Harvard Mental Health Letter: May 2008

Positive psychology techniques attempt to shift away from traditional psychotherapy's focus on negative emotions, and encourage patients to emphasize their personal strengths and positive emotions.

A genetic testing kit for bipolar disorder is now available to consumers, but because of the many variables involved in genetics, even if a particular gene is identified, it does not necessarily mean that person will go on to develop the disorder.

A study comparing several forms of treatment for cocaine addiction found that while all treatments resulted in decreased drug use, those that focused on changing behavior were more successful.

Antidepressant medications can decrease libido or impair sexual function. Sometimes this can be overcome by switching medications, changing dosage, or waiting to see if the effect diminishes over time.

A review of studies indicated that music therapy may be an effective treatment for depression. Because the studies considered were small, this technique may prove to be most effective in combination with other therapies.

Researchers found a correlation between the deletion or duplication of a section of genes on one particular chromosome and an increased risk of a child developing an autism disorder.

Results of a survey of people in 17 countries suggest that people with arthritis are more likely to suffer from depression or a related anxiety disorder such as social phobia.

An analysis of the lyrics of popular songs found that approximately 40% had some sort of reference to drug or alcohol use. Whether or not this has any effect on the behavior of teenagers is unclear.