We are all born with genes that predispose us to all kinds of things–in my case, most of the psychiatric illnesses listed in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition). And while we have some control over the way our genes express themselves or “turn on” – a new science called epigenetics—we are more or...
Most people are still locked into the theory that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain – a shortage of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin that deliver messages from one neuron to another. That explanation works well for public consumption because it’s simple and it makes for great pharmaceutical commercials. But depression is...
There was a girl in front of me in yoga yesterday with a long text written on her side. I was squinting to see what it said—I almost pulled out my readers—but then I realized we had mirrors in front of us so she could see me struggling to try to read her skin. I...
In 1996, psychologist Roy Baumeister, Ph.D. conducted a cruel experiment. With some of his former Case Western Reserve University colleagues, he studied the effect of tempting participants with scrumptious treats in order to see how much willpower human beings actually have. He kept the 67 participants in a room that smelled like freshly baked chocolate...
Bipolar disorder is one of the most difficult illnesses to treat because by addressing the depression part of the condition, you can inadvertently trigger mania or hypomania. Even in Bipolar II, where the hypomania is less destabilizing than the often-psychotic manic episodes of Bipolar I, persons often suffer from a debilitating depression that can’t be...
