'Mindfulness' on Your Mind? It Has Limits, Review Finds

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• January 14, 2021
• Full Page

Mindfulness is all the rage when it comes to boosting mental health, but new research suggests that it may not help everyone equally.

Practicing mindfulness meditation -- which involves paying close attention to what you are feeling in the ...

Survey Shows Mental Woes Spiked in U.S. Pandemic's First Months

• Cara Murez
• January 6, 2021
• Full Page

It may be no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing some Americans significant psychological distress. That mental trauma hit people hard, even early in the pandemic, new research shows.

A new RAND Corporation study reports that more than 10% of Americans surveye...

Kids With Congenital Heart Disease Face Higher Odds of Mental Health Issues

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• January 5, 2021
• Full Page

Kids born with heart defects may be more likely to develop anxiety, depression and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), regardless of the severity of their heart condition.

Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect in the United Sta...

As Lockdowns Keep Pregnant Women From Exercise, Depression Rates Rise: Study

• Cara Murez
• January 4, 2021
• Full Page

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on the emotional health of pregnant women whose exercise routines have been disrupted because of the coronavirus, new research shows.

Those women had higher depression scores than their counterparts who were able to exercise as usua...

Pandemic May Be Tougher on Women's Mental Health Than Men's

• Robert Preidt
• December 30, 2020
• Full Page

The COVID-19 pandemic may be taking a bigger toll on women's mental health than on men's, new research suggests.

For the study, researchers examined the results of an online survey of 112 men and 459 women in Canada. The survey took place between March 23 and June 7, 202...

ADHD Raises Adult Suicide Risk, Especially for Women

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• December 29, 2020
• Full Page

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a strikingly high prevalence of attempted suicide, with women being at particular risk, researchers say.

The study of nearly 22,000 Canadian adults found that 14% of those with ADHD had attempted suici...

What Loneliness Looks Like in the Brain

• Cara Murez
• December 29, 2020
• Full Page

As COVID-19 continues to spread and people face more isolation than usual, researchers are noting the impact of loneliness on the brain.

A new study from McGill University in Montreal found a tell-tale signature in the brains of lonely people. Specifically, they discover...

Pandemic Taking Big Mental Health Toll on Health Care Workers

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 23, 2020
• Full Page

Frontline health care workers have been through tremendous challenges this past year while treating COVID-19 patients throughout the world.

It should come as no surprise that many are having trouble emotionally.

A new study looked at the impact of the pandemic on ...

Pandemic Tied to Higher Suicide Rate in Blacks, Lowered Rate in Whites: Study

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• December 17, 2020
• Full Page

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated racial divides in health care in numerous ways, and a new study reveals yet another: Suicides among Black people doubled during COVID-19 lockdowns, while suicides in white individuals were cut in half during the same period.

"In p...

Loneliness Continues to Rise for Americans Under Lockdown

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• December 15, 2020
• Full Page

Loneliness, particularly among folks under shelter-in-place orders, is a growing issue for Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, new research finds.

More people report they are feeling lonely, depressed and even harboring thoughts of suicide as COVID-19 cases in the...

Depression in Youth Ups Odds for Adult Illnesses: Study

• Robert Preidt
• December 14, 2020
• Full Page

Having depression during childhood or in the teen years appears to increase the odds of illness and early death later on, researchers say.

The new long-term study included nearly 1.5 million Swedes. Of those, more than 37,000 were diagnosed with depression at least once ...

Too Much Social Media Time Could Raise Risk of Depression

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• December 14, 2020
• Full Page

Young adults who spend hours a day on social media are at heightened risk of developing depression in the near future, new research suggests.

In recent years, a number of studies have linked heavy social media use to an increased risk of depression.

"But then you h...

COVID Fuels Depression Among Pregnant Women, New Moms

• Cara Murez
• December 9, 2020
• Full Page

COVID-19 may be behind a concerning rise in the number of women suffering anxiety and depression before and soon after childbirth, a new study says.

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston surveyed more than 1,100 pregnant and postpartum women between Ma...

