Supreme Court decides against Forced Medication
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that courts should consider “alternative, less intrusive means” before forcibly medicating mentally ill criminal defendants. Non-drug alternatives should be considered before drugs are ordered.

The court also suggested that the issue of "dangerousness to self or others " should be considered when courts look at involuntary medications. More information on this Supreme Court ruling and the anticipated effects is available in this APA press release
12:13 PM  #

Stress Management and Serenity
Many are familiar with the words of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, but few are aware that he wrote them. The “serenity prayer” is taught in AA meetings and other 12-step groups as a model for living life one day at a time. We can all learn from it. Read more about Stress Management and Serenity
08:23 AM  #

Should you buy Medications Online?
If your inbox is like mine you get lots of ads for mail-order prescription medications for weight loss and erectile dysfunction. Should you purchase from these sources? While some Online pharmacies are legitimate, these usually require a faxed copy of the actual prescription from your doctor. Pharmacies that don't require a prescription aren't legal in the U.S., and medications from overseas may not make it to your house because of new Homeland Security regulations and other customs issues.

Cathleen Henning has more information on the issues involved at her Panic and Anxiety site. Follow her advice to use Internet pharmacies safely.
07:57 AM  #

Should you take SAMe for Depression?
Check with your physician, especially if you are taking a prescription antidepressant. It does appear that S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine (SAMe) can treat depression in some people. In the U.S. SAMe is available in health food stores. More information on the research on SAMe is here
08:58 AM  #

'Atypical' Antipsychotics may not have fewer Side-Effects
Antipsychotic medications have revolutionized the treatment of schizophrenia and severe bipolar disorder. The early medications worked well at calming some symptoms, but severe symptoms like Tardive Dyskinesia could cause irreversible damage. Newer medications may be less likely to cause this severe side effect, but a recent study published in The Lancet questions whether these 'atypical antipsychotics' cause fewer overall side-effects. Read about the study
08:30 AM  #

Shy Brains
We're learning more about the brain every day. A new study at Harvard Medical School used functional MRIs to document how the amygdala responds to new faces. Shy children have an extra-strong reaction in the amygdala when shown a face they've never seen before. Even adults who have seemingly overcome their innate shyness show this brain response.

Does this mean that shyness is genetic?Not necessarily, but the study does suggest that there may be a genetic predisposition to shyness. Life experiences also affect personality characteristics such as shyness. More information is on the recent study is in this Reuters summary and this Scientific American article.
08:37 AM  #

Antidepressant "dry mouth" may cause dental problems
Earlier this year a study in the Journal of The American Dental Association found that the dry mouth associated with antidepressants may cause dental problems. In an ADA press release it was reported that patients with anditepressant dry mouth "might be at increased risk for xerostomia or dry mouth, according to the researchers. If left untreated, xerostomia could lead to rampant tooth decay, periodontal disease (gum disease), bad breath, oral yeast infection and other oral health problems." Find out more here.
09:21 PM  #

Which mental disorders result from war and conflict?
The disorder now labeled "post-traumatic stress disorder" is relatively new. Other terms such as "shell shock" and "combat fatigue" have been used in the past to describe the effects of war and conflict on mental health. Researchers in The Netherlands have published a new study that sheds light on the variety of mental health problems that can result from war and conflict. The researchers assessed over 3000 people from "postconflict communities" in Algeria, Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Palestine. As expected, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorder were the two most frequently reported diagnoses in people from all areas. Some interesting differences emerged, however.

People exposed to violence - except those in Cambodia - were most commonly diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Those not exposed to violence associated with armed conflict - except for those in Ethiopia - were more commonly diagnosed with anxiety disorder. Ethiopia had the lowest rates of mental disorders while Algeria had the highest. More information is available in this press release from The Lancet.
09:36 AM  #

British patients report memory loss from ECT
A new study finds that at least one third of patients report persistent memory loss after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The Royal College of Psychiatrists had claimed that over 80% of patients are satisfied with treatment and that memory loss is "not clinically important." The new study reviews data from 35 previous studies. Read more about it in this release from the British Medical Journal.
08:00 AM  #

Rainy Weather may be Prolonging Depressions
It's been cool and rainy all spring in the eastern United States. Some experts are blaming this weather for depressions lasting longer than usual. We know that seasonal depression is related to day length and light levels. Bright sunny spring days seem bring people out of these depressions - but such days have been in short supply this spring. Read more in this AP article at MSN.com.
09:58 PM  #

An interesting user contribution
I received a contribution from a reader recently that I published in the 'Your Turn' section. Fred Tombor writes about ways that he files away his experiences and the importance of gratitude. Take a look and consider submitting your own contribution here.
08:04 PM  #

Memories of the 'Good Old Days'
Most of us remember happy times in the past more clearly than unhappy times. A new study supports this, finding that memory is biased toward happiness for most of us. This does not seem to be true for depressed persons, however. May persons with depression seem to do the opposite. Their memories seem to be biased toward unhappiness. You can read more about this research in this press release written by the American Psychological Association.
08:50 PM  #

The Hulk and Anger Management
The (Incredible) Hulk has made anger a popular topic. I haven't seen it (but I did see the old television show from time-to-time). The movie trailers suggest that anger is an emotion that we are sometimes compelled to act on. This is almost never true. We choose whether or not to act on anger; and we even choose how to act if we do act. More on anger management is in this article.
09:04 PM  #