Sounds like a trashy tabloid headline, doesn’t it? But, it’s not far from the truth.
In Japan, seniors are beginning to be the largest portion of the population- almost 20%, and this number is set to double by the middle of the century. Japanese couples are having fewer children and are busy with their own lives, leaving the seniors to their own devices.
Citing loneliness as their reason, many of these elderly people have turned to shoplifting. Often, they don’t do it because they need the items, they do it because it gets them out of the house and gives them a …read more

I’m sure you’ve heard of the winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder, where people are unable to function due to lack of sunlight. In fact, it’s long been thought that there is an increase in the number of suicides in late autumn and early winter months due to this lack of sunlight and increased hours of darkness.
But now a new study by Swedish researchers indicates that, in some places in the world, too much sunlight can also be a catalyst for an increased number of people committing suicide.
The researchers studied the suicide rates of people living in Greenland,  a country …read more

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to ‘dance like no one is watching’.
Turns out it’s not such a bad idea. Dancing, it seems, has many health benefits. Besides the obvious – it is exercise and therefore should help you keep fit – dancing is also good for lowering the risk of dementia, helping those with depression, and improving balance for those with Parkinsons.
So I’m going to make good my resolution and ‘dance like no one is watching’. And for inspiration, I’ll follow the lead of Matt Harding, better known for his video ‘Where the Hell is Matt?’. …read more

“I find myself regarding existence as though from beyond the tomb, from another world; all is strange to me; I am, as it were, outside my own body and individuality; I am depersonalized, detached, cut adrift. Is this madness?”
(Henri Frédéric Amiel, Swiss Philosopher, July 8, 1880)
It hit a few film festivals, pretty much bypassed the mainstream theaters, and is now being released on DVD, but if you get a chance, check out Matthew Perry’s latest movie, Numb.
It’s a semi-autobiographical  dark comedy about mental health and romance by writer-director Harris Goldberg, a Hollywood screenwriter suffering from acute Depersonalisation Disorder (DPD).
DPD is …read more

Yes, ladies, your man can (and probably does) fake it from time to time.
How do you like them apples?
Shocking, of course. Conventional wisdom says that it’s the ladies who excel at Oscar-worthy fake orgasmic performances, while the boys are genuinely pleasured every time.
But not so, says this article. In fact, due to increased usage in anti-depressants, and other life’s stresses, reaching the Big O can occasionally be elusive for menfolk as well.
The cure? Same things as for the ladies:
1) Have sex only when you want to. Forcing yourself to have sex when you’re not in the mood can make …read more

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though its breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
Youll see the sun come shining through for you
Smile by Nat King Cole
A beautiful song but prehaps not the best thing for your health according to German professor Professor Dieter Zapf. He conducted a two year study with 4,000 volunteers who were subjected to daily abuse in a fake call centre. Half of them were allowed to answer back and the other half had to ‘grin and bear it.’
Turns out that those who …read more

In case you missed it, the other day, we at Healthbolt heard from Tris Hussey, a b5 pal and long-time depression sufferer. Tris’s interview was surely enlightening and hopefully encouraging, but in addition to his story, there are many, many other ways to explore depression and mental health in general.
Thus, in honor of Mental Health Awareness month, the entire b5media Health & Wellness channel rallied together to bring you the best explorations of mental health we could. The awesome Alicia at Mental Health Notes was our gracious host for this month’s theme day, and compiled all of our post links …read more

Tomorrow is theme day once again here at the b5media Health & Wellness channel and this month is all about depression. Not a sunny topic, I know, but one that is vitally important and has most likely touched each and every one of us in some way or another.
Thus, I am so honored to have been able to interview Tristram Hussey, our very own blogger training extraordinaire. Tris has been suffering with depression for many years and has some incredibly valuable insight to share regarding diagnosis, treatment, triggers and more. Tris’s hope is that if this interview helps even one …read more