Physicians may be able to detect and treat Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in its earliest stages, when patients are experiencing only mild degrees of cognitive impairment, thanks to new diagnostic criteria proposed by an international group of researchers.

Published in Lancet Neurology, the development of new guidelines was co-led by Dr. Howard Feldman, head of the Div. of Neurology in the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine. [continue reading…]

 Teenage pregnancy is widely recognized to be a major public health concern. These young mothers face many life challenges and they have an increased risk for becoming depressed. How might the behavior of these young mothers be related to later psychiatric or behavioral problems in some of their offspring? A new study being published in Biological Psychiatryon September 15th suggests an association between a history of depression in the mothers, a particular style of mothering, “maternal over-control”, and increased stress reactivity of their infants. [continue reading…]

How reality TV preys upon desperation

By Martin Binks (director of behavioral health and research director at Duke University’s Diet & Fitness Center)

As the new season of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” unfolds this week, ask yourself this: Would I want to watch my loved one — who struggles daily with the physical, mental and emotional ramifications of a life-threatening illness — treated this way? The program, which capitalizes on one of the country’s fastest-growing epidemics, is the latest example of how the sideshow mentality and sensationalistic abuse of reality television has gone too far. [continue reading…]