Anxiety Archive

This reversible heart condition — which often mimics a heart attack — is being recognized with increasing frequency.

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The term "broken heart" usually conjures up the sad ending of a love affair. In fact, the death of a spouse is a commonly cited trigger for broken-heart syndrome — a temporary weakening of the heart that causes symptoms similar to a heart attack. Also known as stress cardiomyopathy, the condition usually results from severe physical or emotional stress, though sometimes there is no identifiable trigger. Although rare, it's now being recognized much more often than in the past.

"Stress cardiomyopathy was not on anyone's radar screen 25 years ago," says Patrick O'Gara, a cardiologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. Japanese doctors who first described the condition in the early 1990s called it takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Why? During an episode, the heart takes on an unusual shape that resembles a tako-tsubo (octopus pot), a traditional clay vessel a fisherman uses to trap an octopus.

The number of people with dementia is expected to climb to 50 million in the coming decades, but understanding the connection between vascular health and cognitive health allows people the opportunity to adopt heart-healthy habits that can also reduce their risk of dementia.

Sometimes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is behind issues with memory and task completion.

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You may be concerned about your memory if you notice that you're struggling to keep track of items you use each day, getting sidetracked when doing chores and other tasks, and tuning out during conversations. But it could be that you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a brain wiring difference once recognized only in children. In adults, ADHD often produces problems with memory and attention rather than hyperactivity.

"Two to three percent of people in their 60s or older have traits of ADHD that are impairing," says Dr. Craig Surman, a neuropsychiatrist and ADHD researcher at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital and co-author of the Harvard Health Publishing book FASTMINDS: How to Thrive If You Have ADHD (or think you might).

You have many alternatives for treating and controlling pain.

The opioid epidemic continues to rise in America, and a 2017 report from the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly suggests the crisis now affects more older adults.

A main reason for the growing addiction to pain medicine is the ease with which it is often prescribed, according to Dr. Robert Jamison, a professor of anesthesia and psychiatry with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

In the journals

Previous research has linked excess body fat with a higher risk of cognitive decline. In the past, most studies have gauged body fat based on body mass index (BMI). However, waist size may be a better way to predict possible cognitive impairment among older adults, according to a study in the Sept. 14, 2018, issue of the British Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers examined health data on 5,186 people ages 60 and older. They found that a larger waist size was associated with reduced performance in such mental abilities as attention and visuospatial skills (the ability to perceive the differences and similarities between objects). The study participants also scored lower on memory tests.

Ketamine offers a new option for people with stubborn depression that doesn't respond to other medications.

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Many people know of ketamine as a hallucinogenic and addictive street drug, which, when abused, can put people in medical peril. But today, doctors are increasingly looking to ketamine as a potentially lifesaving treatment for people with severe, treatment-resistant depression, who may be at high risk for suicide.

"Ketamine has been shown to be effective in people who have not responded to antidepressant treatment," says Dr. Cristina Cusin, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The fast-acting treatment has shown promise — sometimes improving depressive symptoms within hours of the first intravenous treatment.

Ask the doctors

Q. My sister, who is in her 50s, has always been very weight-conscious, but she recently went through a divorce and now seems unnaturally fixated on her weight and dieting. She's lost a substantial amount of weight. I've always thought of eating disorders as something that affects teenagers, but is it possible that she has one?

A. It is possible that your sister is suffering from an eating disorder, because they can affect people of any age, including older women, according to the American Psychiatric Association. They may be prompted by stress or a life change, such as a divorce. Signs that may indicate that a person has an eating disorder are