‘News and Research’ at Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life, Page 36

Over eight million adult Americans, or 4.3 percent of working-age adults, struggle with the inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity of ADHD. According to an analysis presented at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in Atlanta, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) costs U.S. households nearly $77 billion in lost income every year.

Schizophrenia is not hopeless. It’s not the result of bad parenting or a weak personality. Schizophrenia is not the same as split personality disorder. In an effort to set the record straight and reduce these kinds of misconceptions in the general public, the US National Schizophrenia Foundation has declared May 22-28 to be Schizophrenia Awareness Week. This year’s theme is Schizophrenia: It’s Not What You Think!

A new study of clinical trials involving nearly five thousand patients has reaffirmed that St. John’s Wort reduces symptoms of depression among adults suffering mild to moderate symptoms but questions the herbal extract’s effectiveness for moderate to severe depression. The study also indicates that serious drug interactions can occur between St. John’s Wort and other frequently used anti-depressants.

A study in the Journal of Preventive Medicine indicates that exercising for half an hour per day, six days per week, offers significant mental health benefits — and for those suffering from depression, benefits are comparable to those of medication or cognitive behavioral therapy.

The advertising of prescription anti-depressants directly to consumers has been shown to exert a strong influence on the behaviour of prescribing physicians: if a patient requests a specific anti-depressant such as Paxil, they are much more likely to be prescribed that medication by their physician than if they don’t make such a request.