2021

As we grow, our brains change. Learning new skills and going through new experiences can alter the neural pathways that control our thought processes. This happens throughout our lives in a process called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is at play almost every moment. All your behaviors and thoughts can either rewire your brain, or reinforce the pathways that are already there. This is essential for learning, but it can also influence the thought patterns behind your moods, potentially being the cause of various mental health conditions and preventing you from breaking from the negative thought patterns that are a symptom of many…

People can experience depression at any age. But older adults, especially those over the age of 65, have an increased risk for depression. A lifetime of experiences, loss of loved ones, pain and illness, reduced abilities, and worry about aging and death are significant challenges adults face as they get older, and they can contribute to depression. Yet depression is underdiagnosed in seniors, and many of the older adults who experience depression do not get the help they need to manage the symptoms. Estimates place the number of people in this demographic living with a mental health condition at around…

For those who have heard of postpartum depression, most understand it as a depressive illness that affects women in the weeks after they give birth, causing them to be unhappy and making it difficult for them to care for their new baby. Depression is often brought on by hormonal changes during pregnancy and the stress around a birth. While postpartum depression is a severe struggle for 15% of women, doctors are also realizing that many men experience postpartum depression too. As many as 5 to 10% of new fathers also experience depression symptoms after the birth of their child. Symptoms…

Many Western cultures, including the U.S., have long characterized men as more resilient, independent, and less troubled by emotional upset. Under this characterization, depression is sometimes seen as a mental health condition that men do not experience, or at least do not show symptoms of. But as many men can attest, this simply is not true. At least 30% of men have experienced or will experience symptoms of depression at some point in their lives. Over 9% of men are currently experiencing depression. In addition, men with depression are four times more likely to attempt suicide than women. Whether from…

There is a correlation between depression and alcohol abuse. One does not necessarily cause the other, but those who exhibit alcoholism are likely to have clinical depression. Likewise, those who abuse alcohol have likely dealt with depression symptoms or are currently doing so. Although alcohol addiction and depression may not cause each other, alcoholism will impact the symptoms of depression. It can make the symptoms stronger, longer lasting, and more difficult to recover from.  Symptoms of Depression that is Affected by Drinking Alcohol Alcohol is a depressant. This means it reduces nervous system functioning and the production of certain chemicals…

The teenage years can be difficult. Many adolescents are just starting to figure out how to manage and express their emotions. Coupled with the stresses of school, friends, work, and the future, moodiness is not uncommon in young adults. But depression in teenagers is also common, with about 20% of people experiencing symptoms of clinical depression before they reach adulthood. Yet fewer than half of these young adults receive treatment because they do not know how to reach out, or do not understand what they are experiencing. The symptoms of adolescent depression can be different from what adults experience. Being…