It is important for patients to understand the benefits and any potential side effects of medications prescribed for them. As patients become more involved in their health care, including learning more facts about their medication, their discussions with their providers will be more meaningful.
Medication Use and Older Adults
Researchers found that when older adults were asked to bring in the brown paper bag containing their medicines, the list of medications in the bag was more complete than their official pharmacy records. Learn more...
Mental Health Medications
Medications, which are sometimes used along with psychotherapy, treat the symptoms of mental disorders, including anxiety disorders, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia. Learn more...
Alzheimer’s Disease: Caregiver Guide
Caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease (AD) at home is a difficult task and can become overwhelming at times. Each day brings new challenges as the caregiver copes with changing levels of ability and new patterns of behavior. Research has shown that caregivers themselves often are at increased risk for depression and illness, especially if they do not receive adequate support from family, friends, and the community. Learn more...
Anxiety FAQs
EDIT: Anxiety is a feeling of tension associated with a sense of threat of danger when the source of the danger is not known. In contrast, fear is a feeling of tension that is associated with a known source of danger. Learn more...
Assessment of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Symptoms of bipolar disorder are different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through from time to time. Bipolar disorder symptoms can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But Bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives. Learn more...
Atopic Dermatitis / Eczema
Atopic dermatitis is often referred to as "eczema," which is a general term for the several types of inflammation of the skin. Atopic dermatitis is the most common of the many types of eczema. Learn more...
Alzheimer’s Disease FAQs
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia. This page answers questions about two major types of Alzheimer's disease, Early Alzheimer's and Late Alzheimer's. Learn more...
Antidepressant Medications for Children and Adolescents: Information for Parents and Caregivers
As it is in adults, depression in children and adolescents is treatable. Antidepressant medications can be beneficial to children and adolescents with depression. However, knowledge of antidepressant treatments in youth, is limited compared to what is known about treating depression in adults. There is some concern that the use of antidepressant medications may induce suicidal behavior in youths. Some psychological therapies also have been shown to be effective. Learn more...
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorders affect millions of American adults each year, causing them to be filled with fearfulness and uncertainty. Unlike the relatively mild, brief anxiety caused by a stressful event, such as speaking in public or a first date, Anxiety Disorders last at least 6 months and may worsen if they are not treated. Learn more...
Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder
Attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, ADHD, is highlighted by the persistent inability of a person to pay attention to what is considered important. There may be the additional characteristics of hyperactive motor movements and/or impulsivity. Learn more...
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. Symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They are different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through from time to time. Bipolar disorder symptoms can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives. Learn more...
Bipolar Disorder and Sleep
Sleep deprivation results in feelings of malaise, poor concentration, and moodiness, and even accidental deaths. Learn more...
Bipolar Disorder FAQs
People who have the classic form of bipolar disorder experience alternating periods of depressed moods and periods of manic or excited moods. This condition is sometimes referred to as "mood swings" or manic depressive disorder. Other people with bipolar disorder have episodes of a manic mood without episodes of depression. Still others with bipolar disorder have a mixture of depression and mania, a state of hyperactivity, at the same time. Learn more...
Bipolar Disorder in Children and Teens: A Parent’s Guide
This booklet discusses bipolar disorder in children and teens. Bipolar disorder often develops in a person's late teens or early adult years, but some people have their first symptoms during childhood. Learn more...
Bone Health
Both men and women lose bone as they grow older. But women need to give bone health their full attention because they have smaller bones than men and they lose bone faster than men. Over time bone loss can lead to osteoporosis, which makes your bones weak and more likely to break. Learn more...
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a devastating and complex disorder characterized by overwhelming fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. People with CFS most often function at a significantly lower level of activity than they were capable of before the onset of illness. Learn more...
Chronic Pain and Alternative Treatment Options
Millions of Americans suffer from daily chronic pain. Some of the common medical conditions are associated with chronic pain. Chronic pain can be defined as pain that last for 6 months or more and causes a marked diminishment in social and/or occupational activities. Learn more...
Commonly Abused Drugs
This page lists drugs that are commonly abused. The list also contains commercial names, street names, intoxication effects and potential health consequences from using the substance. Learn more...
Depression
Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad, but these feelings are usually fleeting and pass within a couple of days. When a person has a depressive disorder, it interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her. Depression is a common but serious illness, and most who experience it need treatment to get better. Learn more...
