Category Archives: News & updates

“To be nobody-but-yourself—in a world which is doing its best, night and day to make you everybody else,” wrote American poet E. E. Cummings, “means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” … Continue reading →

“My favorite escapes from depression are meds and writing,” says Diana Spechler in a New York Times opinion piece. “But I can’t do both at once.” Friends have been forwarding to me her columns in the Going Off series, which chronicles … Continue reading →

When I was six months pregnant, I attended a birthing preparation class with my husband and about 12 other expectant parents. During the fifth session, the instructor asked the mothers whether or not they were going to use medication to … Continue reading →

Consider these statistics: Nearly 50 percent of asthma patients have symptoms of depression. At least 40 percent of people with Parkinson’s disease experience depression, and anxiety is often reported. 45 percent to 65 percent of people who have had a … Continue reading →

A review in the journal “Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience” awhile back highlighted certain medications that can cause depression. The following medications should be used cautiously in people with current or prior depression, or those who are otherwise at high risk … Continue reading →

Ten years ago, when I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I was working with a psychiatrist who wanted me to alert him at the first hint of a creative thought. Whether it was an article idea or, God forbid, … Continue reading →

Study suggests popular apnea treatment could help ease symptoms of mood disorder. People with sleep apnea are at increased risk for depression, but continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for their apnea may ease their depression, a new study suggests. … Continue reading →

According to the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D)study, an unbiased investigation funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, at standard doses of the most commonly used class of antidepressants (SSRIs), only 30 percent of people with severe … Continue reading →

“Live to the point of tears,” said Camus. That’s not so hard if you have treatment-resistant depression or any kind of chronic mood disorder. You learn to take Kleenex with you wherever you go. In the middle of a depressive … Continue reading →

We are all born with genes that predispose us to all kinds of things — in my case, most of the psychiatric illnesses listed in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition). And while we have some control … Continue reading →