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Few questions are asked as often: How do I find a therapist? And few questions are more crucial. Getting help in a timely manner is absolutely essential not just to relieve…

Definition

A persistent, irrational fear of an object, activity or situation that compels a person to avoid it, and causes distress and function impairment.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Phobias produce anxiety and often panic…

Violence has become one of the leading causes of death among American children.

The availability of guns makes youth violence even more lethal. Students carry an estimated 270,000 guns to school…

Depression is often considered complex problem, but many so called experts overlook and ignore the nutritional aspects of depression. One wonders why, because it is well known that the precursors to…

If you have depression and associated symptoms of anxiety, you are not alone. Each year, nearly 10 million American adults suffer from depression. You may be experiencing the following:

 
• Not…

Depression affects the way a person feels about himself, how he eats and sleeps, and how he thinks about things. Most people suffering from depression have overwhelming feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and helpessness. Suicide…

Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl) is a prescription medication used to treat depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder, allowing you to get back to your life again.

Years ago, college counseling centers were pleasant little side channels of the mental health system, helping students cope with roommate conflict and adjustment to college. No more.

Today they are the newest front…

WHAT IS A DEPRESSIVE DISORDER?

A depressive disorder is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way…

Suppressing “Depressive” and “Manic-Depressive”

Overwhelm with Antidepressants - Prozac

  Many patients and their families regard lithium as a wonder drug and have great expectations for its curative value. .…

When diagnosing depression, generalized anxiety disorder, or social anxiety disorder, your doctor may:

 
• Perform a complete physical examination  
• Run some tests to see if you have other underlying…

In this issue of The Journal the subject of affective or mood disorders is presented from an array of perspectives-those of patient, family member, clinician and researcher. The most severe of affective disorders,…

Evidence is mounting that manic depressive illness, a major public health problem affecting one percent of the population, stems from multiple genes. Scientists have pinpointed new…

Winston Churchill called it his “black dog.” Mystics called it the “dark night of the soul.” By whatever name, depression has been a scourge for mankind since at least the time…

Introduction and Conclusions

Mood disorders, also called affective illnesses, are common and serious conditions. It is estimated that at any given time 3 to 4 percent of the nation’s population will…

Everyone gets the blues now and then. It’s part of life. But when there is little joy or pleasure after visiting with friends or after seeing a good movie, there may…

Q. What are the implications for medication management of weight loss surgery for morbidly obese patients with depression?

A. Obesity increases the risk of depression by over 40%…

The precise cause of depression is not known, but evidence points to several factors, including:

 
• Heredity  
• Biochemical makeup  
• Psychological makeup  
• Stressful life events  
• …

Depression is hell. I know. I’ve been there. Depression may hide behind decreased activity, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, weight loss, constipation, decreased enjoyment, and lack of interest. Some people call it “normal…

About 20% of mental health outpatient visits are made for depression. The course of depressions with and without treatment is hard to predict. Prognosis (forecasting the course of disease) is one of…

Treating Depression

The good news about depression is its treatability. A large and rapidly growing number of antidepressant medications are effective against depression. When drugs don’t work their antidepressant potency can…

Depression is a biochemical unbalance of the brain. It may come on suddenly. It runs in some families. It tends to be recurrent (40 percent). Depression can ruin a person’s life.

Depression is essentially…

Mice exposed to stress and ultraviolet radiation develop skin cancer significantly faster than do animals exposed to radiation only, researchers have found. They suggest this may be relevant to people at high…

Women who are distraught after breaking up with a romantic partner show brain changes that are not seen in women less upset by a romantic rift, researchers report.

Specifically, women…