That old standby about tucking into a pint of ice cream to get over a breakup? Counterproductive, according to a large new study that finds a link between eating trans fats and an increased risk of depression.
Depression
Study: Screening Before Deployment Protects Soldiers’ Mental Health
Screening troops for mental health problems before they deploy helps protect them from developing psychiatric or behavioral problems in the field and from requiring clinical care for combat stress, according to findings from an …
Treating Depression: How Bright Light Can Help
You have probably heard about seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a depressive condition that some people feel when it turns gray outside for extended periods. A treatment called bright light therapy, which is pretty much what it …
A Gene to Explain Depression
As powerful as genes are in exposing clues to diseases, not even the most passionate geneticist believes that complex conditions such as depression can be reduced to a tell-tale string of DNA.
How to Win Friends: Have a Big Amygdala?
Got a big social network? Then you probably have a large amygdala, according to a new study that found a connection between the size of this brain region and the number of social relationships a person has.
The Protective Effect of Family Acceptance for Gay Teens
While the acceptance of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens continues to grow — albeit gradually — study after study consistently shows that many of these adolescents still experience considerable rejection from the very source …
Retirement May Make You Happier, Depending on Where You Retire
Most people look forward to retirement as a time when they can finally clock out, control their own schedules, and take up activities that they never had the time or energy to pursue before. But some recent studies on people in …
Study: The Link Between Diabetes and Depression Goes Both Ways
Two common conditions — depression and diabetes — frequently appear together, and a new study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health suggests that each illness may be both a consequence and a contributor to the other.
How Marathon Runners Can Avoid the Post-Race Blues
Some 43,000 runners will hit the streets Sunday, Nov. 7, for the annual ING New York City marathon. By Monday, those runners will be in recovery, not just physically but emotionally as well — it’s only natural to feel a sense …
Depression Returns in Half of Treated Teens
Adolescence can be a difficult time, so it’s no wonder that an estimated 5% of US teens are affected by depression. And to make a difficult situation even worse, researchers now report that as many as half of even properly …
How to Raise a Happy Child
Little minds can be very complicated minds. The mere fact that you’re young — even extremely young — does not mean that you don’t experience a world of complex feelings and thoughts. That’s one reason so many U.S. kids — …
Are Unrealistic Life Expectations to Blame for Baby Boomer Suicides?
Recent news has focused attention on suicides in teenagers and children, and while early deaths in this group can be harrowing, the overall rates of suicide in young people are not especially high. Rather, it is the elderly who …
Survey: 9% of Americans Are Depressed
Nearly 1 in 10 Americans suffers from clinical depression and 3% have major depression, according to a 2006-2008 survey of 235,000 adults from 45 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. The survey, …