Mayo Clinic Q and A: Seasonal affective disorder ? prevention and treatment
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Is seasonal affective disorder considered depression? If so, should I be treated for it year-round even though it comes and goes? ANSWER: Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a form of depression. Year-round treatment with medication for SAD may be recommended in some cases. But research has shown that, for many people [...] (Source: News from Mayo Clinic)
Source: News from Mayo Clinic - October 24, 2016 Category: Databases & Libraries Source Type: news
Yes, The Change In Seasons Really Does Affect Your Mood
The leaves are starting to change, the days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping and the pumpkin spice euphoria of early September is starting to wear off.
If you find yourself feeling a little less cheerful than you were during spring’s transformation into summer, rest assured it’s not your imagination: There is a science-backed reason you’re more likely to feel down in the cooler months.
“It’s real,” Kathryn A. Roecklein, an associate professor in the department of psychology at University of Pittsburgh, told The Huffington Post.
The changes don’t necessa...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - October 6, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news
Treating seasonal affective disorder with cognitive behavioural therapy is comparable to light therapy
The overall lifetime prevalence of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) ranges as high as 9.7%.1 Light therapy, where bright artificial light is used to replace diminished sunlight, can be an effective non-drug treatment for SAD.2 However, alternative non-drug treatment approaches are also needed. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an established and effective treatment for depressive disorders.3 Limited research examining CBT adapted specifically for SAD (CBT-SAD) is available.
This paper reports initial findings from a large 5-year randomised clinical trial funded by the National I...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - October 3, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
6 Benefits To Going Outside In The Fall And Winter
Even though it's getting colder, there's no reason to become a couch potato. Over the years a rich body of scientific research into the benefits of being outside has shown time and again that the more often we get out of the house, the happier and healthier we become. Here are six reasons why you should put on your favorite flannel or jacket and head outside, rain, snow or shine.
Fight Seasonal Depression
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a biological condition in which your body produces depression-like symptoms as a result of decreased exposure to sunlight and low levels of vitamin D. While you can't sunbathe in 60...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - September 30, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Book Review: Listening, Learning, Caring & Counselling
Australian mental-health expert Dr. Cate Howell, the author of Listening, Learning, Caring & Counselling: The Essential Manual for Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Counsellors and Other Healthcare Professionals on Caring for Their Clients, has over thirty years’ experience in the healthcare field and began in occupational therapy. Her specialty is mental health and she is trained in clinical hypnosis, couple therapy, cognitive therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and interpersonal therapy. She wrote this book not as a skills training resource, but as a guide to her way of counseling which she calls, “l...
Source: Psych Central - September 24, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Stan Rockwell, PsyD Tags: Book Reviews Career Cognitive-Behavioral Disorders General Health Insurance Mindfulness Professional Psychiatry Psychological Assessment Psychology Psychotherapy Students Treatment Anxiety Disorder books for mental health pro Source Type: news
Light Therapy May Boost Low Libido in Men Light Therapy May Boost Low Libido in Men
Light therapy similar to that used to treat seasonal affective disorder may increase sexual desire in men with a low libido via an increase in testosterone levels, an Italian study suggests.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Psychiatry Headlines)
Source: Medscape Psychiatry Headlines - September 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Psychiatry News Source Type: news
Blue and white light for seasonal affective disorder
Perhaps it’s the northern climate. Perhaps it’s that people at my office work a lot in the absence of office windows. But there are a lot of seasonal affective disorder lamps around me.
The one in... (Source: Family Practice News)
Source: Family Practice News - August 16, 2016 Category: Primary Care Source Type: news
Depression & Vitamin D Deficiency
This study examined 10 randomized trials (nine were randomized placebo-controlled trials [RCTs]; one was a randomized blinded comparison trial) and 20 observational (cross-sectional and prospective) studies (Okereke & Singh, 2016). What did the researchers find?
In 13 of the observational studies, they found a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and mood (e.g., depression). But in the placebo-controlled, randomized trials — the gold standard of drug and supplemental research — they found something very different.
“Results from all but one of the RCTs showed no statistically significant differen...
