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Bipolar disorder, a sometimes misdiagnosed mental illness characterized by wide emotional swings, may be identifiable by chemical abnormalities visible in victims’ brains, researchers said on Tuesday.

Detailed brain scans performed…

A new finding may explain how stress could ultimately lead to premature aging.

Chronic psychological stress is associated with accelerated shortening of the caps, called telomeres, on the ends of…

For too many American women, the birth of a baby is less the arrival of a bundle of joy than a passage to depression.

Childbirth is an emotionally intense event; mood changes…

Definition

A disorder characterized by stages of mild mood changes with stages of mild depression and excitement (hypomania).
Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression thought to be triggered by a decrease in exposure to sunlight. Besides depressed mood and general symptoms of depression, symptoms may include:

A person with bipolar disorder, or manic depression, has mood swings that soar to mania, or unusual elation, and then plummet to depression. During the depressive phase, the symptoms are the same as those of…

Definition
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by obsessions or compulsions having one or both is sufficient for the diagnosis. An obsession is a recurrent and intrusive thought, feeling, idea, or sensation. A…

Experts estimate that 2% of children and between 4% and 8% of teenagers suffer from depression. The highest incidence occurs in girls after puberty.

In the elderly, depression may be accompanied by a…

Definition

Unpredictable attacks of anxiety that are accompanied by physiological manifestations (see also generalized anxiety disorder).

Chronic depression, called dysthymia, often begins in childhood or adolescence and may last for many years in adulthood if not treated. People with dysthymia:

Symptoms of depression can vary widely - and they don’t always involve the sadness or weepiness that people commonly associate with it. Many people will experience intellectual or psychological changes that…

Treatment options for adolescents with depression are similar to those for depressed adults, and include psychotherapy and antidepressant medications (see major depression for a review of treatments and self-care).

Family therapy may be helpful…

 
• depressed or irritable mood  
• temper, agitation  
• loss of interest in activities, apathy  
• reduced pleasure in daily activities  
• inability to enjoy activities which used…

Depression is an illness that involves feelings of sadness lasting for two weeks or longer, often accompanied by a loss of interest in life, hopelessness, and decreased energy. Such distressing feelings can affect one’s…

Depression afflicts approximately 17 million Americans, from children to the elderly, in all walks of life. It reportedly afflicts twice as many women as men (although some observers speculate that this could be because…

Britons, slaves to some of the longest working hours in the European Union, are suffering growing levels of stress, back strain and other work-related injuries, the country’s trade unions said…

Depressed people 75 or older are just as likely to improve after an 8-week course with an inactive, placebo drug as with an antidepressant, new research indicates.

The study shows…

Adults with diabetes are considerable more likely to experience depression, anxiety and other disorders that cause serious psychological distress than those without diabetes, researchers report.

Dr. K. H. McVeigh, of the…

Children with asthma face quadruple the risk of an attack following stressful events in their lives, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Thorax.

The use of antidepressants, especially drugs like Zoloft and Prozac, may increase the risk of abnormal bleeding, Dutch researchers report.

Although the reason for this association is unclear, it may…

Doctors are prescribing more antidepressants for children and adolescents although there is little evidence about their safety or efficacy in youngsters, researchers said on Thursday.

Prescription rates for young patients under…