Addiction Archive

The American Psychiatric Association has recently added prolonged grief disorder to its official list of classified mental disorders. Someone may develop this disorder when someone close has died within the past 12 months. The person may experience intense longing for the deceased or preoccupation with thoughts about him or her. These feelings occur most of the day and nearly every day for at least a month. Recognizing the signs and seeking out help with talk therapy are the best approaches to help prevent it from evolving to depression.

Of the more than six million people over 65 in the US who have Alzheimer's disease, almost two-thirds are women. This is partly because women live longer than men, but other factors make women more likely to develop the disease, especially later in life.

For hundreds of years there have been documented instances of groups of people developing similar, medically inexplicable, and sometimes bizarre symptoms, such as paralysis, involuntary tics, or uncontrollable laughter. Known as sociogenic illness, a recent example appears to be fueled by social media postings—meaning physical proximity is no longer a factor.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we question our own abilities, minimize our successes, and overemphasize what we perceive to be our failures. When this happens, it's helpful to try to view the situation more clearly and from a more balanced point of view. This takes practice, but the process starts with awareness.

We all know that motivation is key to accomplishing our goals, but even if you have a much-desired goal in mind, it's too easy for motivation to dissipate. Before setting a goal, it's critical to identify why it is important to you, to create a detailed plan that outlines how you will achieve it, and to make a to-do list so you can track your progress.

While hearing loss and dementia seem to be connected, doctors don't know if hearing loss causes cognitive decline. It may be that an unknown common factor causes both problems. But regardless of whether hearing loss may be an early indicator of dementia or a risk factor for the condition, it should be treated. Improving hearing can improve the ability to connect with others and quality of life.

After a certain age, most adults encounter nagging and sometimes embarrassing memory lapses. While recurring or worsening memory issues always should be checked out, everyday lapses—like recalling names, finding everyday items, and remembering appointments, errands, and even online passwords—can be managed with some simple strategies.

A review published Oct. 22, 2021, in JAMDA: The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine found that people with more tooth loss had, on average, a 48% greater risk for developing cognitive impairment, compared with people who had less tooth loss.