The medicinal qualities of Kava have been known for a long time but Kava (piper methysticum) has had something of a bumpy ride in terms of its acceptance in the West. Recent clinical trials however support the use of Kava in the treatment of anxiety.
Several countries have either banned or restricted the sale of Kava because of concerns... Read more
There is a recognized clinical problem in the assessment of depression in the elderly, mainly because the symptoms of early dementia (e.g. Alzheimer’s) appear so similar. Equally, there is always the possibility that symptoms of depression happen to coincide with those of dementia.
Vigilant clinicians may distinguish the two by... Read more
Everyone has memories they’d like to forget and most people have memories they cherish, look back on fondly or that make them laugh. It may seem odd to talk about our ‘relationship’ with personal memories but the connection between memories, and our emotional reactions to them, appears to influence our levels of... Read more
One of the known side effects of a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors is a lack of sex drive. Some of the better-known antidepressants in this class include citalopram, fluoxetine and sertraline, but there are more besides. What is less well known, and in some circles still debated as to its actual existence,... Read more
Not so very long ago we were reading that depression was under-diagnosed and under-treated. During the past couple of months things appear to have changed. The John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health now states that over-diagnosis and over-treatment of depression is common in the U.S. Likewise, the Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health... Read more
