I love dogs.
My family has two — a pug/Boston terrier mix named Rosie and a fluffy mutt named Pixie.
They can get annoying sometimes, like when they follow you all around the house or constantly bark to be let outside. But they’re also great faithful friends, showing appreciation just for scratching or petting them.
Various studies have […]

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If you haven’t heard of Larry Norman, who died Sunday at age 60, don’t worry.
In fact, I’d be surprised if you HAD heard of him and were a) born after 1980 or b) not raised in the evangelical Christian subculture, like I was (although my parents were way more relaxed and cool than a lot […]

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Depression can be a tough nut to crack when it comes to treatment.
Many people don’t respond well to the first antidepressant they try, or they can’t handle the side effects. So they give up.
But a new government study says that for depressed teenagers who aren’t getting better, trying a different medicine along with cognitive behavioral […]

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Class was back in session at Northern Illinois University on Monday, 11 days after a former graduate student opened fire on a lecture hall, killing five students and then himself.
Grief counselors attended class along with students and faculty, speaking for five minutes and offering help to anyone who wanted it.
But Micky Sharma, director of NIU’s […]

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In recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (Feb. 24-March 1), here’s some off-the-beaten-path looks at these serious (sometimes fatal) mental illnesses.
At World of Psychology, Sandra Kiume points out that disorders such as anorexia and bulimia occur in middle-aged and elderly women, as well as men of all ages. Girls and boys who fought a […]

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This past week, I’ve caught myself saying “crazy” and “insane” a lot, mostly in reference to my schedule for the rest of this quarter. (Note to future Medillians: Taking two techniques classes at the same time, plus an RPA and seminar, is not advisable!)
But I began to wonder if I was being offensive — unintentionally, […]

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Could acupuncture or yoga replace antidepressants someday?
Maybe not, but people are turning to alternative medicine and practices to treat depression, either as a complement to mainstream psychology and psychiatry or as something that stands alone.
World of Psychology passes on a New York Times story about a type of acupuncture that uses “ear seeds” to help […]

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Stigma (noun) 1) a: archaic : a scar left by a hot iron : brand b: a mark of shame or discredit : stain c: an identifying mark or characteristic; specifically : a specific diagnostic sign of a disease
That definition from Merriam-Webster probably sums up how a lot of people view mental illness, whether […]

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Remember the “Zoloft defense“?
Now some people are making what I call the “Prozac excuse,” blaming the Northern Illinois University shooting on the fact that the gunman recently stopped taking that antidepressant (an SSRI).
But experts tell the Chicago Tribune that that idea is flawed.
They emphasize that going off antidepressants can be difficult and should be done […]

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It’s another plethora-of-news kind of day. (Doesn’t Thomas Jefferson look so excited?)
So, if you’re lucky enough to have today off (I’m not), here’s some follow-ups from items in previous posts to keep you busy.
- Beyond Blue celebrates the “melancholy Lincoln” in honor of Presidents Day. (Anyone know if George Washington had bouts […]

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