Category: depression

Depression Is Probably Not Caused by a Chemical Imbalance in the Brain: New Study

For three decades, people have been deluged with information suggesting that depression is caused by a “chemical imbalance” in the brain – namely an imbalance of a brain chemical called serotonin. However, our latest research review shows that the evidence does not support it. Although first proposed in the 1960s, the serotonin theory of depression started to be…


Can We Regenerate Brain Cells?

For many decades, neurologists and medical students were taught that neurogenesis, the formation of new brain cells, does not happen in the adult brain. It was believed that when cells in other organs died they were replaced with fresh new ones whereas the brain was seen as a special organ where once neurons died, they were…


Lithium: The Cinderella Drug

Dr. Walter Brown begins his 2020 book “Lithium, a Doctor, a Drug and a Breakthrough,” by asking, “What do Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Ernest Hemingway have in common?” The answer is bipolar disorder, previously known as manic-depressive illness. Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by extreme mood swings, including extreme excitement (mania)…


Woman Applies for Assisted Suicide, Saying Long COVID Has Rendered Her Unable to Work

A Toronto woman says she will apply for medically assisted death due to her long COVID symptoms, which she says have rendered her unable to work. Tracey Thompson, who contracted COVID-19 over two years ago, says the enduring symptoms and lack of financial support have led her to start the process of applying for Medical…


Tobacco Smoking Causes Schizophrenia and Depression, Study Finds

Tobacco smoking causes mental health disorders, according to a recent UK study. The study found smoking increased the risk of developing schizophrenia by 53 to 127 percent and can increase depression by 54 to 99 percent. “There is no longer any doubt that smoking is bad for mental health, and this needs to be a…


Diet for Depression: What Foods Lessen Depression Symptoms?

Depression is a common mental health issue, and while it can’t be cured through diet, a diet for depression can play a part in managing symptoms. Research suggests that what a person consumes can affect mental health. It is believed that many different factors contribute to depression. A recent study published in BMC Medicine showed…


Inflation or Depression: Pick Your Poison

News Analysis At last we have something that really brings the American people together: inflation. Everyone hates it. It’s the whole topic of conversation at stores, on streets, at the park, or any setting. Want to make a friend? Just walk up to anyone and start complaining about prices. They will join right in and…


Probiotics Tackles Depression in Clinical Treatments

People treated for depression exhibit greater improvements if probiotics are taken with anti-depressants as compared to only taking anti-depressants, a Swedish study has found. The study found a greater proportion of depressed and bipolar patients that took both probiotics and anti-depressants—55 percent—entered remission as compared to the 40 percent of patients that only took antidepressants. Probiotics…


Anxiety: An Unexpected Driver of Self Destruction

The inevitable suffering of human life takes on a vastly different meaning in a culture that values pleasure and convenience above all else. In some spiritual traditions, the suffering of life is a necessary prerequisite for spiritual elevation; in others, our suffering is necessary to repay our past sins or karma. When the suffering of…


Researchers Closer to Creating Blood Test for Suicide Risk

Researchers have discovered an approach to identify blood biomarkers that could predict the risk of suicide in patients with depression, bringing them one step closer to developing a potential blood test for use on future patients thanks to a study by researchers at the University of California–Irvine (UCI) and Pritzker Research Consortium. Suicides have increased to…