FYI Staff Writer

The boogie monster that haunts women is real, and it’s called cellulite. The fear of getting fat plagues even healthy normal-weight women. It is a fear, apparently, that men do not share. Psychologists at Brigham Young University discovered women who project healthy body images may have a hidden fear of becoming overweight. As part of their research on improving treatment for eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, Mark Allen and Diane Spangler scanned the brains of women with eating disorders against a control group of normal-weight women with a …

I recently started dating a person who is codependent.  They are working through their issues and are in therapy.  What kind of things should I look for or be aware of so I don’t jump into their pattern? If you recently started dating someone who is codependent, there is a great chance you are already “into their pattern.”  While there are numerous symptoms of codependency, one clear sign comes from the belief, “I need to alter my behavior, or change who I am, in order to maintain my relationship with …

Dear FYI Depression Expert, How do you know if your therapist is a good fit? I have a terrific therapist, but he never gives advice. I don’t really like just talking and talking, because I feel like I’m spending a lot of money, but not getting anywhere. Thanks Therapy Talker Dear Therapy Talker, This is a difficult and important consideration when you begin your healing process.  A good therapist, even a decent one, will not give you advice.  Friends and acquaintances will do this for you, and it is free. …

A new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry led by a psychologist from Northwestern University shows, for the first time, that an antidepressant can change your personality. According to their data, it is suggested that today’s antidepressants  partially work by correcting key personality risk factors for depression. The effects of Paxil and Seroxat (both SSRIs) were studied in a placebo-controlled trial that involved 240 adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder. As expected from other trials, those taking Paxil experience moderately greater improvement in their depression symptoms than those receiving …

We’ve all heard dogs bark in their dreams. We’ve seen their feet twitch and can imagine them dreaming about chasing a cat. Like dogs, normal sleepers may talk in their sleep on occasion or even thrash around. REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD), however, presents as active and often aggressive or violent behaviors while the sleeper engages in REM deep sleep. The disorder can therefore represent a danger to the sleeper as well as anyone the sleeper comes in contact with. Normal sleepers cycle through light and deep sleep stages throughout …

Dear Ask the Expert, My friend recently had a baby and I think she is experiencing postpartum depression. She is really sad, and says she hates to be alone with the baby. We’ve been friends for years, and I’ve never heard her this sad before. Every time we talk on the phone she starts to cry.  We don’t live in the same state so it’s hard for me to visit her, and I just don’t know how to help since I live so far away.  This is her second baby. …

Teen and adolescent depression is a serious condition that can have long term consequences on a young person’s future. Teen with untreated depression are more likely to have trouble in school, and more likely engage in risky behavior, like unprotected sex. Teen depression statistics from TeenDepression.org state that about 20 percent of teens will experience some form of depression before adulthood. Teenagers can experience depression no matter what their gender, socioeconomic background, race, or level of achievement. If there is a teen in your life who seems to be exhibiting …

Bipolar disorders 1 and 2 are mood influencing mental disorders affecting almost 5 million Americans. Those who suffer from bipolar mood disorder experience extreme emotional fluctuations, often cycling rapidly back and forth between mania and depression, a condition that may last throughout their lives. However, many people with this disorder have been able to overcome the limitations of this disease to make remarkable achievements in different fields of life. People with bipolar disorder undergo extreme mood swings. The terms happiness and sadness are insufficient to describe the mental highs and …