It is not clear what underlies the gender gap in this mood disorder.

The phrase "gender gap" is often used in economics and politics to refer to the difference between men and women in earnings or voting behavior. But one of the best documented gender gaps involves a mood disorder — depression.

Women are about twice as likely as men to develop major depression. They also have higher rates of seasonal affective disorder, depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder, and dysthymia (chronic depression).

More than mere sadness, depression can make someone feel as though work, school, relationships, and other aspects of ...

This individualized, comprehensive care benefits patients with severe mental illness.

State budget cuts are slashing mental health budgets and, in doing so, further reducing access to one of the most effective programs for patients with chronic mental illness — assertive community treatment (ACT). Developed in the 1970s by mental health professionals in Wisconsin, ACT was designed to help patients with serious and persistent mental illnesses function better in the community. ACT is now recognized as an effective treatment option for individuals with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or other severe psychiatric conditions, especially those who have been repeatedly hospitalized.

ACT programs rely ...

 

Research is providing clues about a phenomenon that is the exact opposite of the placebo response.

All drugs cause side effects, but it turns out that placebo pills also cause them. This is puzzling, because placebo pills are usually made of sugar or some other inert substance and so theoretically should have no biological effect. Even more intriguing, the research suggests that the type of side effect a placebo causes will vary depending on the active drug being tested.

For example, researchers analyzed the findings of 69 randomized clinical trials that compared different classes of migraine drugs with placebos. ...

An analysis of studies suggests that use of marijuana during teenage years not only increases the risk of developing psychosis, but may also cause psychosis to manifest sooner than in others who are not marijuana users.

When young people with autism spectrum disorders leave high school, they are less likely to continue making use of services intended to help them socialize and improve their communication skills.  

Q. My daughter tells me her new roommate is afraid to leave a 10-block area around their apartment in New York City. She has something called agoraphobia. What is that?

A. Agoraphobia is literally the fear of open or public places. The word is derived from agora, the Greek term for "marketplace." People with agoraphobia may suffer symptoms of severe anxiety when they leave home or when they are in crowded places. At home, they anticipate being anxious. As a result, they typically try to avoid situations that trigger anxiety — which may explain why your daughter's roommate is afraid ...