A reader’s response to ‘5 reasons to think twice before taking an antidepressant’
A reader shares her inspiring recovery from deep depression – and how she freed herself from psychiatric medications.
Sugar: Not so sweet for your mood
Updated 26 December 2022 It’s that time of year again. Christmas carols blaring from the stores tell us that “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”, but most of the people maxing out their credit cards inside those stores don’t look like they’re taking the advice to “be of good cheer”. According to a…
No benefit of omega-3 supplements for depression or anxiety
There’s a theory among evolutionary psychologists that the human brain is hard-wired to worry about not having enough. Most particularly, not enough food. It makes total sense in view of our species’ history; paleoanthropologists have found consistent evidence that our ancestors faced frequent food shortages, indicated by changes in bones that take place during growth…
More elderly people are taking antidepressants, but they’re just as depressed
4 November 2019 A study published on 7 October 2019 in the British Journal of Psychiatry has called long-overdue attention to a growing problem: burgeoning overprescription of antidepressant drugs to older people despite a lack of evidence of benefit. The study, titled ‘Changing prevalence and treatment of depression among older people over two decades‘, found…
More evidence that taking the Pill in your teens is linked to depression
In a previous post, Hormonal contraception and women’s mental health, I discussed the findings of a study that tracked over 1 million Danish women aged 15-34 for 14 years, and found a dramatically increased risk of being diagnosed with depression in adolescents (aged 15-19) who were using hormonal contraceptives. Now, a new study has extended…
The evidence is in: Eating better relieves depression
I’ve written extensively about the link, documented in research published in peer-reviewed medical journals, between what we eat and how we feel (see my articles Beat the holiday season blues – with broccoli and berries!, Good mood food, Want to feel happier? Change what’s on your plate! and Eat your way to better mental health?,…
Eat your way to better mental health?
October 10 has been designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as World Mental Health Day 2018, and I must confess to being somewhat less enthusiastic about this particular ‘awareness day’ than I was about last week’s Sleep Awareness Week. It’s not that I’m unconcerned about people’s psychological well being; quite the opposite. That’s why…
Of bugs and brains – how your gut microbiome affects mental health
As I discussed in last week’s blog post, Drugs and gut bugs, research on the human gut microbiome is burgeoning at an astonishing rate. One of the most fascinating areas of research is the complex interplay between our bugs and our brains – the constant back-and-forth signalling between our gut microbiota and regions in our…
Depressing drugs
A recent US study has revealed a worrying trend: in the midst of growing concerns about rising rates of depression, nearly 40% of adults are taking prescription drugs that can cause depression as a ‘side effect’, and the number of people taking such drugs is steadily increasing. The study, conducted by researchers at the University…
Who says you’re depressed or anxious? Pfizer does
2 April 2018 I’ve been becoming increasingly worried over the years about the creeping medicalisation of human suffering. A frighteningly high percentage of my clients are either taking, or have been prescribed in the past, psychiatric medications including antidepressants, anti-anxiety agents and atypical antipsychotics (disingenuously marketed as ‘mood stabilisers’). I’ve written before about the total…