Anxiety Archive

The challenge of being isolated from loved ones and friends can be eased by using any of several different apps that enable various types of communication, including video calls and messages.

For young people with autism spectrum disorder, the transition from adolescence to adulthood is marked by changes in many areas of their lives. Healthcare providers and caregivers can make this transition smoother and help their patients meet these challenges.

There is evidence that antidepressants are not effective in older people with dementia. Emerging research suggests that nondrug, psychosocial interventions are the most effective treatments for depression or anxiety in older adults with cognitive impairment.

While COVID-19 brings normal life to a temporary halt as we practice social distancing, it helps to double-down on deepening social bonds and practicing kindness and gratitude, not emotional distancing.

Anxiety about the new coronavirus is understandable. But there are actions you can take –– or avoid –– to help you cope with anxious feelings and choices you can make to help yourself and others.

In the journals

If you want to make fewer mental mistakes, try meditation, suggests a study in the September 2019 issue of Brain Sciences.

Researchers recruited 200 people who had never meditated and led them through a guided 20-minute meditation called open monitoring. While many styles of meditation have you focus on a single object, like your breathing or a visual image, the goal of open monitoring meditation is to pay more attention to your feelings and body sensations.

An increasing body of research shows that dog ownership may boost heart health.

Looking to improve your heart health? You might want to think about getting a dog.

A growing body of scientific research suggests that having a canine companion is associated with number of health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health. "Numerous studies from Scandinavia, England and the United States suggest that dog owners have better health than individuals who don't own dogs. But what we really want to know is whether owning dogs produces better health or if it just means that healthier individuals are more likely to own dogs," says Dr. Dhruv Satish Kazi, a cardiologist and associate director of the Smith Center of Outcomes Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a member of the faculty of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Shifts in the levels of female hormones can cause temporary mood changes, including symptoms of depression.

The years leading up to menopause and the transition itself can bring changes to your body. But they can also have an effect on your mind, specifically your mental health.

The incidence of depression doubles during this time. Women who have struggled in the past with depression or anxiety might also see a resurgence in symptoms.

Research we're watching

Long-term exposure to traffic noise has been linked to a greater risk of heart disease. New research reveals additional clues about this connection.

Researchers studied nearly 500 adults over a five-year period and gathered traffic and aircraft noise data for each person's home address. After adjusting for other factors that contribute to cardiovascular risk (including air pollution), they found that every 5-decibel increase in the average 24-hour noise level was associated with a 34% increase in heart attacks, strokes, and other serious heart-related problems.