When someone is trying to kick an addictive habit, cravings are the biggest barrier to recovery. According to a recent study out of Penn State, those cravings can actually multiply and cause a relapse if an addict ignores stress, say behavioral scientists. Fifty-five college students in active recovery from substance abuse participated in the study. The students used Palm Pilots to describe their daily cravings in a digital journal. They also recorded negative social experiences, such as hostility, insensitivity, and ridicule, along with the coping strategies they used. A statistical …

We all talk to ourselves from time to time, especially when facing a challenge.  Reciting self-affirmations can help us focus our thoughts and persevere.  New research shows that it is not only what you say, but how you say it that impacts your ultimate success. A team of professors from the University of Illinois and University of Southern Mississippi decided to look at how the ways of phrasing self-motivation impact the outcome.  They hoped to determine whether asking a question of oneself would be more helpful than making an assertion …

Did you know that regular workouts actually reduce cellular aging caused by stress? A new study has found that even a moderate amount of exercise protects telomeres, or the strips of DNA that cover the ends of our chromosomes. During stress, telomeres shrink and cause our cells to age. This aging can lead to health problems like diabetes and heart disease. Dr. Eli Puterman of the University of California in San Francisco led the study, which appears in the online journal PLoS ONE. He and his colleagues found that just …

Not only does meditation improve your mental health, it may also reduce the physical sensation of pain.  New research demonstrates that people who regularly meditate have more control over the pain they experience. While meditation has previously been demonstrated to have positive benefits, researchers at the University of Manchester acknowledge that many people have attributed these results to the placebo effect.  However, these same researchers hypothesized that since meditation requires “focusing on the internal feeling of breathing and other body sensations” perhaps this power could be utilized to dull one’s …

According to the nearly 40% of households in the United States own at least one dog.  There is a reason for all of this puppy love: our four-legged friends just may serve as a natural antidepressant.  Dog owners, especially single adults and women, are less likely to experience feelings of depression thanks to their relationships with their canines. Although general pet ownership has previously been proven psychologically advantageous, Krista Marie Clark Cline of the University of Missouri-Columbia wanted to determine whether dogs specifically are the source of similar benefits. While …

The ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have shed light on the unfortunate reality of war’s effect on the mind. Studies have shown that upon returning from battle the number of soldiers afflicted by post-traumatic stress disorder, commonly referred to by its acronym PTSD, is steadily increasing. For those struggling with trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, EMDR may be an effective treatment to reduce the distressing affect and memories, allowing for a fuller life. More and more clinicians are being trained in EMDR and if you are suffering from a …

Growing old involves a variety of life stressors that can result in depression, but getting active may be the answer. A study led by Dr. Holly Blake at the University of Nottingham found that both aerobic exercise and resistance training could improve mood in older people with depression. Symptoms of depression in older people are often overlooked and untreated. Increased fatigue, irritability, and confusion caused by depression may appear to be a “normal” response to the challenges of aging. However, depression is never a normal part of life at any …

For many people who suffer from chronic pain, depression is an unfortunate consequence.  However, recent research shows that people in comforting relationships are more likely to avoid depression.  In spite of the physical pain some people feel, support at home can help alleviate the additional burden of emotional pain. Researchers in Australia tracked 99 people who received treatment at one of two pain clinics.  The majority of these subjects suffered from pain in their lower backs or limbs.  Both before and after their treatment, participants filled out surveys by answering questions …

Sweet, creamy, comforting chocolate may be delicious, and even good for the heart, but new research shows it may not be good for the soul.  Researchers studied chocolate consumption of nearly 1,000 men and women over a one-month period, giving groups of participants varying amounts of chocolate in one-ounce servings. The first group consumed five ounces, the second eight ounces, and the third, 12 ounces. Those who consumed the most chocolate showed signs of major depression, while those in the middle group showed signs of possible depression. The lowest-consuming group …

Want to boost your mood without diet, exercise, or pills? Perhaps, you should consider volunteering. Helping someone else may be just the natural anti-depressant you need to help boost your mood.

Recently a patient of mine, who suffers from depression, was very anxious about her  upcoming 40th birthday party. Birthdays can produce anxiety in lots of people, and for this patient the added pressure of wanting the perfect party was causing her to excessively worry. She agonized and obsessed over every detail of the party, from the music to the catering. Worse, she began to obsess on things outside of her control. Would her guests have fun? Would her friends get along?  Her worrying began to preoccupy her, so that instead …

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 …

We’re all familiar with the scenario: a deadline for a big project is looming, but rather than tackling the job head-on we procrastinate. We’ll do anything, from watching television to cleaning, to avoid starting the “big project.”  This avoidance causes other emotions such as guilt and anxiety. Procrastination is a common problem, and experts believe that there’s more to it than just laziness or a poor work ethic. It is widely believed among psychologists that procrastination can be a symptom of depression—people who become depressed often lose their sense of …

The “gift” of gab may be happiness. A team of psychological scientists from the University of Arizona eavesdropped and dissected daily conversations made throughout the day by both happy and unhappy people. The paper, published in the February 2010 issue of Psychological Science. reports that “the findings demonstrate that the happy life is social rather than solitary, and conversations run deep rather than superficial.” Study participants were hooked up to a tiny device that tracked their conversations every 30 seconds for 12.5 minutes over the course of four days. Then …

Antidepressant medication can be a lifesaver for those who are suffering daily from depression symptoms. However, when you choose to take antidepressants to improve your mood, you’re also opening yourself up to a list of side effects that can be just as depressing. Making a comparison of depression medication side effects can help you choose the right one for you. Once you’ve selected your depression medicine, you can use these tips to help you overcome some common side effects. According to Everyday Health, the most common antidepressants on the market …

The statistics are alarming: major depressive disorder affects 14.8 million American adults and is the leading cause of disability for people ages 15-44. Disheartening, yes, but not in light of the fact that depression is not a terminal illness. It is treatable. Unfortunately, many people allow it to go on for far too long, or even worse, ignore it altogether. The big tragedy is that only 2 out of 3 sufferers will seek medical advice.  This is a very dangerous proposition, as two thirds of all suicides are due to …

When you get online and do a basic search for information about depression, you’ll be bombarded with hundreds, if not thousands, of different listings. Each will claim to be the best and to offer the information that you need, but that’s not always the case. There are many types of free resources online that sufferers and their loved ones can benefit from, and knowing them and how to use each one is critical. Personal blogs and websites: These are a great resource for finding empathy or someone to relate to. …

I had a cat that watched the ceiling fan, and I never understood why. Then I went through a divorce, and I came to understand the fascination. If you look at it a long time, it appears to start spinning in the opposite direction. If you close one eye and open the other alternately, it appears to move across the ceiling and back. This may sound odd to many people (especially those who don’t have ceiling fans) but the fan is not the point, and neither is the ceiling. The …

The feeling of isolation is common for those suffering from depression. However, according to the World Health Organization, depression sufferers are not alone. There are more than 20 million people in the US working through the common experiences of depression. Perhaps less surprising, those 20 million people have many things in common—risk factors. Depression is complex, far reaching, and much more than merely being sad. It is something that can strike anyone at any time and is completely separate from a person’s emotional strength or intelligence.  Although the exact causes …

Surfing the net for depression forums, skeptic that I am, I scroll to the last words on the page—the disclaimer: Information should not be relied upon and is not a substitute for medical advice from a health professional or doctor. But don’t we take it for granted that talking helps? John Suler in The Psychology of Cyberspeace says, “One of the powerful advantages of cyberspace as compared to the ‘real’ world is that people with similar concerns easily can find each other and form meetings.” He points out that cyberspace …