By Yasmin Anwar Today’s hipster creatives and entrepreneurs are hardly the first generation to partake of ayahuasca, according to archaeologists who have discovered traces of the powerfully hallucinogenic potion in a 1,000-year-old leather bundle buried in a cave in the Bolivian Andes. Led by University…
By Mac Slavo Sleeping drugs such as Ambien have been making people kill themselves in their sleep, says the Food and Drug Administration. Drugs that supposedly help people sleep are linked to falls, burns, poisoning, limb loss, drowning, and even suicide. According to The New…
By Martin Williams, Monash University and Stephen Bright, Edith Cowan University An estimated one in ten Australians were taking antidepressants in 2015. That’s double the number using them in 2000, and the second-highest rate of antidepressant use among all OECD countries. Yet some studies have…
By Amanda Froelich The idea of retreating to nature when life gets too hectic is nothing new. For instance, this study suggests that negative ions in natural environments benefit those suffering from depression and anxiety and contribute to feelings of mental-wellbeing. But, for the first…
By Mayukh Saha We have all been through those terrible detentions back in school. But it’s really debatable whether detention actually results in any proper productive development in children. While many of us may have been told to step outside the class or stand while…
By Mae Chan A new University of Colorado Boulder study assessing genetic and survey data from 620,000 individuals found that the 18 most highly-studied candidate genes for depression are actually no more associated with it than randomly chosen genes. Everyone experiences some unhappiness, often as a…
By Elias Marat What makes a human being truly human? A number of factors play a role: creativity, social connections, bonding, and empathy immediately come to mind. And according to a new study by a team of Dutch scientists, psilocybin–the active ingredient in psychedelic or…
Depression is all too common, but there are natural ways to resolve some of the major symptoms. Simple lifestyle changes, like improving your diet and exercising regularly, can gradually help you reduce those symptoms, and certain supplements, like fish oil or folic acid, may be…
By Jacob Devaney As we dive into the complex and beautiful neurochemical cocktail that fuels our brains, serotonin is a bit of an enigma. Research shows that serotonin plays an important role in regulating mood, appetite, sleep, and dreaming. It can have both a sedating…
By Alex Pietrowski Along with the opioid epidemic, we are in the midst of a benzodiazepine epidemic. This class of prescription drugs, which includes the extremely popular drug Xanax, is primarily prescribed for anxiety, but is exceptionally prone to abuse, addiction, and were involved in…
By Megan Lee, Southern Cross University Worldwide, more than 300 million people live with depression. Without effective treatment, the condition can make it difficult to work and maintain relationships with family and friends. Depression can cause sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, and a lack of interest…
Teen depression is a major issue that many parents and caregivers are unaware of. As you go about your day-to-day life, taking care of your children and ensuring that your household is running smoothly, it can be difficult to think about the problems your teen…
By Jason Erickson Naturally when most people think about the negative effects of air pollution, we think of the physical impact. However, a new study shines light on the potential for pollution to also affect our cognitive state and general sense of well-being. China’s air…
By Johanna Bassols There are thousands of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) at work in your brain, constantly being released via neural pathways created by axons and special branches that reach out from your brain cells like tree limbs called dendrites. About 10% of your neurotransmitters are…
By Gary G. Kohls, MD “One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is…
Matt Strauss, McMaster University Winter is upon us. And with it comes the annual worsening of depressive symptoms. Sadly, in the United States, suicide continues to claim more lives than firearms, and suicide rates are increasing in nearly all states. The U.S. Centers for Disease…
By Catherine J. Frompovich One of the ‘things’ that figuratively blows my mind is how anyone can spend so much time on social media networks, ostensibly interacting with once-removed humans! The lack of real, one-on-one personal interaction is missing, regardless of what social media addicts…
By Matt Agorist Last year, rock fans worldwide were shocked and saddened to hear that the legendary Soundgarden singer, Chris Cornell, had killed himself. “Chris’s death is a loss that escapes words and has created an emptiness in my heart that will never be filled….
By Alex Pietrowski When one of the world’s leading psychiatrist issues such a severe warning about antidepressants, we should probably listen. In 1994 Dr. Allen Francis chaired the committee that assembled the DSM-IV, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is sometimes referred…
People often wonder if the mixed feelings they have are the first symptoms of depression. First of all, you should know that all people experience disappointment, loss or sadness at a certain moment in their life. But, you should be cautious, because a great number…
