There’s a saying, “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all.” There is merit to this statement and can work well in casual relationships. But with people who are close to you, if you often have little to say about their accomplishments, you can fall short of being a supportive […]
What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
Body Dysmorhpic Disorder is a condition whereby a person is preoccupied with a physical defect that either doesn’t exist or exists in a very minor form but is exaggerated by the individual. Common flaws are usually those of the face or head such as complexion flaws, thinning hair, blemishes, scars etc. It may also take […]
Even Diet Soda Linked with Metabolic Syndrome
Dr. Ravi Dhingra and colleagues out of Harvard recently analyzed data from the Framingham Heart Study and found that people who drank at least one 12 ounce soda each day had a 44% increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome. The soda could be regular or diet and caffeinated or decaf. This suggests that it’s not […]
What is a Prodrome?
In psychiatry, a prodrome refers to the period of time a person may exibit psychiatric symptoms that may not be serious enough to generate medical attention, but significant enough to cause problems in the person’s functioning. This period precedes the development of the full blown psychiatric disorder. One example of how this may manifest is […]
Childhood Depression Makes Adulthood Worse
An article published in the October issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry (164:1539-1546) concluded that the earlier in life a person develops major depression, the more likely they are to have long term social and occupational problems. The authors studied a group of 4 thousand people ages 18-75 with major depression from both primary […]
Caretakers More Likely to be Depressed
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published a report on the incidence of depression in adults by occupation. They found the 2 occupational categories with the highest incidence of depression were personal care services and food preparation. They also found that that 7 percent of all full-time workers experienced an episode of depression […]