Australians have come a long way in understanding depression. Most recognise the symptoms and believe in the value of professional help. But anxiety disorders have been left behind.
Finding someone close who can keep and eye on you.
Friend by Shutterstock
Decisions to stop taking medication are typically regarded by mental health professionals as being due to ‘lack of insight’ but some are trying other strategies.
Therapy, drugs or exercise? The depression treatment journey can be difficult to navigate.
Eduardo Millo/Flickr
So you’re depressed. You know this because a health profession has told you so, or because there is no mistaking the symptoms. Perhaps you’ve been depressed before. What now?
While nutrient supplementation can have a role in treating certain psychiatric disorders, all kinds of nutrients should, in the first instance, be consumed as part of a balanced wholefood diet.
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A growing body of research points to the detrimental effect of unhealthy diets and the protective value of healthy diets – along with select nutritional supplements as required – for maintaining and promoting mental health.
People who believe their problems have biogenetic causes tend to opt for biomedical treatments.
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Biological and genetic explanations of mental illness can weaken people’s sense of control and optimism, and create a bias against effective psychological interventions.
Some women are very sensitive to small shifts in hormones, others aren’t.
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In recent times, we have learnt more about the connections between the “reproductive” or gonadal hormones and the brain, and how they affect not only women but men as well.
The erection of barriers and nets at public sites with a high incidence of suicide results in far fewer deaths – at the site and nearby locations.
Jane Pirkis
Melancholia has a strong genetic contribution, so it’s largely biologically underpinned rather than caused by social factors (stressors) or psychological factors, such as personality style.
Goth teenagers are just like other teenagers the world over – they get depressed, they laugh, they’re creative – so why do we pigeonhole?
The idea of a common biological cause for the association between psychological distress and creativity is clearly an attractive one.
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Researchers have suggested a new theory for why neurotic unhappiness and creativity are often found in the same person. But is the assumption that creative people are more neurotic actually true?
Constantly lost in thought? You may want to make the most of it.
Radharani, Shutterstock
Out on a high, but what the road to retirement for top sports stars can be quite a come down.
A diagnostic label such as borderline personality disorder, with its stigma and propensity to invalidate the person’s suffering, clearly has many negative impacts.
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Diagnostic labels usually describe symptoms, attempt to answer the question of what is wrong, and lead to a treatment plan. But “borderline personality disorder” fails on all three counts.