Ultimately, people have power only over one thing: the execution of their free will.

Our Consulting Clinical Psychologist’s guide to Understanding Depression is now available in our section on symptoms — both in the original English and in a new professionally translated Spanish version.

With the psychiatric side effects of rimonabant (sold as Acomplia in Europe and as Zimulti elsewhere) turning out to be even worse than originally thought, and the effectiveness of this new weight loss drug turning out to be pretty minimal, Sanofi-Aventis has yanked it from the market following a decision by European regulators to suspend marketing approval.

You haven’t seen your family for weeks. Your job performance is literally a matter of life and death. You’re cooped up in a small living space with work colleagues, and you can’t even step outside for a quick breath of fresh air. You’re an astronaut in space, and you’re depressed. Who can you turn to? The answer — a new computerised therapy system being developed for NASA — might turn out to be pretty useful right here on Earth, too.

Psychiatrist Candida Fink and freelance author Joe Kraynak, co-authors of ‘Bipolar Disorder for Dummies’, have launched a new blog at Dr Fink’s site. They share self-help tips, treatment strategies, and more. It’s well worth a visit if you or someone you love has been affected by bipolar disorder.

Men can also be victims of sexual abuse and rape. Maybe they silence themselves and their experiences even more. What can be done with the trauma and shame which so many people carry around in secret?

While depression and anxiety are often considered to be “diseases” of the affluent, new studies find them to be just as common in poorer countries. Can a Western model of interpreting and treating mental distress be applied to other cultures?