For Mental Health, Bad Job Worse than No Job

With unemployment still high, job seekers who have been discouraged by a lack of work might be inclined to take the first opportunity they’re offered. That will help pay the bills, but it could cause other problems: A new study suggests that some jobs are so demoralizing they’re actually worse for mental health than not working at all.

The…

Why Love Is Good for Your Health

Is marriage good for your health? In general, research suggests yes. Married people live longer, have better access to health care, enjoy a more satisfying sex life, experience less stress, live a healthier lifestyle, and have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and depression compared to their single counterparts.

The list of health perks conferred…

Postpartum Depression: Not Just for Moms

Rob Sandler likes to feel that he’s in charge of his life. He likes to make plans, set goals for himself, and achieve them. And, for the most part, he was able to do that—until his son was born.

“You suddenly have no control over what you do,” says Sandler, 38, a medical device sales rep in Houston. “You…

Video Game ‘Addiction’ Tied to Depression, Anxiety in Kids

Video game addiction among children and teens may lead to the development of psychological disorders such as depression, researchers say.

The new study found that children who are more likely to become addicted to video games (which the researchers call “pathological” video gaming) are those who spend a lot of hours playing these games, have…

Depressed? It May Boost Your Diabetes Risk

Diabetes and depression often occur together, but it’s always been a chicken-or-egg scenario. Does diabetes make people depressed or are depressed people more likely to develop diabetes? Now a large new study suggests it’s both.

People with diabetes have a higher risk for developing depression than those without the chronic condition and those who are depressed are more likely…

How Self-Stigma Hurts People With Depression

People who suffer from mental illness, including depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, face a litany of challenges: dark moods, an inability to enjoy life’s pleasures, powerful prescription medication, isolation, and social stigma. Making things worse, many also experience the pain of self-stigma, an under-reported condition in which the patient internalizes social myths and prejudices about mental illness. Experts say…

Obese Workers, Smokers Less Productive

Being obese can hurt your health, but it may also make it harder to do your job. According to a new study, obese workers take more sick days than their peers and are more likely to say they’ve experienced drops in productivity.

Researchers in the Netherlands anonymously surveyed 10,674 workers at 49 companies who performed a variety of jobs…

What Is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is an illness that causes extreme mood changes from manic episodes of very high energy to the extreme lows of depression. It is also called manic-depressive disorder.

This illness can cause behavior so extreme that you cannot function at work, in family or social situations, or in relationships with others. Some people with bipolar disorder become suicidal.

Having…