Harvard Mental Health Letter: April 2007

Dependent personality disorder, in which people exhibit an excessive need to be cared for by others, has its roots in childhood, particularly if independence is discouraged. Typical treatment approaches are psychodynamic or behavioral therapy.

Research found that child-on-child violence is often regarded as insignificant, but if it occurs repeatedly in a family or school setting, the continued proximity of the attacker can be emotionally traumatic.

The questionable results of an experimental program intended to help delinquent teenagers change their behavior illustrate the difference between the power to produce an effect during a controlled trial and success in a real-world setting.

According to two studies, women going through menopause are much more likely to develop symptoms of depression, due in part to changes in hormone production. Hormone replacement may provide temporary relief from severe depression.

Children who experience verbal abuse are at as much risk for developing anxiety or depression as those who are abused physically or sexually. This may be due to the fact that verbal abuse is likely to persist over a lengthy period of time.

Schizophrenics tend to have a higher incidence of medical problems, possibly because their mental illness prevents them from properly assessing their own health, or their mental health providers are not monitoring their physical condition.

Is there an effective treatment for hair pulling (trichotillomania)?