October 5, 2020

Mental Health Issues Double the Odds of Dying With COVID-19, Study Finds

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30, 2020 -- People suffering from a psychiatric disorder could be more than twice as likely to die if they become infected with COVID-19, a new study suggests.

Folks diagnosed with any type of psychiatric problem -- anxiety or depression, dementia, psychosis -- were up to 2.3 times more likely to die in the hospital from COVID-19, researchers found.

September 29, 2020

Is Shock Therapy Making a Comeback Against Bipolar Disorder?

FRIDAY, Sept. 25, 2020 -- Over the years electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) -- commonly known as "shock therapy" -- has gotten a bad rap.

But new research out of Italy suggests that reputation may be unwarranted. Investigators found that among bipolar patients who fail to respond to standard treatments, ECT can be a lifesaver, preventing out-of-control mood swings and dramatically lowering suicide risk.

September 17, 2020

More Are Turning to Pot When Depressed – But Does It Help or Harm?

THURSDAY, Sept. 10, 2020 -- Folks struggling with depression are much more likely to turn to marijuana to ease their symptoms these days, and that's not necessarily a good thing, researchers report.

Depressed people are more than twice as likely to have used pot within the last month and three times more likely to use it nearly every day in 2015-2016, a far higher number than 10 years before, the new study found.

September 8, 2020

A U.S. Pandemic of Depression, Too? Rates Are Triple Pre-COVID Levels

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2, 2020 -- As the coronavirus pandemic has swept across America, so has an epidemic of depression, a new study shows.

Since the pandemic began, the prevalence of depression symptoms has roughly tripled, with the poor who lost jobs and savings most affected, researchers report.

September 2, 2020

Seniors With Depression Show Resilience in Face of Pandemic

SUNDAY, Aug. 30, 2020 -- Older Americans with depression have held up well to the threat of COVID-19, a new study finds.

Researchers saw no increase in their depression and anxiety during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. And they said these seniors showed resilience to the stress of physical distancing and isolation.