Mental Health Archive

The Brain Care Score is a quiz developed to help people identify proven, actionable steps to lower their risk of stroke, dementia, and depression. It includes four physical components (blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and body mass index); five lifestyle components (nutrition, alcohol intake, smoking, aerobic activities, and sleep); and three social-emotional components (stress management, social relationships, and meaning in life). Each response is given a point value, with the highest possible score totaling 21. Higher scores mean better brain care.

Some people find it difficult to meditate, perhaps due to inexperience, stress, or chronic pain. To overcome meditation resistance, it helps to take a meditation class or work with a meditation coach; use a meditation app; meditate in a setting free of interruption; meditate at the same time each day, so it becomes part of a daily routine; and try various meditation styles, such as Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness meditation, or guided meditation, to see which one is most comfortable.

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) involves 12 months or longer of debilitating grief. An estimated 7% to 10% of bereaved people experience PGD. Signs include feeling as though part of you has died, marked sense of disbelief about the death, denial or immense difficulty accepting the loss, extreme loneliness, and feeling that life is meaningless. People who are more vulnerable to PGD include women in general as well as people who lost a loved one in a traumatic or unexpected way, lost a child, or have coped with anxiety or depression. Treating PGD may involve a blend of therapies.

An online tool to predict heart disease risk might be more accurate if it included a psychological health assessment. Including depression screening results appears to strengthen the tool's ability to predict heart disease deaths.

Men can encounter episodes of depression and anxiety as they age. Such feelings often stem from life experiences like grief, financial anxiety, health issues, and the loss of independence. While confiding in friends and family can sometimes help, men may benefit more from therapy. A professional therapist can help identify the causes of their emotional problems and create a strategy to resolve them.

Meditation helps us calm the body and shift perspective, and certain types of it offer an array of health benefits. What's more, imaging research shows that meditation can change the structure and connectivity of brain areas to help us cope with fear and anxiety.