Mental Health Archive

Rumination consists of a repetitive stream of negative thoughts or themes. It often involves mentally replaying a past scenario or conversation or trying to solve a vexing problem. But rumination can also damage mental and physical health, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and inflammation. People can thwart rumination by finding distractions, changing location, relying on relaxation techniques, confiding in a friend, or taking action. Cognitive behavioral therapy can also help.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that begins in late fall and early winter, is caused by lack of sunlight exposure. Common symptoms of SAD include lack of sexual energy, overeating, problems sleeping, and social withdrawal. SAD is also associated with impaired cognitive function. Getting more sunlight from being outdoors or sitting in front of a sunlit window helps stimulate the brain's 24-hour sleep-wake clock. Taking antidepressants and using light therapy (which involves sitting in front of a light box) also can help manage SAD.

The FDA approved the first pill for postpartum depression in August 2023. The fast-acting drug, zuranolone (Zurzuvae), is taken for just two weeks.

An estimated 58 million American adults live with a mental illness such as anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder. More women than men receive treatment such as medication or counseling. But despite its pervasiveness, mental illness remains stigmatized. Scientific advances are helping dismantle damaging public attitudes about mental illness. People with mental health challenges can help combat stigma by embracing treatment, not taking other people's offhand comments personally, and sharing their personal stories.

Both loneliness and isolation were associated with poor health outcomes in a 2023 study. However, social isolation was a stronger predictor of physical decline and early death, while loneliness was more predictive of mental health issues such as depression.

A 2023 study of about 110,000 people in the United Kingdom suggested that those who most adhered to a Mediterranean lifestyle had a 28% lower risk of dying from cancer and a 29% lower risk of dying prematurely from any cause, compared with those who least adhered to the lifestyle.

Having a sense of purpose is linked to important health benefits, such as longevity and sharp thinking skills. There are many ways to cultivate a sense of purpose. Ideas include thinking about one's strengths or skills and how to apply them; becoming a mentor; volunteering time to a worthy cause; reading Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning; writing about lived experiences and sharing the information with family or friends; and thinking of longtime dreams and ways to achieve elements of them.

It's hard to get rid of sticky thoughts, which play repeatedly in the mind and cause distress. Strategies that can help include going for a walk, staying busy by scheduling activities, limiting worry time to one specific period of each day, and talking to family and friends. If sticky thoughts don't go away after a few weeks, it might be time to talk to a primary care doctor or a therapist. Treatment might involve cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps someone recognize sticky thoughts and redirect them in ways that are less negative and more manageable.

Online gambling is a popular and growing business, but for millions of Americans, what begins as occasional fun can lead to devastating problems. Trouble with gambling often builds gradually and severe gambling problems share risk factors with substance-related disorders.