Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Other Conditions”
This time of year ushers in struggles for a lot of people. We are hearing of more depression, more insomnia, and even physical health problems associated with the seasonal change, and on top of all that, we will be going off Daylight Saving Time next weekend. If you have had trouble with the time change in the past, we urge …
Are you tempted by an ideology? Ideological thinking extends far beyond the familiar boundaries of left versus right politics. At its core, an ideology is a fixed framework for interpreting the world-one that resists adaptation, even in the face of new evidence. Neuroscience is beginning to reveal why some minds are drawn to these stable patterns of thought, and how …
Researchers continue to study ADHD in an ongoing attempt to understand what it is and how and why the treatments work. Many of our own patients comment that the meaning of ADHD remains unclear. A recent study, reported in the New York Times1, looks at the effects on the brain of commonly prescribed stimulants that have observationally helped ADHD-afflicted children …
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 …
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 …
Back in September, 2022, we posted about the new, three-digit suicide and crisis lifeline, where anyone in the US can access help by dialing 988. Since that time, contacts to the lifeline have more than doubled, especially among youth and young adults. In the 10 states that had the most 988 uptake, an 18.2% reduction from expected suicide mortality was …
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 …
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 …