Rap Music Is Putting Mental Health in the Spotlight

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• December 8, 2020
• Full Page

Beat-heavy rap music could help beat mental illness: Over the past two decades, the lyrics of the most popular songs in rap have increasingly hit on issues related to anxiety, depression and mental health, a new study reveals.

"I think anyone who's been a fan of rap musi...

'Body Issues' Raise Depression Risks for Teens

• Robert Preidt
• December 8, 2020
• Full Page

Body dissatisfaction significantly increases teens' risk of depression, researchers say.

The degree of heightened risk ranged from 50% to 285%, according to the report published online Dec. 8 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

"These findin...

Young Epilepsy Patients May Benefit From Mental Health Screening

• Robert Preidt
• December 4, 2020
• Full Page

Depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts are more common in children and teens with epilepsy than previously known, and they should be screened for such problems, researchers report.

They assessed 119 children and teens, aged 9 to18, with epilepsy. None had been diagnos...

Take Care of Your Mental Health During Pandemic

• Robert Preidt
• December 2, 2020
• Full Page

It's crucial that you look after your mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say.

"Historically, we know that pandemics and other public health crises, much like natural disasters, have a lasting impact," said Dr. Itai Danovitch, chair of the department of ...

Anxiety Might Speed Alzheimer's: Study

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 24, 2020
• Full Page

Older adults with memory problems may progress to Alzheimer's more quickly if they are also suffering from anxiety symptoms, a preliminary study suggests.

It's common for people with Alzheimer's disease to have mood symptoms, including anxiety and depression. And some re...

Coping With Lockdown Loneliness During the Holidays

• November 22, 2020
• Full Page

Pandemic lockdowns will increase Americans' risk of loneliness and depression this holiday season, an expert warns.

"People are grieving for similar reasons: loss of family members, jobs, relationships, friendships and physical touch. Everyone is suffering," said Dr....

More Childbearing Women Having Suicidal Thoughts: Study

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2020
• Full Page

The number of women who contemplate suicide or self-harm during or after pregnancy may be on the rise, a large, new study suggests.

Among nearly 600,000 U.S. childbearing women, researchers found that close to 2,700 were diagnosed with suicidality in the year before or a...

AHA News: People With Depression Fare Worse in Heart Health Study

• American Heart Association News
• November 20, 2020
• Full Page

Heart disease and depression are interwoven, and a new study is helping unravel that connection by linking depression with poorer scores on seven important measures of heart health.

The research included more than 4,000 people taking part in a national survey who had bee...

Many Young Americans Lonely, Depressed During Pandemic: Survey

• Robert Preidt
• November 20, 2020
• Full Page

Loneliness, anxiety, depression and substance use have increased sharply among young American adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey shows.

Over 1,000 people aged 18 to 35 took part in the online anonymous questionnaire between April 22 and May 11, 2020. Nearly ha...

Two Key Lifestyle Factors May Ward Off Depression

• Cara Murez
• November 16, 2020
• Full Page

Less screen time and more sleep are critical for preventing depression, a new study suggests.

An international research team found that certain lifestyle choices may have a big impact on mood. That includes having a better-quality diet, getting more physical activity and...

Is the Pandemic Harming Kids' Mental Health?

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• November 13, 2020
• Full Page

FRIDAY, Nov. 13, 2020 (HealthDay) -- Since last April, hospital emergency rooms across the United States have seen a sustained surge in visits related to the mental health of school-aged kids, a new report reveals.

The findings suggest the COVID-19 pandemic is taking a t...

Birth Control Pill Won't Raise Depression Risk

• Cara Murez
• November 12, 2020
• Full Page

Women who struggle with mental health problems will sometimes forgo the most effective forms of birth control because of concerns about worsening those issues, but a new study delivers a reassuring finding: The pill and other forms of hormonal birth control do not raise depres...

B 11/11 Who Are The Loneliest Americans, And Why?

• Robin Foster and Carole Tanzer Miller
• November 11, 2020
• Full Page

Young adults are the loneliest Americans, according to a new study that examined the causes of loneliness throughout adulthood.

