Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Other Conditions”
Faking symptoms? Too lazy to work? No! Functional neurological symptoms, such as tremors, limb weakness or numbness, facial functional disorders and tics, gait disorders, blackouts, dizziness and many others that seem to have no physical cause, are the second most common reason for outpatient neurology consultation (after headaches). These symptoms have been described in the medical literature as the 17th …
Surviving the time changes from Standard to Daylight Savings and back again, can be a challenge, and in our practice at Gateway Psychiatric, we always see an uptick in the numbers of people reporting sleep disruption and/or hypomania during the Northern Hemisphere spring. At the beginning of Spring and Fall, in higher latitudes both North and South, the length of …
There is no such thing as an illness that is “all in your head”. Just because the current level of medical science can’t understand what’s happening in the brain-body connection doesn’t mean your symptoms don’t exist. Research is beginning to find more and more ways that “mental” illnesses are caused by “physical” stimuli, and vice versa. This insight leads to …
Here comes the end of Daylight Savings again, the signal of darker mornings and longer nights to come. Even in “sunny California” the winter months are darker and people can struggle. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a real phenomenon, and it shouldn’t be brushed off. Increased hours of darkness can lead to episodes of depression, sleeplessness, and even thoughts of suicide. …
The World Health Organization celebrates World Mental Health Awareness Day on Oct. 10 each year. MoodSurfing salutes this effort and we hope to be a small, but meaningful part of building the world’s awareness of mental health. Over the past few years, we have lifted up the names of people from many walks of life who are dedicating themselves to …
Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, has called for a massive, nationwide campaign to reduce the harm related to firearm violence that is spreading throughout our society. “The collective trauma and fear that Americans are experiencing is contributing to the mental health challenges that we are facing today. Nearly 6 in 10 U.S. adults say they worry about a loved …
Strong, stable personal relationships are of great importance to people struggling with moods. Take a minute to reflect on your own experience in this area. Do the people you have important, intimate relationships with help or hinder your mood stability? Two recent conversations with patients helped us drive this point home. On the same day we met with two men …
Fish oil supplementation for major depression continues to garner positive reviews from scientists and clinicians. A recent review of the past few years of data shows significant positive effects without negative side effects for a variety of patients with differing diagnoses. Some recent findings: Systemic inflammation is increasingly recognized as an associated factor in many mental illnesses. MoodSurfing has investigated …
We use the image of “surfing” your moods to describe the experience of bipolar’s ups and downs, but we don’t mean this to imply that the mood waves of bipolar are chaotic and completely unpredictable. On the contrary, people who keep a careful log of their moods over time find clear patterns to their ups and downs. However, these patterns …
Suicide continues to be a leading cause of death for Americans, especially younger people, where homicide and accidents lag far behind suicide in fatality rates. Budgets for suicide research and suicide prevention are woefully small, and stigma is still a barrier to seeking help, both for suicidal people and for their family members and supporters. However, amidst all the bad …
Loneliness is implicated in shortened lifespans, worsened physical and mental health, addiction, economic disruption and homelessness, among others. Its spread constitutes a true public health crisis in the USA, and intervention is urgently called for. However, at present, only individual efforts are offered as a solution. Reach out. Make sure your elderly relatives are getting a phone call regularly. Join …
Addiction is a potent topic for debate in our debate-happy society, but, as with so many of those topics, the debates usually generate more heat than light. That’s why we are glad that the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have put out this handy, easy to read guide about addiction, separating fact from myth. Addiction is an …
Who Matters? Do you? Mattering is an important component of well-being Struggling with depression, Isaac slept late every morning, just dashing out in time to be “only a little” late to work each day. His apartment never got cleaned, and meals were a hit-and-miss combination of takeout and supermarket junk food. Then his mom went on vacation and brought her …
Why are some illnesses and conditions stigmatized while others are not? Writing in the New York Times, Dr. Aaron Carroll, chief health officer of Indiana University, suggests that stigma arises when we don’t understand the causes of a condition. Mental disorders like bipolar and supposedly “lifestyle” problems like obesity and alcoholism may appear to be more under the control of …
Tending to relationships is as important as watching cholesterol An 80-year-old longitudinal study of men, originally Harvard undergrads in the late 1930’s, looks at the determinants of good health, and has some surprising findings. Men who, in their 50’s felt “satisfaction” with their relationships with family, friends, and community had better overall health in the subsequent decades of life. Blood …
A new campaign launched by the American Psychiatric Association Foundation aims to change the conversation around mental wellness and illness from anti-stigma to prioritizing mental health in the same way we have prioritized physical health. APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D. said: “we all know there is no health without mental health. [This campaign is about] saying to …
Self-care is critical for a healthy life. Because we can’t meet others’ needs if our own go unheeded. Because to lead by example for our families, for our workplaces, for our communities, we have to show what a healthy life looks like. Because self-care is not a reward, it’s the basic fuel that keeps the whole show running. But how …
We want to highlight the work, and especially the website of Cara T Hoepner MS, RN, CS, PMHNP-BC, a Bay Area colleague of ours who has spent years investigating whole-body treatments for traditional and integrative psychiatry. Recently, we reached out to her for consultation with a particular patient, and found out that she has a huge amount to offer all …
Are you breathing wrong? Breathing is about the most basic thing we do as living beings, and it’s hard to imagine there being a right and wrong way to do it, but experts say that constant high stress stimulates rapid, shallow breathing, which raises the heart rate, suppresses digestion, and heightens the brain’s tendency to detect danger, whether real or …
Perfectionism is defined as refusing to accept anything except flawlessness. At first glance, this may seem like an admirable trait that will lead to, if not perfection, at least much higher quality in everything we do. However, perfectionism doesn’t work that way, it makes sufferers fearful of attempting anything that may turn out to have flaws. Human life being what …
