Description: What is Seasonal Affective Disorder? What causes it and how can it be managed or treated? The further north we live the less light we have in winter and as well, the further north we live the colder and snowier our winters are. So, is it that case that some people experience a drop… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Depression
Helpful Psychological Disorder Symptoms?
Description: In “the old days” ( a couple of hundred years ago) the general understanding of fever (an above average body temperature) was a problem in and of itself. The fever was seen as the disease. Efforts were made to reduce the fever (cold compresses etc.) and sometimes it went away and the person got… Read more »
Digital Fentanyl? Hmmmm….
Description: You cannot have missed the increasing level of discussion and concern regarding the possible impacts of social media use on the mental health of teens and youth in recent years. The available new coverage of this topic ranges widely from articles that seek out and dive into recent, population level research on social media… Read more »
Royal Psychedelics?
Description: It is fascinating to see how some ideas, theories and research pop up in the popular press as opposed to in peer review research journals that are not generally read recreationally. Perhaps you have run across articles and related references recently to the potential efficacy of psychedelics in the treatment of depression and other… Read more »
Is “How Happy Are You” The Right Question?
Description: How happy are you? If you are not as happy as you would like to be what can you do to fix that? Is how happy you are an important question? If not, what else should we be thinking about or working on? These questions started out simple and then got fuzzier and more… Read more »
Sorting SAD and Winter Blues
Description: Even if you like winter (I do not) and you can manage the cold and have winter things you like to do, like skating or skiing, you may find that you have less energy in winter or you may notice other symptoms. For those of us who live at northern latitudes one thing we… Read more »
Treating Depression: Beyond SSRI’s?
Description: Over the more than a few years that I have taught introductory psychology classes I think one area where I have consistently struggled involves the neuroscience of brain functioning and its place and role in our understanding of human psychological functioning. This is partly due to my not having had a lot in the… Read more »
Covid and Depression: Correlation and/or Causation?
Description: I know it would not surprise you to hear that there is a correlation between Covid-19 and depression. I mean, the financial, social and physical disruptions associated with the pandemic impacted everyone’s mood and wellbeing even if they did not contract the virus. All of that would be even more true for those who… Read more »
Interoception – A General Sixth Sense?
Description: Can you list your basic senses? Of course, right? There is sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. The term ‘sixth sense’ is typically reserved for things that seem mysterious and perhaps even a bit magical like getting a feeling that something bad or good is about to happen or that someone is following you… Read more »
New Thoughts on Stopping Unwanted Thoughts
Description: It is quite common for people to come out of an introductory psychology course with the general belief that most of Freud’s theory is no longer considered visible or appropriate in accounting for human experience and behavior. At the same time, some concepts that were given theoretic life by Freud are now viewed as… Read more »