Teen Depression on the Rise: What You Need to Know

I was searching for news on teenage depression when I stumbled upon something shocking. It made me realize how important it is to talk about this. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost half of all high-school students reported having bouts of depression, and more than one in five had seriously […]

One mother’s experience of perinatal mood and anxiety disorder

When “fear of the unknown” is mentioned as a main trigger for postpartum depression and perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD), it’s not meant to conjure up images of ghouls or extraterrestrial invaders. Rather, “fear of the unknown” is used in the context of what many women feel at the start of their pregnancy and […]

5 Things to Know About Clinical Depression

Google recently introduced an Artificial Intelligence platform, Gemini, to take over from its BARD system. Curious about its capabilities, I asked, “What health-related queries do people commonly search for on the web?” Gemini highlighted that inquiries about clinical depression rank among the most common health topics searched on the internet, closely following diet (specifically weight loss) […]

Understanding social anxiety disorder and social phobia

Social anxiety disorder is also referred to as social phobia. It is a mental health condition that causes a person to suffer from a persistent and intense fear of being watched or judged by others in social situations. People with social anxiety disorder are afraid of being evaluated or rejected in ordinary interactions with others. […]

Shining a light on Seasonal Affective Disorder

As days grow shorter and hours of sunlight diminish, many people in the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing a return of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This is a depression condition that is triggered by a chemical change in the brain, brought on by less time spent outdoors and shorter days. Seasonal affective disorder is also referred […]

Too much screen time can be harmful

Too much screen time can be harmful! In January 2023, the results of a three-year study on what effects prolonged attention to social media activities like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook revealed that pre-teens who spend many hours each day focused on their social media platforms may be physically altering essential neurological functions in their brains. […]

Personal reflection: Mental distress in healthcare workers

Diagnosing mental distress in healthcare workers has become increasingly important as shortages of trained personnel grow and populations age. There’s a direct relationship between the average age of a country or county’s population and the level of health services they require – older people need more care. The aging of the population places dual pressures […]

Levels of anxiety grow in times of stress

There is a natural and quite normal link between the volume of news “from the front line” on TV and the levels of anxiety the population feels. Acts of kindness, stories of hope, or ‘top five most outstanding sunsets today’ rarely make headlines. How much more so, in times like these, where unprecedentedly dramatic events […]

Medications for clinical depression and anxiety

Diagnosing and treating clinical depression, also known as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), involves a comprehensive evaluation since no single test definitively identifies it, and there are several options for treating people once a diagnosis has been reached. You can read about the general approach in our more detailed article here. The diagnosis process requires clinical […]

Dealing with depression means understanding the causes

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a significant mental health challenge, and it requires special attention and training for a doctor to reach a diagnosis of clinical depression. It is the most common of several forms of depression and is often the most difficult to diagnose and treat. It has to be differentiated from the other […]