The brains of chronic pain patients fail to maintain the state of “activity equilibrium” seen in healthy patients. New research has demonstrated that a key emotional control center in the frontal lobe remains active constantly in chronic pain, while in pain-free patients it shuts down in... Read more →

A new study presented by the World Health Organization points to the international community’s efforts to curb interpersonal violence and its mental and physical consequences. This past week nearly 200 experts on violence prevention assembled in Scotland for “Milestones 2007,” a gathering... Read more →

Welcome to the fourth edition of Brain Blogging - a semi-monthly blog carnival that aims to review posts “related to the brain and mind that go beyond the basic sciences into a more human and multidimensional perspective.” Read more →  Read More →

Are you reading this at work during your lunch break? Has anyone come into the lunchroom to tell you about the cold they had lately, or their children’s chicken pox, or their aging father’s hip replacement? I bet this happens quite a bit. Just about everyone talks about these maladies, small... 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 →

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: Richard, age 46-50, from Maryland was diagnosed with “major depression, anxiety disorder, schizoaffective disorder. 1997. Portland, Oregon”. I was diagnosed with major depression for engaging in self-mutiliation and having suicidal ideation. I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder... Read more →