Examining Wellbutrin can help us dispel some myths and misconceptions about mental health medications — “The pharmacist told me I shouldn’t take the Wellbutrin the way you wrote the prescription,” a patient I prescribed it to recently said to me “She said the Wellbutrin SR releases medicine for 12 hours and the XL does it for 24.” At least once a month my patients are…

Good may still accrue from having your words kidnapped. — Plagiarists have been stealing credit from legitimate authors since before we had written words, co-opting the compositions of poets and balladeers. But with the advent of the printing press, and later, the internet, the pool of writers and readers expanded exponentially, providing more opportunities for appropriating the work of others. …

The internet provides plenty of pitfalls for self-diagnosis. — We learn by trying new things. But sometimes it’s best not to go there. Don’t answer “Do these pants make me look fat?” Don’t press the nuclear launch button. And don’t use the internet to diagnose yourself with a mental health condition. For years public health experts have encouraged individuals…

We need to move beyond simple checklists for diagnosing and assessing depression — This article is part of a Wise & Well Special Report: The United States of Depression. Depression causes confusion and pain. It dulls the mind. It kills thousands of Americans each year through suicide. But it also bleeds into physical ailments, increasing the likelihood of serious accidents or of developing…

Are there perks to caffeine, or just grounds for avoiding it? — More earthlings consume caffeine than any other psychoactive substance. 80% of Americans drink some every day. We know caffeine is a stimulant, and stimulants are used to treat ADHD, right? So what’s the harm in treating my child’s ADHD with caffeine? On the other hand, isn’t caffeine a herbicide and…

Suicides are not just deaths of despair, despite public perception — Americans do far too good a job of killing themselves. Suicide is a major cause of death in the United States, with a record number of Americans, almost 50,000, dying from suicide last year. The tragedy of individual deaths is horrible enough, but suicide also rips apart families and communities…

Lessons learned about opioids, surgeries, good posture, and the US healthcare system — I was no stranger to back pain. In my early forties I had three episodes of severe lumbar pain, lasting several weeks each. Lumbar is just the word doctors use for “low back.” …

Smiling enhances health, happiness and community. But not all smiles are honest. ; -) — Smiles aren’t just billboards advertising enjoyment. Smiling leads to healthier bodies. Smiling makes you feel better. Smiling enhances your social connections. Dozens of experiments show that genuine smiling improves physical health. …

Bodies teach us that the future is unknown, and even the present always contains uncertainties — Note: medical experiences, but not medical advice, included in this essay. Any way I looked at it, this was going to be a big year in my life. After more than thirty years living in the center of San Francisco, I moved to a rural location on the Big Island…