Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Health”
Who does the most for suicide prevention? Arguably, the folks who suffer from suicidal thoughtsand ideation. They are the ones in the suicide prevention trenches every day. People who feel suicidal or who have attempted suicide tell us that the foremost motivation is tostop the pain. Sometimes it comes from constantly circling thoughts (rumination); sometimes itcomes from the feeling of …
Fish oil supplementation sometimes seems to be recommended for everything, but does it really work? MoodSurfing follows the science so you don’t have to. First the main conclusion: a healthy diet is important. Everyone is recommended to eat fish at least twice a week, especially ocean fish: salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines. Canned or fresh, these fish provide the type …
Recently a patient, call him Dave, commented that he’s struggling more with depression now than before because of a hamstring injury that limits his ability to run or jog. He had been enjoying his morning run, and felt a real connection between exercise and his generally more positive mood. Then the injury. Recovery has been slow, and he misses the …
MoodSurfing regularly publishes our “80 Pleasurable Things” article, including one during the pandemic with “80 pleasurable things you can do at home”. And what’s the point of that? Sometimes it’s hard to get moving, to just do something instead of sitting around wishing something would happen. Sometimes it’s hard to stop doomscrolling if there’s nothing else to do. We all …
This is a regular theme among our clients in January. “I was getting tired of too much partying, visiting and travel, but now that it’s over, I’m slipping into depression!” Through discussions and patient feedback, we’ve developed techniques that people can use before, during, and after a vacation or trip to get integrated back home without any glitches. One patient …
We’ve given a lot of advice about surviving the holiday season over the years, which is why I’m always looking for a new twist on the old “tips and tricks” narrative. This year, the New York Times suggested a different way of looking at it: make a list of “don’ts”. At first glance, it seems negative, but actually it’s a …
A new study was published in JAMA earlier this month, looking at the ketogenic diet and its effect on mental illness, specifically depression and anxiety. The study authors looked at 50 recently completed studies, including randomized control trials and “quasi-experimental” studies. These studies had covered a total of 41,718 participants. Meta-analysis showed that ketogenic diets were associated with modest improvements …
Now that Fall is well underway in the Northern Hemisphere, back-to-school is already a memory, it’s a good time to take a look at habit formation, especially in the realm of medication and treatment adherence. Adherence is a critical issue, both for conventional medication and for alternative treatments of any kind: they can’t work if you don’t follow the plan. …
Seasonal Affective Disorder is familiar to many of our readers; as the planet turns, days get shorter and nights get longer. In California, cloudy and rainy weather takes over from the sunshine that we’re used to, and many people get the “blues”. Others encounter more serious dysfunction, and may require medical intervention to cope. Seasonal changes affect our circadian rhythms, …
Don’t take “no” for an answer! Here’s a great resource for anyone encountering barriers to getting insurance coverage for mental health care. Cover My Mental Health is a non-profit offering help to people battling for insurance coverage of care. They offer free guidance for every step of the way, including: No in-network care When a claim is denied Next steps: …
California law allows a mentally ill person to be placed in care involuntarily for a maximum of 72 hours if a designated officer finds that the person is a danger to him- or herself, a danger to others, or gravely disabled and unable to perform self-care. Once this 72-hour period is completed, a hearing must be held to determine if …
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 …
Today we’re sending some love to the terrific blog, Speaking Bipolar, by Scott Ninneman. It’s a super-positive and uplifting blog from somebody who’s been living with bipolar for thirty years. And what a well-examined journey this is. Scott is celebrating 7 years of blogging, and those seven years of posts are packed with practical tips, personal stories, and encouragement. Whether …
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 …
Is it a mental illness? Is it a physical illness? How will you tell the difference? The concepts underlying our whole approach to medical care and treatment are coming under increasing critical scrutiny. Dr. Camilla Nord of the Mental Health Neuroscience Lab at the University of Cambridge writes in her new book The Balanced Brain that: “there is no separate …
What is catastrophism? Even if it’s realistic to know that there are forces able to wipe out your home, job, possessions, and community in a single stroke, worrying about the catastrophe maybe coming today or tomorrow can harm your health without improving your chances of escape. Anybody going in for medical checks and tests knows the feeling, but now, if …
A client writes to say the hot new trend in breathing exercises has proven “effective” in controlling his panic attacks. So what is a breathing necklace? In simple terms, it’s a small tube, about 2 inches long. The inner diameter can vary from about one-tenth to one-third of an inch. When you feel an anxiety or panic attack coming on, …
Hug a friendly tree, plant the flowers you love, play with your pets (they love that), go for a walk, watch the sunset, increase your connection with nature. Research consistently confirms a basic intuition people have: being closer to natural, unbuilt environments is good for us. Even if you live in a dense, built-up area, going outside means feeling the …
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. …
