A new study found that people who smoke marijuana before age 17 are 3.5 times more likely to attempt suicide as those who started smoking marijuana later in life. In addition, people who are dependent on marijuana have a higher risk of experiencing major depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The large-scale epidemiological study was…
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New research shows that diagnosing severe personality disorders, evaluating the childhood environment, assessing alcohol consumption, and analyzing the MAOA genotype may provide more accurate means for assessing risk among violent offenders, according to the Finnish research carried out jointly at the University of Helsinki and the Helsinki University Central Hospital Psychiatry Centre.
Much of the effective treatment of depression lies in the accurate identification of its origin and triggers. While stressful life events are an obvious trigger, a specific gene variation that has been identified as increasing the risk in conjunction with stressful life events may actually have no impact at all. This surprising finding is the…
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To get around the illegal aspect of drugs such as marijuana or cannabis, while also achieving the same high, some recreational drug users are turning to a variety of “Spice” drugs. While they appear to be a safe alternative, new research suggests these assumptions are unfounded. Science Daily recently posted a release summarizing the findings…
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The use of pain relievers to produce benefits other than pain relief has become a significant problem in the United States. The war on drugs used to include a focus on keeping heroin and cocaine off the streets and out of the hands of children. Now, these children can easily find drugs in the family…
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Medicine.net defines cure this way: Cure: 1. to heal, to make well, to restore to good health. Cures are easy to claim and, all too often, difficult to confirm. (emphasis added) Merriam-Webster’s defines it thus: n. recovery or relief from a disease; something (as a drug or treatment) that cures a disease; a period or…
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Treating major depression is not a quick fix—it is a long, slow journey to restoring mental health. Although many antidepressant medications are available, no single biomarker or diagnostic test exists to predict which one is right for an individual. As a result, for more than half of all patients, the first drug prescribed doesn’t work,…
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A new study of young professional women finds that excessive alcohol use can relate to overeating and depression. Researchers surveyed 393 men and 383 women at ages 24, 27, and 30 about their weight, alcohol use, and depression symptoms within the last year. They found that women who had alcohol use disorders at age 24…
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About 20% of US soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are psychologically damaged, according to a Washington Post study. A substantial number of them suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which carries with it a high rate of suicide. But doctors will now be able to forecast a soldier’s risk of developing PTSD, with the…
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When a new mother suffers from postpartum depression, she may experience thoughts of committing suicide. A new two-year study found that for women contemplating taking their own lives, the mother-infant relationship and development was a negative experience, accompanied by mood disturbances, low maternal self-esteem, negative perceptions of their effectiveness as parents, and noticeably less responsiveness…
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