Bright Light Therapy in Major Depression and Anxiety

Bright light therapy has been in use for some years for insomnia and seasonal affective disorder, and results in those areas are very promising. Until recently, however, there has not been much data available about the use of bright light therapy for major depression. A recent study, though small, was reported in a presentation at the American Psychological Association’s 2021 …

Inflammation and Depression

Inflammation in the body may be associated with depression, but until recently, the evidence was confusing.  Now, a study has looked at symptoms of depression separately, and has found that certain symptoms associated with depression are also correlated with systemic inflammation. Common symptoms of depression that are classified as physical: “changes in appetite”, “felt everything was an effort”, “loss of …

Dating and Depression: Yes or No?

People without a partner are often anxious about getting “hooked up” ASAP before the biological clock runs out (this attitude affects men and women both).  But people living with depression often find the dating pool to be a taxing and often futile place to be.  How do you handle feeling pulled in two directions at once?  On the one hand, …

Spring Mania

Seasonal Mood Changes Spring is coming, a season that some call “mania season”.  Even those without mood disorders often feel a rush of energy and hopefulness as the days finally start to get longer, and the temperatures go up.  Many of our bipolar patients find that their mood swings follow a predictable pattern: for the majority, “up” in the spring …

Deaths of Despair

Deaths of despair increasing, but only in the USA Mortality rates are rising in the United States, especially among poor, rural populations, and specifically among whites.  Life expectancy in other groups continues its historic rise, and this rising pattern is also found in 16 other countries with comparable economic levels.  This phenomenon has been dubbed “deaths of despair” because the …

Exercise Reduces Anxiety

Aerobic exercise has long been recognized as an important adjunct to prevention and management of mental illness, especially mood disorders, depression and anxiety.  A new study from Sweden looks at almost 200,000 people who participated in cross-country ski racing there, and found that participants (whom researchers considered a “proxy” for physically active people generally) show a much reduced incidence of …

Mood Swings and the Holidays

Holiday stress is a reality of life for many people, but for those struggling to manage chronic illnesses like bipolar, the holidays can be a real trial.  Each year, MoodSurfing encourages readers to spend some time before the holidays reflecting on how they want to face up to, and hopefully get some fun out of, the winter holidays.  Here are …

Winterize Your Brain

As days get shorter and nights get longer in the northern hemisphere, seasonal affective disorder starts once again to rear its ugly head.  Feeling sad or depressed during times when the outside world is literally darker is a not uncommon experience.  According to research, the experience of laziness, avoidance, and even despair in the winter season may affect up to …

Suicide: The Enigma

Suicide remains a sad mystery in many ways.  Those left behind can never really know what was in their loved one’s mind at the last.  We blame ourselves, and we deal with all the guilt, anger and grief that the act leaves behind, but we can never completely understand what leads someone to take their own life. Willa Goodfellow, in …

Bipolar Disorder in Teens

Bipolar disorder usually begins during adolescence or early adulthood, but it takes on average 10 years between the onset of symptoms and correct diagnosis and treatment.  A recent article in the New York Times looks more deeply into the issues and controversies surrounding early diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder. Dr. Boris Birmaher, professor of psychiatry at the University of …

Social Media and Mental Health

What are the connections between social media use and depression?  Between social media and anxiety?  Does social media cause depression, or do depressed people turn to social media more, or is there some third factor that accounts for any association or correlation? New research keeps coming out, and it’s kind of a jungle trying to follow it all.  Screen time …

Link Between Screen Time and Depression

Link between screen time and depression?  It’s complicated A new longitudinal study looking at video gaming and social media use at age 11 compared with the same subjects’ responses to a questionnaire about depressive symptoms three years later at age 14 has come up with some complex data. Boys who played video games daily reported fewer depressive symptoms three years …

Loneliness – A Little Attention Makes a Big Difference

Empathetic listening reduces loneliness Loneliness can be a serious problem, and is a risk factor for several illnesses.  Loneliness is implicated in higher rates of depression and anxiety, and with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, reduced human contact has raised red flags as a potential source of health concerns.  Especially among poorer and more vulnerable populations, loneliness is emerging …

Seasonal Affective Disorder and Winter Mindset

What’s your seasonal mindset? Does Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) increase as latitude increases up into the far polar regions where winter nights are longest?  A recent study from Norway found the opposite: people who live at higher latitudes have stronger coping skills and there is less change in subjective well-being over the course of a year. Kari Leibowitz, a researcher …

Alexi Pappas

How do you recognize the symptoms of depression?  Isn’t that something everyone should know?  We’ve all learned how to recognize the symptoms of Covid 19, right?  And other diseases have organizations that do public education about them, like cancer, heart disease, etc. Alexi Pappas, writing in the New York Times, says that everyone should be taught to recognize the symptoms …

Seasonal Affective Disorder – Pandemic

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is more than just the “blues”.  Affecting up to 5% of adults in the United States, it can last as much as 40 percent of the year.  SAD can cause significant impairment of normal daily activity, and can lead to deeper complications if left unaddressed. For many of us, 2020 has been a year of “affective …