Researchers analyzed responses from more than 2,800 people nationwide (ages 20-69) who participated in an online survey.

They found that ...

'Diseases of Despair' Skyrocket in America

• Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter
• November 10, 2020
• Full Page

Even before the coronavirus pandemic began, Americans were already suffering: A new study reports that alcohol and drug misuse were up dramatically, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors were up 170% between 2009 and 2018.

Researchers call these conditions "diseases of des...

Did Your Candidate Lose the Election? Study Finds Depression May Follow

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• November 9, 2020
• Full Page

American presidential elections are clearly divisive, but a new analysis suggests they may trigger depression in residents of states that favored the losing candidate.

The investigators gauged the mental health of roughly half a million Americans after the 2016 presiden...

'Green Prescriptions' May Backfire for Some

• Steven Reinberg
• November 9, 2020
• Full Page

So-called "green prescriptions" may end up being counterproductive for people with mental health conditions, researchers say.

Spending time in nature is believed to benefit mental health, so some doctors are beginning to "prescribe" outdoor time for their patients.

Teens Benefit With Less Screen Time, More Time With Sports and Art

• Steven Reinberg
• November 9, 2020
• Full Page

Walking away from TV, laptops and cellphones and spending more time in sports and other extracurricular activities boosts teens' mental health, Canadian researchers say.

Spending less than two hours a day browsing the internet, playing video games and using social media ...

When Your Spouse Gripes About Aging, It Might Harm Your Health

• November 7, 2020
• Full Page

In older couples, one spouse's negative thoughts about aging can affect the other spouse's health, a new study indicates.

It also found that these effects differ by gender. A wife's views about aging are linked with her husband's physical health, while a husband's view a...

Depression Has Strong Ties to Stroke, Study Finds

• Robert Preidt
• November 3, 2020
• Full Page

The more symptoms of depression people have, the higher their risk of stroke, researchers say.

"There are a number of well-known risk factors for stroke, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease; but we are beginning to understand that there are nontraditi...

For Some Women, Postpartum Depression Lingers for Years

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• October 29, 2020
• Full Page

Many women have depression symptoms after giving birth, but for some postpartum depression hangs on for years, a U.S. government study finds.

Of nearly 4,900 new mothers researchers followed, one-quarter had depression symptoms at some point in their child's first three...

Pandemic Putting Americans Under Great Mental Strain: Poll

• Steven Reinberg
• October 20, 2020
• Full Page

COVID-19, health care, the economy, systemic racism and the presidential election are a threat to the nation's mental health, according to an American Psychological Association (APA) poll.

Seventy-eight percent of adults polled said the pandemic is causing major str...

Severe Morning Sickness Linked to Depression Before and After Birth

• Robert Preidt
• October 16, 2020
• Full Page

Women who suffer severe morning sickness may have higher risk of depression during and after pregnancy, according to a new British study.

It enrolled 214 women in London during the first trimester of pregnancy. Half had severe morning sickness; half did not. None had...

For Kids Who Hit Puberty Early, Risk of Self-Harm Rises

• Steven Reinberg
• October 8, 2020
• Full Page

Kids who reach puberty earlier than other kids are at an increased risk of harming themselves as teens, British researchers report.

"Our study is the first to investigate the relationship between the timing of puberty and self-harm using an objective measure of pube...

Depressed Teens May Struggle in School

• Steven Reinberg
• October 8, 2020
• Full Page

By about age 16, teens diagnosed with depression have substantially lower educational attainment, a new British study finds.

Targeted educational support might be of particular benefit to teens from poor backgrounds and boys, but all children with depression can ben...

Lockdown Could Worsen Hearing Woes for U.S. Seniors

• Steven Reinberg
• September 29, 2020
• Full Page

Isolation due to the pandemic and failure to get hearing aids checked has fueled anxiety, depression and more hearing loss for many seniors.

"This has been a very difficult time as senior facilities and individuals try to balance poor health outcomes related to COVID...

Is Shock Therapy Making a Comeback Against Bipolar Disorder?

