Category Archives: Mental Health

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder associated with hallucinations, paranoia, lost touch with reality, and an inability to express emotions. The most common treatment for schizophrenia is with medications such as antipsychotic drugs, but natural remedies can also go a long way in treating schizophrenia. Often known as alternative or complementary therapy, natural remedies for ...click here to read more

Cognitive decline in older adults may be slowed with better oral hygiene and regular dental visits. The researchers reviewed data from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies conducted between 1993 and 2013. Some studies found that oral health measures like the number of teeth, the number of cavities, and the presence of periodontal disease were associated with ...click here to read more

Antidepressant therapy may vary among the elderly with late-life depression, as it becomes more difficult to treat the older the individual is. The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, examined longitudinal patterns of changes in depressive symptoms in those who were prescribed antidepressant therapy. Lead author of the study Stephen F. Smagula said, “Elderly patients with ...click here to read more

There are different types of depression with varying severity of symptoms and longevity. Some may only appear in episodes, while others stay around for life. Types of depression include major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, psychotic depression, postpartum depression, situational depression, and atypical depression. Dysthymia (chronic depression) – although mild – lasts a ...click here to read more

In schizophrenia patients, a structured education program may help reduce weight. Schizophrenics face a higher risk of weight gain and obesity, and are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease. Additionally, weight gain may be a reason why patients stop taking their medications, increasing the risk of relapse. On the other hand, reducing weight ...click here to read more

In Parkinson’s disease, exercise and brisk walking may help improve depression. The pilot study included 31 Parkinson’s patients who were randomly assigned to an “early start group” or a “delayed start group” for a vigorous form of exercise that met three times a week for one hour. The early start group exercised for 48 weeks, ...click here to read more

Schizophrenia is a disorder which affects how a person thinks, feels, and acts. Schizophrenics have a difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is imaginary. It is a common belief that schizophrenia causes multiple or split personalities – this is not true. Majority of schizophrenic patients are not violent, and schizophrenia is not a ...click here to read more

Schizophrenia patients are more likely to develop dementia and less likely to develop cancer, compared to people without the mental disorder. The researchers followed over 30,000 older adults for a decade and concluded that dementia rates were higher among people with schizophrenia. Study lead Hugh Hendrie said, “Individuals with serious mental illnesses including schizophrenia appear ...click here to read more

Decreased kidney function and reduced cognitive function have been found to be linked. The researchers examined longitudinal data, five years apart, from 590 people. The aim was to track the change in kidney function that has taken place over that time period and to see whether it was associated with a reduction in cognitive functioning. ...click here to read more

Dear Friends, The title of this week’s piece may throw you off a bit as you may be thinking to yourself, “You can’t possibly avoid stress!” For the most part, you aren’t that wrong. Stress is, essentially, an inevitable part of life. It affects all aspects of our life to some degree. But before I ...click here to read more

Fecal incontinence or urinary incontinence diagnosis is more likely in dementia patients. The researchers analyzed data from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database and extracted records for 54,816 people over the age of 60 who were diagnosed with dementia along with records for 205,795 patients without dementia. Men with dementia had had an annual rate ...click here to read more

Women with urinary incontinence are more likely to experience depression, including postpartum depression. For the study, researchers followed middle-aged women with incontinence and found they are more likely to develop depression, compared to middle-aged women without incontinence. Researcher Jodie Avery said, “Women with both incontinence and depression scored lower in all areas of quality of ...click here to read more

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are more common in schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse. In fact, the risk of developing a UTI during schizophrenic relapse is 29 times higher than for healthy individuals. The study looked at the rates of UTIs in 57 relapsed hospital patients, 40 stable outpatients, and 39 healthy controls. The findings showed that ...click here to read more

Vision problems raise the risk of unemployment, poverty, and mental health problems, according to a recent study. Researcher Mary Frances Cotch said, “Our focus has mostly been on severe visual loss and treating the eye diseases that cause it. This study is saying we probably shouldn’t wait until that time since people with mild visual ...click here to read more