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Long before movies like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" first hit theatres in 1975, films and TV programs have depicted stereotypes of people with mental illnesses, psychiatric wards and the professionals therein. But slowly, the pictures are changing to represent the real people struggling, surviving, and succeeding with mental challenges as part of their daily realities. And so, the Oscar goes to . . . [More]

For some sufferers of chronic depression, medications and psychotherapy bring no relief. For those people, researchers are looking at a completely different kind of treatment. And while drilling a hole into the brain may sound like something out of science fiction movies, it just might be the answer. The treatment requires a very small hole in the brain—but, it has been showing big results. [More]

It isn't unusual to feel a little more tired--maybe even a little depressed--during the winter months. The long, dark, cold nights and brief hours of sunlight can ruin anyone's mood. For some, however, the effect is more serious. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) causes a host of debilitating symptoms in sufferers, but research is finding ways to help. [More]

Researchers have found that some of us are in a state of ‘mind-wandering’, or daydreaming, as much as 50 percent of our waking time. Is that excessive? What is actually going on in someone’s brain when they are present in a room, but not focusing on the activity taking place? Could ‘mind-wandering’ be a symptom of mental illness? [More]

Several researchers have found that volunteering and other acts of altruism can benefit a person’s mental and physical well-being. [More]

More than any other generation before them, Millennials are stressed out and anxious. According to researchers, they are the generation at the highest risk for mental illness. How did this happen? And can the results be reversed? [More]

A handful of crayons and a pad of paper. A blank canvas and tubes of colorful paints. These just may be the best addition to treatment for someone with a mental illness. Typical therapy sessions call for verbal expression, and the back and forth deliveries of a therapist's questions and a patient's answers. Researchers are rediscovering that art therapy allows for expression, exploration and a different way to heal. [More]

The stress is palpable. Deadlines are looming for students in colleges and universities across the U.S. and Canada. The end of November means final exams are just around the corner; term papers are due. Add a disorder like ADHD to the end-of-term pressures and survival may seem uncertain. Can students with ADHD succeed in post-secondary studies? [More]

Mental health therapy. The words conjure images of a patient lying on a couch while a Freudian-looking therapist sits in an adjacent chair, notebook and pen poised to write. But in the 21st century, there are powerful new mental health options: digital tools. What are they and which ones would you trust with your mental health? [More]

Every morning, many of us subject ourselves to a rude awakening—the sound of an alarm forcing us into the day’s obligations. But what does this artificial arousal have in common with current research into mental illness? A lot. The ebb and flow of the human daily biological clock, known as circadian rhythm, while different from person to person, dictates when we should wake, eat and sleep. More than ever, scientists recognize that denying the body its opportunity to sleep when it needs to can have detrimental effects on our physical and psychological well-being. [More]