Mental Health

By Matthew Reed, M.D. | Hoag Hospital’s Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute More than car accidents. More than suicide. More than gun violence. Fentanyl overdose is the leading cause of death for people ages 18-49, a startling fact that prompted the Food and Drug Administration to approve naloxone (commonly known as Narcan) for over-the-counter sales in … Read More

If you want to know whether a standard-of-care medication will work to treat your depression, flip a coin. More than half of all patients treated for major depressive disorder (MDD), the clinical name for what is typically thought of as depression, don’t respond to the first treatment option prescribed to them. Even those who do … Read More

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., recently outlined a national framework to combat the loneliness epidemic in the United States. He noted four important facts about loneliness and social isolation: Being lonely is as bad for your long-term health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day! People who are lonely are 26% more likely to die … Read More

Want to look 19 years younger than you are? Sorry. This isn’t a story about that. But you can make your brain appear nearly two decades more youthful simply by following a Mediterranean diet. A new study published in the journal Neurology, looked at the brains of 581 people who donated their bodies to science. … Read More

The newborn is crying – and so is the new mom. A few days after childbirth, it is common for women to feel depressed, anxious, or upset as their hormones fluctuate. But how seriously should mom – and her family members – take these emotional turns? “The biggest difference between postpartum depression and the ‘baby … Read More

Exercise is key for maintaining physical and mental health. Studies show that it positively affects health even if started later in life. Some suggest that exercise improves cognition by inducing long-term changes in the hippocampus, such as increased volume and an increased rate of neuronal formation. How exactly exercise changes the hippocampus, however, remains unknown. Understanding more about how … Read More

“Nature itself is the best physician.” – Hippocrates What writers, poets and ardent lovers of the outdoors have instinctively known – that being in nature is a balm for the stresses of daily life – is a universal message for Earth Day and beyond. Decades of research have shown the vital connection between exposure to green … Read More

Just look at that gorgeous person in the mirror! The one with the infectious smile and inspiring moxie. Don’t see that person? Well, that’s OK. Sometimes it takes a little work to recognize them. “Self-love is not always an easy thing to achieve but fostering a positive self-image can improve your physical and psychological well-being,” … Read More