Talk of the Down
• Depression has its own patterns of speech. University of Texas researchers find that depressed people use more negative words, express more negative thoughts and think and talk more about themselves than the nondepressed do.
An Eye Opener
• In people with age-related macular degeneration, depression accelerates the decline in visual function. Depression is not normal, even in persons with visual loss.
Safe Bet?
• The same mood stabilizers that help control manic depression (lithium, divalproex) also help control pathologic gambling, a preliminary study finds. The drugs reduce gambling urges but not as a result of mood improvement.
