Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Other Conditions”
Should you stop mourning during a religious holiday? Is mourning something odd, and distinct from regular life? Should people in mourning hide it because it’s a “downer” for others? No, no, and no. Psychologists, counselors and pastors often remind us that “some people find the holidays difficult for personal reasons” as if those people should be some kind of a …
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 …
A patient has recommended the Philips Hue smart light as a very helpful insomnia solution. Designed like a regular bedside lamp, the smart light can be programmed to begin lighting with a light blue hue, gradually growing to lilac light, and ending up with a bright sunlight simulator, waking you with a natural-seeming sunrise instead of a loud noise like …
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, …
September is suicide prevention month, and there’s a lot of information available online. Overall, suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. The vast majority of suicides are by gunshot, with suffocation next and poisoning third. There Is Help Available If you search the internet for “suicide prevention” one striking result is the number of formulas …
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 …
