Short course: Grief not a mental illness,says Lancet

Grief is not an illness; it is more usefully thought of as part of being human and a normal response to the death of a loved one, write the editors who are worried by moves which appear to categorise extreme emotions as diseases.

Doctors tempted to prescribe pills would do better to offer time,compassion,remembrance and empathy to those who are grieving,suggest the editors.

In fact,the editorial opposes the American Psychiatric Associations controversial proposal to re-categorise grief reactions as a mental illness in the upcoming edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Medicalising grief,so that treatment is legitimised routinely with antidepressants,for example,is not only dangerously simplistic,but also flawed. Feelings of deep sadness,sleeplessness,crying,inability to concentrate,tiredness,and no appetite,which continue for more than two weeks after the death of a loved one,could be diagnosed as depression,rather than as a grief reaction,the editors write.

Disrupted sleep linked to Alzheimers

WASHINGTON: Struggling to sleep at night? It could spell trouble for your memory in old age and cause Alzheimers disease,a study has claimed.

Researchers at Washington Universitys School of Medicine found that middle-aged people who woke frequently in the night had a higher risk of developing Alzheimers later in life.

Preliminary results of the study,which will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology meet in April,suggested that treating sleep problems might be beneficial for the brain in the long run.

Antibiotics dont cure most sinus infections

WASHINGTON: Antibiotics dont help fight most sinus infections,although doctors routinely prescribe them for this,according to a US study. Researchers,whose work was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association,found that antibiotics didnt ease symptoms any sooner than an inactive placebo pill. Antibiotics are known to fuel the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria. This is a particular concern with sinus infections,because doctors cant tell if the disease is caused by bacteria or by a virus,in which case antibiotics are useless.

Therapy apps to help relieve depression

NEW YORK: Researchers have been testing simple video-game-like psychotherapy programs aimed at relieving common problems like anxiety and depression. These recent results have been encouraging enough that investigators are now delivering the programs on smartphones therapy apps,in effect,that may soon make psychological help accessible anytime,anywhere. The prospect of a therapy icon next to Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja is stirring as much dread as hope. Well-designed apps could reach millions who lack the means or interest to engage in traditional therapy. This approach is called cognitive bias modification,which seeks to break some of the brains bad habits.