What makes food an addiction? Are the causes of anorexia, bulimia and binge eating the same as the causes for alcoholism, smoking and other addictions? Research on eating disorders has shown that there are similarities between many cases of eating disorders and addictive conditions such as alcoholism and drug addiction. The human brain has special …

Attention Deficit Disorder is a disorder characterized by a short attention span, impulsivity, and in some cases hyperactivity.  It is often associated with children and commonly considered to be a childhood disorder.  However this is not always the case and many children with ADD continue to display symptom throughout childhood and into adulthood. Common adult …

An estimated 30% to 50% of the general population is affected by insomnia.  Insomnia is most often thought of as both a sign and a symptom that can accompany several sleep, medical and psychiatric disorders, characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep or sleep of poor quality. Opinions may differ when it comes …

Its normal to feel anxious from time to time, especially if your life is stressful. However, if you have ongoing anxiety that interferes with day to day activities and relationships and this makes it hard to enjoy life, you may have generalized anxiety disorder. The main symptom is the almost constant presence of worry or …

Major Depressive Disorder or MDD is characterized by an all-encompassing low mood, partnered with low self-esteem and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. It is a disabling condition which adversely affects a persons family, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits and general health. The diagnosis of major depressive disorder is …

In America alone, problem gambling affects more than 15 million people. More than 3 million of these are considered severe problem gamblers, otherwise known as gambling addicts or pathological gamblers. Problem gambling can strain your relationships, interfere with responsibilities at home and work, and lead to financial catastrophe. It may even lead you to do …

Per a recent report on bipolar disorder published this month in Science Daily Magazine a tendency to extreme moods can have significant benefits as well as sometimes leading to problems. Many people who have been reported as having the diagnosis are also extremely creative and successful individuals. Examples include government press advisor Alistair Campbell, actress …

Around 10 percent of people in the U.S. are believed to suffer from alcoholism over the course of their lifetime and thousands will die – even though alcoholism itself is not often listed as the cause of death.  According to some studies, a child who grows up with parents who are alcoholics has an 80 …