THC is the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Its structure is very similar to a chemical called anandamide, which occurs naturally in the brain. Anandamide is a kind of neurotransmitter called an endogenous cannabinoid, meaning it’s a cannabis-like chemical made by your brain. Anandamide affects various brain areas, including those related to pleasure, memory, concentration,…
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There is a large overlap between depression and alcohol use disorders. Alcohol is a convenient way to temporarily relieve the symptoms of depression, such as persistent self-critical thoughts and ruminating on past mistakes or negative possibilities. This is especially true of men who suffer from depression. While fewer men than women suffer from depression, men…
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With the days getting shorter as fall approaches, many people may experience seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. SAD is a form of depression brought on by the change of seasons. It most commonly causes people to become depressed in the fall or winter, but there are people who get it in the spring or summer.…
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Men account for about two thirds of all people who suffer from depression, but they are much less likely than women are to talk about it with friends or seek professional help. Instead, men tend to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, engage in risky behavior, or spend all their time working. Even worse, men are…
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A new study has found that small acts of kindness can improve symptoms of depression. More than 600 mildly depressed volunteers participated in the online study. They were asked to participate in one of three online training programs or a control group, complete exercises, and report back every other day for three weeks. Two months…
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The belief that alcohol kills brain cells is a persistent myth. Although it is a myth, it is an understandable one. A few drinks can can impair your coordination, speech, and judgment. You might wake up with a headache so bad you would swear you lost some brain cells. Alcohol’s effects on the brain are…
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The company that helped start the opioid epidemic in the US may now be able to profit from fighting the opioid epidemic too. Richard Sackler is part of the family that owns Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin. He was once president of the company and was involved in marketing OxyContin in the 1990s.…
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The opioid epidemic in the US continues to get worse. In 2017, the number of opioid-related deaths in the US increased by about 16 percent–an acceleration in a decades-long trend. The opioid epidemic has been driven by the excessive prescription of opioid medication starting in the mid 1990s with a marketing campaign to convince doctors…
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About 72,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2017, and at least two thirds of those deaths were opioid related. The opioid crisis has been driven by overprescription of opioid painkillers over the past 30 years. Opioid manufacturers convinced doctors that pain was being undertreated and that opioid medications were non-addictive and safe for…
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In the wake of the opioid crisis, the public is becoming more aware of the dangers of drug use and addiction. However, many misconceptions about drugs still persist. This is partly because of a rapidly changing drug scene. New drugs hit the streets all the time. Marijuana has become legal in some form in much…
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