Mental Health Archive

The pandemic has caused a surge in depression. If someone you care about is struggling with depression or bipolar disorder, or you have reason to think the person may be suicidal, there are ways you can help — and caring for yourself is important, too.

The trials and challenges of this year are weighing heavily on many people, but attempting to employ positive psychology to put personal struggles in context, and accepting the ups and downs life brings, can ultimately increase positive feelings and provide perspective.

News briefs

Probiotic supplements containing helpful bacteria and yeast are marketed as a way to maintain a diverse mix of healthy gut microbes. Now, a review published online July 6, 2020, by BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health suggests that probiotic supplements may help relieve depression symptoms. Scientists evaluated seven clinical trials from the past 15 years, which tested a total of 12 different strains of helpful bacteria. One trial in the review tested a "prebiotic," a type of plant fiber that provides food for gut bacteria. Scientists concluded that 11 of these probiotics, either alone or combined with prebiotics, were potentially useful for relieving symptoms of depression, perhaps by reducing inflammation that could affect brain function. The studies were small and short-term, but taken together, they suggest a gut-based approach to maintaining emotional well-being is worth pursuing. In the meantime, talk therapy, exercise, and medications remain the most effective approaches to treat depression. To support your gut health without expensive probiotic supplements, enjoy foods that naturally contain probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut. The prebiotic powers of whole grains also may support a healthy gut.

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People who regularly worried about the future and dwelled on the past saw larger drops in cognition and had more harmful brain proteins than those who didn't.

Chronic worrying or ruminating could be bad for your brain. A study published online June 7, 2020, by Alzheimer's & Dementia linked these negative thinking patterns to brain changes that could be associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Study authors found that older adults who regularly engaged in what the authors called repetitive negative thinking were more likely to experience cognitive decline, including memory problems, than those who didn't. They also had higher levels of the proteins beta-amyloid and tau in their brains. The accumulation of these proteins, which create damaging clumps known as plaques and tangles in the brain, is a hallmark of Alzheimer's that begins in the earliest stages of the disease — even before an individual experiences visible symptoms of dementia.

More than six months into the pandemic, it’s clear that we are going to be living with it for some time, and that expectations of life soon returning to normal are not realistic. This is a good time to assess the adjustments we’ve made and see how we can make different choices to get ourselves and our families through the challenge.

As the school year begins, plans for how learning will happen are in flux, and may change rapidly. With so much uncertainty, parents will want to limit confusion and create as much structure as they can for their children in this difficult situation.

Shifting your thinking and practicing deep breathing can help when you're stuck in an intense emotional moment.

At some point, we've all gotten stuck in a "meltdown" moment — an overwhelming feeling of anger or stress that was difficult to shake off. "Feeling overwhelmed makes it harder to identify ways to get unstuck; the options seem limited, which can create a sense of hopelessness or despair. Additionally, negative memories may come to mind more readily, and we may filter out useful ways of viewing the situation at hand," says Abby Altman, an associate psychologist at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

But there are ways to shift your focus and break out of extremely emotional moments. Take note of the following tips so you can put them to work if a meltdown strikes.

Research we're watching

A national coalition of women's health organizations recommends screening all adolescent girls (ages 13 and older) and adult women for anxiety. The goal is to improve detection and treatment for this common condition. The Women's Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI) recommends screening to look for all types of anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, in addition to depression screenings, which are already recommended for adults, says the WPSI. It would be up to individual clinicians to determine how often to do the screenings and to refer women and girls for follow-up examinations and screening.

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If you have experienced a heart attack or undergone a heart procedure, don't neglect your mental health during recovery.

Recovery from a heart attack, heart failure, angioplasty, or heart surgery — what doctors call heart events — can be stressful. Depending on your condition, it may also involve cardiac rehabilitation. This medically supervised program focuses on exercise, diet, and lifestyle changes. While the primary focus is to help you physically, you also need to address your mental and emotional health.

"It's normal to have some anxiety and stress after a heart attack or heart surgery," says Dr. Christopher Celano, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. "But how long these feelings linger, and whether they are also associated with symptoms of depression, can affect your rehab recovery success and potentially increase your risk of future problems."