Harvard Mental Health Letter articles from February 2005

Harvard Mental Health Letter archives from February 2005

Dysthymia.
February 1, 2005... Psychotherapists and patients confront the high cost of "low-grade" depression. Depression is a word with many meanings -- anything from a passing mood of sadness or discouragement to a condition of inconsolable misery, suicidal thoughts,...

Asperger's syndrome.
February 1, 2005... In the disorder discovered by Hans Asperger in the 1940's, the classical autistic symptoms -- low capacity for communication and social interaction, restricted and repetitious stereotyped behavior -- take a different and less disabling form...

Favoring ourselves: Biased attribution.
February 1, 2005... Intuition suggests and studies have repeatedly confirmed that most people, most of the time, overestimate themselves. They exaggerate the extent of their control over their lives. They blame personal misfortunes and failures on accident,...

In brief; Testing antidepressants: How methods affect results.
February 1, 2005... In many clinical trials of antidepressants eventually approved by the FDA, there was little or no difference in therapeutic effect between the drug and a placebo. An analysis published in the American Journal of Psychiatry aims at teasing out...

In brief; The cost of late-life depression.
February 1, 2005... To judge the true social impact of depression in the elderly and the benefits of treatment, it is essential to take account of free care provided by family members and friends. That conclusion comes from the Health and Retirement Study,...

Questions & Answers.(stereotype threat)
February 1, 2005... Q. What is stereotype threat, and does the term have practical significance? A. Hostile or dismissive stereotypes are a terrible burden. Members of stereotyped groups must be ready to respond to predictable frustrations and perils --...