In contrast to fancy intellectual European talk-therapy like psychoanalysis, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has a practical, fairly straightforward, All-American flavor. What are your problems? How do your thoughts affect your actions? Can you act more effectively by noticing how your thinking is related to your behavior and vice versa? CBT might help you, but the only way to find out is to try it. CBT is among the most common-sense, easy to understand types of therapy in widespread use. No knowledge of biology or physiology is required to understand it. It's helpfulness does not ...

Loneliness can creep into your life at any age. But it's a more common problem among older adults, who can easily become isolated and detached from friends and family.

In recent years, the yoga craze has been growing across the U.S. According to a study published in Yoga Journal Magazine in 2008, 15.8 million people (6.9 percent of American adults) practice yoga. What’s more, the study also reported that 6.1 percent of Americans have had a doctor or therapist recommend yoga to them. So why would so many medical professionals be recommending the practice? How could yoga be connected to your mental, not just physical, health? Yoga Basics According to the Mayo Clinic, the practice of yoga, which has ancient roots in India, is today conside...

The one hundred billion neurons of the human brain are powered by blood sugar and shoot electrical signals at each other. Your ups and downs, joys and fears, hunger and sleep are made from cell networks communicating electrochemically. More than one scientist or doctor has had the idea that changing the electrical states of the brain could produce improved clinical outcomes for depression, anxiety or schizoaffective disorder. Combined with state of the art surgical technique, doctors can now directly apply current to the brain, and some patients respond very well. If your depres...

Everyone, at one point or another, experiences some level of stress in his or her lifetime. Studies are conducted and results are released all the time that attribute physical health problems to high stress levels. But stress is a part of life and sometimes unavoidable. Fortunately, there are many different, healthy coping mechanisms, but the trick is finding the right one to implement. Not everyone can just drop things and head to a beach in Mexico with a good book. Stress management is not only important, in some cases—it’s vital for survival. The physiological effects of ...

Is there a connection between manic depression and high intelligence? A new study seems to have found one, yet has also produced puzzling, seemingly contradictory data.

Obesity levels are at all-time highs in the United States and also in places like Mexico, an ominous development for a world awash in calories. Gradually, scientists are making incremental gains in understanding how brain hormones are related to dysfunctional appetite. The identification of hunger-regulating hormones like leptin and ghrelin are expanding the science of expanding waistlines. Yet hunger and overeating are not simple functions of body chemistry. They involve behavior, genes, attitudes, upbringing, socialization, emotions and environmental stimuli as well. Intense life c...

The danger presented by alcoholism is widely recognized, but many people still overindulge. Now, the doctors charged with defining addiction may label many more of them as alcoholics. The American Psychiatric Association is in the late stages of revising their influential rulebook : the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual . There are indications that the standards used to differentiate partying from actual addiction will be changed to the point where many college revelers, sports fans who imbibe, and weekend pub denizens will now have a medical diagnosis. The new Diagnostic and Statis...

With today’s fast-paced lifestyles, 24 hour news cycle, constant smartphone connection and ever-present deadlines, workplace stress can, for some, seem overwhelming. By knowing what factors can contribute to work stress, and how stress at work can affect your health, you can stay in control and manage your workplace stress for the benefit of both yourself and your loved ones. Stress Factors Many variables can come into play and potentially cause emotional and physical harm to workers. These differ from job to job and person to person. Some well-known causes of stress are ...

Autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) can be a difficult issue to cope with. Problems with communication and social interaction can plague patients at all ranges of the spectrum. There is a continual demand for new treatment options as the number of autism diagnoses grow. This fact combined with the continual advancement of technology has led researchers to explore how technology could potentially help children with an ASD strengthen their social skills. At the 2012 International Meeting for Autism Research ( IMFAR ) in Toronto in May 2012, several studies on this topic were presente...