Source: Psych Central - July 9, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: Depression Disorders General Psychology Treatment Depression Causes help with depression Mood Disorder Seasonal Affective Disorder Vitamin D vitamin d and depression vitamin d and mood vitamin d deficiency Source Type: news
Depression & Vitamin D Deficiency
This study examined 10 randomized trials (nine were randomized placebo-controlled trials [RCTs]; one was a randomized blinded comparison trial) and 20 observational (cross-sectional and prospective) studies (Okereke & Singh, 2016). What did the researchers find?
In 13 of the observational studies, they found a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and mood (e.g., depression). But in the placebo-controlled, randomized trials — the gold standard of drug and supplemental research — they found something very different.
“Results from all but one of the RCTs showed no statistically significant differen...
Source: Psych Central - July 9, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: Depression Disorders General Psychology Treatment Depression Causes help with depression Mood Disorder Seasonal Affective Disorder Vitamin D vitamin d and depression vitamin d and mood vitamin d deficiency Source Type: news
To Sleep, Perchance, to Dream - A Mental Health Moonshot
Dreams and Depression
Depression is a major problem we face that is increasing in severity with each year. Here are three interesting facts you may not have known about depression and sleep.
1. People who suffer depression show altered REM sleep architecture compared to those who are not depressed.
2. A common side-effect of anti-depressants is that they suppress REM sleep.
3. REM sleep deprivation has shown to be beneficial in treating depression symptoms.
What is REM sleep?
REM sleep is when we dream. It is also known as 'Paradoxical Sleep', because our brain looks like it is awake according to its electrical activit...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - June 8, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news
How To Become A Morning Person
Time to finally wake up and get that proverbial worm.
For SELF, by Amy Marturana.
Photo: Tara Moore / Getty
We all have that friend that somehow jumps out of bed at the first chime of her alarm, and gets started with her packed day with a perky attitude. If she does it without a drip of coffee, it's even more maddening.
For the rest of us, productivity before noon feels like an impossible goal, and the snooze button is at once our arch nemesis and savior. We dream of what life would be like if we could actually get stuff done before heading into the office--imagine how many more happy hours you could make it to if you ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - May 6, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Book Review: Nutritional Essentials for Mental Health
As the old phrase goes, “you are what you eat.” Following a recovery from autoimmune disease, thyroid disorder, and several other health issues, I learned the hard way that what you put into your body has a direct impact on each and every cell. In the comprehensive work, Nutritional Essentials for Mental Health: A Complete Guide to the Food-Mood Connection, Leslie Korn, PhD, explains not only why the food we eat has the specific impact it does, but also how to address a client’s specific mental health challenges through prescriptive diet and nutrition.
For the student or professional clinician, Nutritional Essentials...
Source: Psych Central - April 14, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Bethany Duarte Tags: Book Reviews Diet & Nutrition Disorders General Healthy Living Herbs & Supplements Professional Psychiatry Psychology Self-Help Students Treatment Autoimmune Disease books on nutrition books on nutrition and mental health eat Source Type: news
No evidence for seasonal affective disorder, says researcher
A long dark winter can be mentally and physically exhausting, but a recent study published in the journal of Clinical Psychological Science challenges the idea that it's making people depressed. (Source: CBC | Health)
Source: CBC | Health - April 3, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: News/Canada/North Source Type: news
7 Ways Spring Affects Your Mood
As Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest." Aside from being a master of words, Hemingway also has the benefit of being right about the season's effect: Spring fever is probably real. If you've noticed a little extra something in your step because of the weather, it's no coincidence. Warmer days have a direct influence on your mood and behavior. Below are just some of the ways toasty temperatures affect your attitude: 1. Being outdoors in the sun is linked with a mood boost... The gold standard on this subject is a 2004 Univ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - April 1, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news
7 Game-Changing Things We've Learned About Sleep This Past Year
Sleep is one of the most essential elements of life.
Every single human has experienced it, but when it comes to sleep, there is still so much we don't know. Why, for example, do we dream? And why can some people fall asleep within seconds, while others have to count sheep for an hour before getting some rest?
As research on shut-eye continues to expand, two things remain clear: Sleep is really good for you and sleep deprivation is really bad for you. But there have been some other interesting small findings along the way as well.
In honor of World Sleep Day March 18, we rounded up a few of the maj...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - March 18, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news
