Hypothyroidism elicits many similar symptoms to other mental health disorders. Dr. Kristi Estabrook, MD, explains where the symptoms overlap and how unfortunately those experiencing Hypothyroidism are misdiagnosed. First, what exactly is hypothyroidism? Hypothyroidism is a thyroid hormone deficiency and there are two types: Primary and Secondary. In Primary, the thyroid gland does not respond to thyroid stimulating hormone correctly. Causes …
My Brain is Trying to Kill Me
Sometimes brains do terrible things. One of the worst of those things is the suicidal preoccupation that can, eventually, lead to suicide itself. Over the years I have done a lot of thinking about suicide and suicidal preoccupation. One aspect of thoughts of suicide is the data about what happens when someone tries to kill him or herself and is …
Drunkorexia
There is a new kind of eating disorder that has been recently plaguing many college students. This disorder is referred to as Drunkorexia. Drunkorexia is a mix of starving yourself and binge drinking. People engage in Drunkorexia in order to make up for the calories from alcohol by not eating regular food. The demographic that most commonly falls victim to Drunkorexia are college females. These …
Later Retirement and Alzheimer’s Prevention
A study conducted by Carole Dufouil, a scientist at the French governmental agency INSERM reveals that if individuals stay in the workforce longer, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s is greatly reduced. In the study, 500,000 people in France were used as participants. The information gathered from these individuals included age of retirement and whether or not they had dementia. The results …
Moodsurfing Site Update: NEW Topics Page
The Moodsurfing website is extremely excited about some new developments. This new development is the addition of a new Topics page. The new Topics page is a place for organizing some of the content on this site around topics that are of particular interest and relevance to people who are trying to live creatively with moods. The pages will roughly …
Depressed Mothers and Oxytocin
Oxytocin is often brought up in conversations about childbirth. After childbirth, new mothers normally experience surges of oxytocin that increase feelings of maternal bonding, trust, and empathy. In addition to facilitating pair bonding, recent studies have shown oxytocin plays a greater role in mental health than originally thought. Low levels of oxytocin may be a phenomenon linked to depression. Maternal …
Leaving War Behind
I spent many sessions working with a successful entrepreneur to try to help him cope better with stress and depression. His problems seem to be neatly encapsulated in Joseph Campbell’s notion of the Hero. Like all of the heroes in the past, he set out as a young man to make fame and fortune and to change the world for …
Treatment for Insomnia when Bipolar
Many people with bipolar disorder also experience symptoms of insomnia and sleep disturbance. Researchers have been investigating treatments for this condition that do not involve medications. After numerous clinical trials, there has been significant success with CBT-I treatment. CBT-I is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and it involves sleep restriction and stimulus control. The purpose of the first treatment is …
Schizophrenia linked to UTIs
Many individuals facing schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders are given antibiotics from their doctors. Dr. Brian Miller noticed that more and more female patients were coming in with comorbid UTIs and schizophrenia. Many of these patients experienced improved psychoses after taking medication for the infection rather than the mental disorder. Dr. Miller was struck by the observation that the infection …
Brain Power
Problems with memory are common for people with depression (and the rest of us, as we age, as well). Although the most important thing to do to improve brain function is to address mood extremes, there are often residual problems, and sometimes there are negative brain effects from the medications that help stabilize mood. A wonderful older man who came …
Amygdala Differences in Depressed Individuals
The best way to tackle an illness is to start treatment as early as possible. In the case of depression, recent studies has revealed that there may be a way to identify depression symptoms in children. An fMRI study was conducted on a group of preschool students to see if there were any differences in the brains of depressed and …
Yoga Nidra as a Strategy to Cope with Insomnia
Many adults struggle with insomnia several nights a week. To maximize good health, it is important to get at least 7-9 hours of sleep a night. More sleep can help decrease the risk of getting heart disease, stroke, or breast cancer. Insomnia can be extremely frustrating to deal with, for it can be exhausting to try all the recommended sleep …
Stress Free and Happy
It can be extremely difficult to lead a balanced lifestyle. When we are driven to reach a goal, it is easy to become stressed and obsessed with reaching a particular outcome. At what point does all the stress start to have a negative impact on our personal happiness? It is great to have ambitions and to work hard to reach …
Confidence
The difference between someone who has confidence versus someone who does not, is remarkable. Confidence has the power to completely transform a person’s life. The question is, if you don’t have it already, how do you get it? Listed below are some strategies to help you believe in yourself, increase your self worth, and realize that you are worthy of …
Mental Health Coverage Lawsuit
Meiram Bendat, a marriage and family therapist licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and a licensed attorney by the State Bar of California, has been making great strides towards helping people get insurance companies to cover treatment costs. In the past, his business Psych Appeal has aided both health care providers and patients in obtaining insurance reimbursement for medical …
The Loving Brain
Get ready, because the month of July has an exciting event coming up! Rick Hanson, Ph.D. is hosting a free interview series called the Loving Brain starting July 15. For the 8 following Mondays, experts will be giving talks on how to develop positive relationships with others and establish a healthy self image. If you happen to miss a speaker …
Autism Spectrum Disorder: An inside look to CATs
Recently there has been discussion about alternative treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder. The acronym CAT is used to describe these complimentary and alternative treatments. CAT is a great approach to treatment for individuals that are concerned with potential negative effects of taking medication. Some examples of CATs include melatonin, RDA/RDi multivitamin/mineral, massage therapy, acupuncture, exercise, music therapy, and animal-assisted therapy. …
Runner’s High
A great way to gain both physical and mental strength is to make running a part of your workout. A lifestyle that includes running promotes well being and reaps both cognitive and mental benefits. When running, the body releases endogenous opioids, like endorphins, that relieve stress. The feeling some people call a runner’s high is due to the activation of …
When Your Mirror Lies
When an individual spends massive amounts of time obsessing about minor defects or even normal elements of their appearance that it begins to impair daily life, then they are said to be plagued by Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Eve Fisher tells her personal story about BDD recovery. When Eve was 16 she began looking in the mirror for long periods of …
SHUTi: Work towards a better night’s sleep
Having trouble sleeping? We think the website SHUTi may be helpful to you. Sleep is a crucial component for the happiness and well being of an individual. An appropriate amount of sleep can lower anxiety levels, help prevent overeating, and improve memory. On the moodsurfing website, we recommend SHUTi as a resource to individuals struggling with insomnia. SHUTi provides an …