Bipolar Link to Older Fathers

Children born to older fathers face a greater chance of developing bipolar disorder, according to one of the largest studies linking mental illness with advanced paternal age.
Previous research has connected schizophrenia and autism with older dads, and a Danish study published last year added bipolar disorder to the list.
The new study, led by researchers at [...]

Read Full Post »

It Seems I’m Crazy After All

While listening to Marilyn Manson today I found myself wondering whether he had any hidden messages in his music and whether people who hear hidden messages in music have a mental illness.
I googled it and found out that backward messages in music (commonly known as Backward Masking) have been a controversy ever since the late 60’s when [...]

Read Full Post »

Schizophrenia Researchers Welcome New Blood

Researchers from the Queensland Brain Institute are set to conduct a world first trial into the link between prenatal vitamin D levels and schizophrenia.
Funded by the NHMRC and led by QBI’s Dr Darryl Eyles, a team of four researchers will study blood spots taken from newborn babies who have gone on to develop schizophrenia in early [...]

Read Full Post »

Banks to Show More Compassion to Homeowners

I recently had coffee with two people affilliated with a major lending institution. They are involved in reposessing houses.
I myself work in mortgagee sales and  the conversation ventured into the attitude of borrowers who are in the process of having their house reposessed.
What shocked and saddened me were the remarks made by these representatives of this major lending [...]

Read Full Post »

Well Sibling Syndrome

The devastating effects of mental illness have been well documented in films, books, and academia. But until recently there has been little said about the sisters and brothers of the mentally ill. Now researchers are starting to look at what they’re calling the “well-sibling” syndrome.
“As hard as parents may try, and they do, to meet [...]

Read Full Post »

Online Writing Study – The Black Dog Institute

Over the centuries, many people have been naturally drawn to writing about their life and their experiences, through journals, creative writing, and other forms of written expression.   Day to day life can be stressful as people strive for balance between family, friends and work. 
The Black Dog Institute of NSW Australia are interested in whether certain [...]

Read Full Post »

Depression & Fatigue

With depression comes fatigue. Some antidepressants can reduce the amount of fatigue a depressed person feels. Very rarely am I energetic without a Berocca (vitamin B) and a can of Coke every day. Red Bull or other energy drinks also remove the fatigue by boosting the body’s caffeine intake.
A European study has found evidence that depression and [...]

Read Full Post »

New Study – Marijuana Use Damages Brain

Australian researchers have found in a world first study that long term significant cannabis use causes significant damage to parts of the brain that regulate memory and emotion.
The study was conducted by Dr Murat Yucel, from the University of Melbourne and the Orygen Research Centre.
The team scanned the brains of heavy users and found never-seen-before [...]

Read Full Post »

50% Rise in Young Women Self Harming

The rate of hospitalisation for deliberate self harm among young women jumped by half in the decade to 2005-06 a new report reveals.
While suicide rates dropped, hospitalisation for self harm among people aged 12-24 increased by 43 per cent, according to an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report.
Self harm frequently involves cutting and poisoning [...]

Read Full Post »