Depression Treatment May Reduce Heart Disease Risks. A study that involved 7,550 people has found that effectively treating depression can lower a patient’s risks for cardiovascular disease to the level of those who never had depression, reducing their chances of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and early death. Study author Dr. Heidi May notes, “Our…

Mindfulness Training May Reduce PTSD Symptoms. The mass implementation of mindfulness training may help war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) better manage their disturbing memories and thoughts. In this pilot study, 23 United States veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars practiced either mindfulness mediation or participated in another form of therapy over a…

A Happy Marriage & Smart Wife May Prompt Men to Get a Colonoscopy. According to new study, older men are more likely to have a colonoscopy if they’re happily married and have a highly educated wife. The study looked at more than 800 older married couples and found that married men were nearly 20% more…

Death and the Very Elderly. Older seniors are often willing to talk about death, but they’re rarely asked about it. British researchers interviewed several dozen people over 95 years of age about their attitudes on death and end-of-life care and noted that most of them felt prepared to die. Study leader Dr. Jane Fleming explains,…

Sleepless Nights Linked to Changes in the Brain. Chinese researchers report that insomnia may lead to abnormalities in the white matter of the brain, the tissue which carries information between the various parts of the organ. For the study, the researchers recruited 23 patients with primary insomnia and 30 healthy volunteers. The participants completed surveys…

Chronic Stress Can Affect Memory. Individuals subjected to chronic stress due to bullying or a tough job may experience problems with their memory. Researchers found that mice who were repeatedly stressed by larger, more aggressive mice when they tried to find an escape hole in a maze became more forgetful than mice not exposed to…

Increasing Depression May Indicate Greater Dementia Risk. Depression is a known risk factor for dementia, but most studies have only focused on depression at a single point in time and not over a multi-year time frame. In this study, researchers looked at the depressive symptoms of 2,488 seniors over a five-year time period and then…

Fidgeting May Be Important for Learning in Students with ADHD. Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often get into trouble for fidgeting in class, but a new study suggests that fidgeting may help them learn. The research team based their findings on observing the amount of fidgeting 25 children with ADHD did while solving…

Green Space May Help Students’ Academic Performance. Students in high school who can gaze upon a green landscape from their classroom are better able to both cope with stress and focus on their studies than students in a windowless room or a room without a green view. The research team behind this finding hopes it…

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms Worse Among Those Abused as Children. New research suggests that individuals with bipolar disorder who have a history of childhood abuse or neglect may have an increased risk for more severe manic, depressive, and psychotic symptoms as well as a higher risk of suicide than bipolar disorder patients with a less traumatic…