Depression and Diabetes
Studies show that depression and diabetes may be linked, but scientists do not yet know whether depression increases the risk of diabetes or diabetes increases the risk of depression. Current research suggests that both cases are possible. Learn more...
Depression and Disability in Children and Adolescents
For many years, depression and other disorders of mood were thought to be afflictions of only adults. Within the past three decades, however, it has become evident that mood disorders are common among children and adolescents. This digest focuses on three depressive disorders that are exhibited in childhood and adolescence. Learn more...
Depression FAQs
Depression is a prolonged or deep emotional sensation of sadness, being "blue", or "down." Depressive feelings such as discouragement or sadness are perfectly normal if they do not become too severe or last too long. Depression becomes a clinical problem if a person's mood becomes too depressed or if the episode lasts more than two weeks. Learn more...
Depression and High School Students
Depression is a common but serious mental illness typically marked by sad or anxious feelings. Most students occasionally feel sad or anxious, but these emotions usually pass quickly - within a couple of days. Untreated depression lasts for a long time and interferes with your day-to-day activities. Learn more...
Depression and HIV
Individuals with serious illnesses such as HIV may be at greater risk for depression. Along with treatment for HIV, depression should also be treated. Learn more...
Depression in Women
When a woman has a depressive disorder, it interferes with daily life and normal functioning, and causes pain for both the woman with the disorder and those who care about her. Depression is a common but serious illness, and most who have it need treatment to get better. Learn more...
Diabetes in Children and Adolescents
Diabetes is one of the most serious health problems facing the world today. In the United States each year, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Increasingly, health care providers are finding more and more children and teens with type 2 diabetes, a disease usually seen in people over age forty. Learn more...
Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD: Interview with Harlan Gephart, MD
ADHD is a chronic health condition, and early identification and treatment of the disorder increase the child's chance for academic, emotional, and social success. Learn more...
Diagnosis of Depression in Parkinson’s Disease
Almost half of all patients with Parkinson’s Disease will experience depression at some point in their illness. Depression is an illness characterized by sad mood and/or diminished ability to enjoy things and is accompanied by other symptoms such as changes in appetite, problems sleeping or excessive sleepiness, decreased energy level, slowed movements and poor concentration. Learn more...
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia syndrome is a common and chronic disorder characterized by widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points. Tender points are specific places on the body on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, and upper and lower extremities where people with fibromyalgia feel pain in response to slight pressure. Fibromyalgia can cause significant pain and fatigue, and it can interfere with a person's ability to carry on daily activities. Learn more...
Fighting Phobias The Things That Go Bump in the Mind
A phobia is an intense, unrealistic fear of an object, an event, or a feeling. An estimated 18 percent of the U.S. adult population suffers from some kind of phobia, and a person can develop a phobia of anything--elevators, clocks, mushrooms, closed spaces, open spaces. Exposure to these trigger the rapid breathing, pounding heartbeat, and sweaty palms of panic. Learn more...
Five Keys for Quitting Smoking
Studies have shown that the five steps in this article will help you quit tobacco for good. Learn more...
Headache
Most headaches do not require medical attention. Headaches usually result from missed meals or occasional muscle tension and are easily remedied. If the problem is not relieved by standard treatments, a headache sufferer may be referred to an internist, a neurologist, or a psychologist. Drug therapy, biofeedback training, stress reduction, and elimination of certain foods from the diet are the most common methods of preventing and controlling headaches. Learn more...
Hyperactivity
Hyperactivity, which is sometimes associated with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is defined as excessive physical activity or movements that have no purpose and are increased in speed. Learn more...
Looking Out For Depression in Older Adults
Depression is an illness that affects many older people. It generally affects their physical as well as their mental well-being. Fortunately, it is a highly treatable illness. Complete, or at least partial improvement, can be obtained in eighty to ninety percent of cases. Learn more...
Lowdown on Depression
According to the NIMH, most people with a depressive illness do not get the help they need, although the great majority of them can be helped. Without treatment, the symptoms of depression can last for weeks, months, or even years. With treatment, many people can find relief from their symptoms and lead a normal, healthy life. Learn more...
Manic-Depressive Disorder
Manic-depressive disorder is the former name for bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a serious brain disease that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and functioning. Men and women are equally likely to develop this disabling illness. The disorder typically emerges in adolescence or early adulthood, but in some cases appears in childhood. Cycles, or episodes, of depression, mania, or mixed manic and depressive symptoms typically recur and may become more frequent, often disrupting work, school, family, and social life. Learn more...
