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How many times have you looked at a kid meticulously lining up a series of blocks, or refusing to eat anything green on their plate, or carefully putting on their socks in just the right way (because, duh, otherwise the seams press into their toes!) and thought, "Man, that kid is going to be totally OCD when she grows up." Well, it turns out you might not be that far off. More »
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We've long known that alcohol kills brain cells and that long term alcohol abuse can interfere with mental health. Now, new research has found that while heavy drinking affects both men and women's ability to produce an important mood-controlling neurotransmitter, it affects ladybrains three times faster than it affects men's. The end result is that heavy drinking may cause women to quickly turn into sleepless sad sacks. More »
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Over and over again, we've heard that Kegels are the answer to an awesome sex life. Ladymags urge us to do 'em at our desks! Squeezing makes for pleasing. But a small study in Brazil has found that Kegels might not do what everyone thinks they do. More »
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Today in News of Our Horrible Modern World: moms' exposure to the chemical bisphenol-A (found in cans and plastic bottles) during pregnancy appears to increase their daughters' anxiety and hyperactivity at age 3. More »
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Amanda Seyfried recently told a magazine that she has panic attacks and gets therapy. She's one of the few to admit that being a Hollywood actress is pretty hard on the psyche — and to be open about treatment. And while we wouldn't wish mental health issues on any individual, there's an upside for society at large. More »
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Scientists sure do love their stressed-out baby animals. Yesterday we learned about the dangers of marrying a stressed zebra finch — and today a study reveals that baby monkeys who endure scary separations from their moms can feel the ill effects throughout life. More »
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Women are diagnosed with anxiety disorders twice as often as men. There are lots of possible explanations for this, one of the most popular being that women are more likely to seek help. But here's a new and intriguing one: could parents be inadvertently teaching their daughters to worry? More »
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Another day, another story about how freaked out college students are. Maybe they heard about this recession thing? More »
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To all those who worried that today's "helicopter parents" would produce a generation of soft scaredy-cats incapable of doing things for themselves: you're totally right! At least according to one study. More »
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According to a study, people with depression or anxiety are most likely to associate their mood with the color gray, while happier people are more likely to pick yellow. Weirdly, scientists think this could help treat irritable bowel syndrome. [MSNBC] More »
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In a fascinating New York Times Magazine piece on the causes of anxiety, Robin Marantz Henig writes that some people "are just born worriers, their brains forever anticipating the dropping of some dreaded other shoe." People, that is, like me. More »
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Once again, The Onion hits a bit too close to home with this hilarious article about a theater audience that completely freaks out when performers leave the stage and take their act into the aisles. More »
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Women's magazines seem to think we're stressed out. November Glamour let us plot our anxiety on its patented exploding-teapot scale, and this month's Cosmo tells us we better chill if we ever want that baby that'll make us complete. Luckily, Marie Claire has the answer — therapy! More »
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It's hard to find a really nuanced take on psychotropic drugs these days. TV ads try to convince you that meds will transform your life from horrible to awesome (cf. the current Abilify commercial, in which a woman describes her bipolar disorder while wandering a lonely beach, then returns home to bask in the embrace of the man Abilify apparently helped her catch). On the other side, an increasing number of naysayers (backed up by disturbing but conflicting evidence) warn that Prozac leads not only to suicide but to the decline of Western civilization. This month, a middle ground opens up in, of all places, Elle magazine, where author Cathi Hanauer details her complex experience with Celexa. Her piece hits some false notes, but it also points out what's potentially the worst side effect of SSRIs: complacency. More »
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It seems like almost every major religion in the world burns incense during religious practices and it turns out there may be a reason: it gets you totally stoned. Well, sort of. A chemical given off from burning frankincense can alleviate anxiety and depression, or, in the words of one doctor, it can "make you feel warm and tingly all over!" Right, well, we'll say this: Religion + "warm and tingly" is not an image we have any interest in further contemplating. [Science Daily] More »
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So it's not even 5 pm yet and it's almost completely dark outside and apparently ass-chappingly cold (so I hear! Not that I've been outside today), and it makes me want to crawl under the covers and hibernate until conditions are less soul sucking. Oh, can you tell I have a history of depression? Smart girl! But according to a new study I should be a reasonably happy adult because I was such a sizable baby. "We found that even people who had just mild or moderate symptoms of depression or anxiety over their life course were smaller babies than those who had better mental health," says Ian Colman of the University of Alberta. A completely unscientific poll of three people (myself included) with a history of depression shows that we were ALL big infants, each of us weighing in at over 8lbs. After the jump, an even less scientific poll, just 'cause I'm curious. More »
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Are you a moody bitch? Good news! You can now blame it on your entire menstrual cycle, not just on PMS! According to Australian researchers ,moodiness, stress and depression, are present all month, fluctuating throughout the average 28-day cycle. Apparently, stress levels are highest on day one of the cycle, while depression and anxiety are a problem during the PMS period. Researchers also found that it's more helpful to exercise than it is to cry and eat chocolate when experiencing premenstrual mood swings. These Australian researchers are assholes. But that's just my menses talking! (Thanks to blood sister Emily Gould for finding our fave period graphic in the first place.) [NEWS.com.au] More »
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