Antidepressants Add Years To Your Life?

The first order of business: I’m terribly sorry I didn’t get any tips up on how to have as stress-free a Black Friday as possible; our home was packed this Thanksgiving, and since I usually only get to see my college senior sister on holidays, I took advantage of the time.

You understand

With the December holidays now in full swing, expect to see many tips in the coming weeks, both here at Mental Health Notes and throughout the entire B5 Science & Health Channel!

The second order of business: Mental Health Notes is actually having a Saturday Sanity event…on Saturday! Yay!

What are you waiting for? Read on!

• Antidepressant Found To Extend Lifespan In C. Elegans: I’m in no hurry to get back on any kind of antidepressant, but “[a] team of scientists led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator Linda B. Buck has found that a drug used to treat depression can extend the lifespan of adult roundworms.”
• Did anyone ever jokingly ask you if you’d eaten paint chips as a child? Get the low down behind the thoughtless sarcasm: Even Very Low Levels Of Lead Cause Brain Damage In Children.
• When Shopping Puts the Happy in Your Holidays: As stressful as holiday shopping can be, according to this New York Times article, “Shopping, like any new or exciting experience, activates the brain’s reward center, triggering the release of dopamine. That’s the same brain chemical released by drug use, gambling and other addictive behaviors.” Of course, like any other behavior that puts you at risk for addiction, you must use caution.
• Two men ruled insane escape mental health facility: “State troopers are asking for help locating two men who escaped the Summit Behavioral Healthcare facility in Cincinnati Thursday morning.”
• Widow warned cops: Another disturbing account of psychiatric patients and the criminal justice system.

If you have any news you feel worthy of Saturday Sanity, feel free to share!