Migraine
The pain of a migraine headache is often described as an intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head. Migraine is three times more common in women than in men. Some can predict the onset of a migraine because it is preceded by an "aura," visual disturbances that appear as flashing lights, zig-zag lines or a temporary loss of vision. People with migraine tend to have recurring attacks. Learn more...
Multiple Sclerosis
Most people experience their first symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) between the ages of 20 and 40; the initial symptom of MS is often blurred or double vision, red-green color distortion, or even blindness in one eye. Most MS patients experience muscle weakness in their extremities and difficulty with coordination and balance. These symptoms may be severe enough to impair walking or even standing. Learn more...
Pain Control: A Guide for People with Cancer and Their Families
Having cancer does not always mean having pain. For those with pain, there are many different kinds of medicines, ways to receive the medicine, and non-medicine methods that can relieve the pain. Learn more...
Panic Disorder
Panic is a rush of overwhelming anxiety that comes on very quickly. People use the word "terror" to describe the severity of the anxiety connected with panic. Sometimes the sudden episode is called a panic attack. Learn more...
Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson's disease belongs to a group of conditions called motor system disorders. The four primary symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement and impaired balance and coordination. Learn more...
Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a condition that describes a range of physical and emotional changes that many mothers can have after having a baby. PPD can be treated with medication and counseling. Mothers should talk with their health care provider it they think they might have postpartum depression. Learn more...
Prescription Medicine for the Treatment of Obesity
As with other chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, the use of prescription medications may be appropriate for some people who are overweight or obese. Learn more...
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease of scaling and inflammation. It primarily affects both male and female adults, equally. In its typical form, psoriasis results in patches of thick, red skin covered with silvery scales. These patches, which are sometimes referred to as plaques, usually itch or feel sore. Learn more...
Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic disorders are mental disorders in which the personality is seriously disorganized and a person's contact with reality is impaired. During a psychotic episode a person is confused about reality and often experiences delusions and/or hallucinations. Learn more...
PTSD Fact Sheet
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see, hear about, or that happens to you. During a traumatic event, you think that your life or others' lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is happening. Learn more...
Questions and Answers About Acne
Acne is a disorder resulting from the action of hormones and other substances on the skin's oil glands (sebaceous glands) and hair follicles. These factors lead to plugged pores and outbreaks of lesions commonly called pimples or zits. Learn more...
Questions and Answers About Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases
Arthritis means joint inflammation. Although joint inflammation describes a symptom or sign rather than a specific diagnosis, the term “arthritis” is often used to refer to any disorder that affects the joints. These disorders fall within the broader category of rheumatic diseases. Learn more...
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history. People with the disorder may hear voices other people don't hear. They may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. This can terrify people with the illness and make them withdrawn or extremely agitated. Learn more...
Schizophrenia: A Handbook For Families
This handbook has been primarily developed as a guide for families when early signs indicate that a relative may have schizophrenia, and as a resource for these families when a diagnosis of schizophrenia has been determined. Learn more...
Sleep Disorders
Sleep problems frequently occur around periods of stress in a person's life. For example, it is not at all uncommon for a person's sleep to be disrupted following the death of a loved one or around the time of a major medical problem. Therefore, many sleep problems resolve once the stress is resolved or the medical condition subsides. However, some sleep disorders can begin with an acute problem and become a chronic sleep problem. Learn more...
Sports Injuries
In recent years, increasing numbers of people of all ages have been heeding their health professionals' advice to get active for all of the health benefits exercise has to offer. But for some people - particularly those who overdo or who don't properly train or warm up - these benefits can come at a price: sports injuries. Learn more...
Top 10 Things You Should Know About Antidepressants
Antidepressants are prescription drugs used to treat depression and a variety of other psychological conditions such as anxiety, panic, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Some depression drugs are also used to treat medical conditions, such as chronic pain. Learn more...
Your Child and Medication
One in ten of America's children has an emotional disturbance such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression or anxiety, that can cause unhappiness for the child and problems at home, at play, and at school. Since each child is different, choosing the right treatment for your child is very important. At times, psychotherapies, behavioral strategies, and family support may be very effective. In other cases, medications are needed to help the child become more able to cope with everyday activities. Learn more...