand the effects, but the victims of bullying are more likely to hurt themselves. According to a new study the victims of bullying are up to three times more likely to do harm to themselves by age 12. Talk to teachers and your child about bullying The study was led by Helen Fisher, PhD, of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London. “Bullying by peers is a major problem during the early school years. This study found that before 12 years of...