In recent decades, societal conceptions of mental health and mental illness have evolved significantly. Compared to prevailing attitudes of the early 1900’s, the general public and scientific community alike have become much more aware and knowledgeable of mental illness: its causes, severity,... Read more →

Last night I heard my mom say she wishes maybe, I had cancer or something, instead of what I got is my bipolar. That really made me sad and made me mad! When I finally asked my mom, “why,” she said, “If only you had cancer or lymphoma or something like that. Everyone would understand,... Read more →

When I was ten, I loved a science-fiction TV show called “The Prisoner.” I was too young to fully understand it, but one chilling part of the story involved a huge black sphere that rolled out of nowhere to pursue the escaping prisoner. It was relentless and horrifying. There was no getting... Read more →

Of all the mental health disorders, the two most common, and perhaps the most disruptive and distressing, are schizophrenia and bipolar. Even though the two share few similarities in symptoms and characteristics, they are both treated and medicated very differently. Schizophrenia is the most devastating... Read more →

Last August, at the Stanford University Medical Center, Packard Research findings reported additional research on drug therapy for juveniles predisposed to bipolar disorder. They had found that children with psychiatric problems - who appear to be at high risk for bipolar disorder - already had done... Read more →

Imagine a world where science fiction is the reality. People are now able to become real life Darth Vaders like in the Star Wars movies. Limbs are replaced by electrical circuits and motherboards. Wheel chairs are hard to find, because replacement legs are as widely available as cars. All of this could... Read more →

Every year in the United States, approximately 44 million people are diagnosed with a mental disorder. Of those diagnosed, roughly 19 million suffer from depression and 4 million others suffer from some form of generalized anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, not everyone with a mental disorder seeks treatment.... Read more →

We live in a world in which medical researchers design double-blind trials of prayer, ministers talk about the brain and the immune system from the pulpit, monks meditate inside brain imaging machines, and studies of “the placebo effect” and “positive attitude” frame discussions... Read more →

One of the benefits of visiting a psychiatrist who also specializes in holistic, complementary or alternative medicine is that he or she can determine whether or not a nutritional deficiency is the cause of some mental symptoms. Nutrients play a critical role in mental health. They are the building blocks... Read more →

Interviewee: Joy, age 31-35, from Washington with anxiety and cancer. I was happily married, life was good wonderful even. My husband left when I found out I had cancer, stating he is gay. I am cancer free now. I have never been diagnosed. Have been treated for anxiety in 2003 used effexor, no therapy …... Read more →

How does the brain work? What’s the latest in brain research? And what’s the relationship between the thoughts in our minds and the brains in our heads? Is gray matter all that matters? It’s called, “The Mind-Body Problem” and it has enticed philosophers for centuries: Is... Read more →