The link between heart disease and depression has been well-known for years but has largely remained a mystery. All we have really known is that people with heart disease are more likely to live with depression, and those living with depression are more likely to develop heart disease. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge…
ReadWhile antidepressants and similar medicines help many living with depression, a significant number of people with depression don’t respond to these medications. Now, a small new study suggests a drug originally intended to manage seizures may also be highly effective in treating depression in those who don’t get relief from antidepressants. According to the report…
ReadDiagnosing mental illnesses has always been notoriously difficult and with a high risk for misdiagnosis. After all, mental health professionals typically have to rely only on the subjective information from patients and surveys used to gauge symptoms as objectively as possible to form a diagnosis. Complicating matters further is the fact that many mental illnesses…
ReadA new study suggests the key ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms may help people with treatment-resistant depression, according to a report published in the journal Scientific Reports. In the small study, psilocybin – the psychoactive compound found in so-called “magic mushrooms” – helped improve depression symptoms nineteen of 20 depression patients for up to five weeks…
ReadThe World Health Organization (WHO) released a “wake-up call” this week, saying depression is now the leading cause of illness and disability around the world. In ten years (from 2005 to 2015) worldwide depression rates surged 18 percent, now affecting more than 300 million people globally. However, approximately half never receive the treatment they need…
ReadAn estimated 15 million American adults are affected by depression every year. While many are diagnosed with clinical depression, a number are misdiagnosed or untreated. The problem is that – like all mental illnesses – there is no objective lab test that can clearly and diagnose the condition. Complicating matters even more, not every case…
ReadDepression can be a terrible burden on a person of any age, but it can be especially difficult for teenagers already going through a tumultuous time in their life. Even worse, depression during a person’s formative years can have lasting implications for their entire life. Thankfully, a new study suggests psychological counseling can provide long-term…
ReadLast week, Grammy award winner Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi publicly announced he would be stepping out of the spotlight to enter rehab for “depression and suicidal urges.” In a candid note posted on his Facebook page, the singer and actor explained he has struggled with mental illness his entire life and “hasn’t been at peace”…
ReadFinding the right medication to treat depression can be incredibly tricky and unfortunately often boils down to trial and error. Patients can be prescribed multiple ineffective medications before ever finding the right one and occasionally the side-effects can be devastating. Approximately half of all people who experience depression do not respond to medication. Thankfully a…
ReadProbably because, along with many of you, I am remembering Prince upon his passing yesterday, the song “1999” floated through my head when I read the CDC’s latest report on suicide rates. For more reason than one, I wouldn’t mind traveling back to 1999 today. Sadly, our rates of death by suicide are up in…
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