• Alan Mozes
• September 25, 2020
• Full Page

Over the years electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) -- commonly known as "shock therapy" -- has gotten a bad rap.

But new research out of Italy suggests that reputation may be unwarranted. Investigators found that among bipolar patients who fail to respond to standard tre...

Baby's Heart Rate Reflects Mom's Mental Health

• Robert Preidt
• September 22, 2020
• Full Page

Babies of mothers with anxiety or depression can have significantly higher heart rates than normal, a new study finds.

And this might put them at risk for long-term problems, researchers say.

Mother-infant interaction plays a crucial role in children's heal...

Study Tackles Long-Term Opioid Use Among Retired NFL Players

• Robert Preidt
• September 16, 2020
• Full Page

Many former National Football League (NFL) players who took opioid painkillers early in their retirement still used them nine years later, a new study finds.

The researchers also found that those who continued to use opioids were more likely to report moderate to sev...

More Are Turning to Pot When Depressed – But Does It Help or Harm?

• Dennis Thompson
• September 10, 2020
• Full Page

Folks struggling with depression are much more likely to turn to marijuana to ease their symptoms these days, and that's not necessarily a good thing, researchers report.

Depressed people are more than twice as likely to have used pot within the last month and three ...

Isolation, Loneliness of Lockdowns Is Tough on America's Seniors

• Dennis Thompson
• September 9, 2020
• Full Page

Seniors are among those most at risk for dying from COVID-19, and so they've been urged to socially distance during the pandemic.

But experts fear this isolation, while protecting them from a potentially fatal infection, might be wearing away at their health in other...

Depression Can Deepen Over Time for Alzheimer's Caregivers

• Cara Roberts Murez
• September 9, 2020
• Full Page

Add a heightened risk for depression to the list of challenges facing the caregivers of loved ones who have Alzheimer's disease.

A new study found that older adults caring for spouses newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's had a 30% increase in symptoms of depression ...

As Jobless Rates Climb, Study Finds Financial Stress Greatly Ups Suicide Risk

• Cara Roberts Murez
• September 3, 2020
• Full Page

As millions of people struggle with economic hardships during the coronavirus pandemic, a new study shows that financial stressors may make people up to 20 times more likely to attempt suicide.

The research suggests that mental health providers should consider financ...

A U.S. Pandemic of Depression, Too? Rates Are Triple Pre-COVID Levels

• Steven Reinberg
• September 2, 2020
• Full Page

As the coronavirus pandemic has swept across America, so has an epidemic of depression, a new study shows.

Since the pandemic began, the prevalence of depression symptoms has roughly tripled, with the poor who lost jobs and savings most affected, researchers report. ...

1 in 20 Older Americans Smoke Pot Regularly, Survey Finds

• Dennis Thompson
• September 1, 2020
• Full Page

Marijuana use is on the rise among older Americans, with one in 20 saying they had used within the previous month, according to a new study.

About 5% of men and women aged 55 and older said they'd used marijuana or hashish in the previous month between 2016 and ...

Anxious Teens May Face Higher Odds for Future Heart Attack: Study

• Robert Preidt
• August 26, 2020
• Full Page

Middle-aged men who were anxious or depressed teens are at increased risk for heart attack, according to a large, long-term study.

It included more than 238,000 men born between 1952 and 1956 who underwent extensive exams when they were 18 or 19 years old and were fo...

Blood Pressure Meds Don't Raise Risk of Depression

• Serena Gordon
• August 25, 2020
• Full Page

If you have hypertension and you're depressed, don't blame your blood pressure drugs.

Although previous research hinted there might be a connection between high blood pressure medications and depression, a new study of dozens of commonly used drugs found no such link...

Do Your Sleep Patterns Affect Your Risk of Alzheimer's Disease?

• Robert Preidt
• August 24, 2020
• Full Page

Disturbed sleep doesn't cause Alzheimer's disease, but some sleep patterns may be more common in people who have a high genetic risk for it, a new study reports.

Those patterns include being a morning person, having shorter sleep duration and being less likely to hav...