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Wrecked in a Mist of Opium – The Effects of Prescription Opioid Abuse

By Dr. Chris Ball |June 12, 2016|English

The English author and cultural critic Matthew Arnold described fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge as a “philosopher wrecked in a mist of opium.” Using laudanum (a tincture of opium) to treat various ailments led Coleridge to lifelong addiction....
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Can People Be Helped to Quit Smoking?

By Ross Campbell |May 29, 2016|English

E-cigarettes are often sold as an alternative to regular cigarettes that can help smokers quit because they are supposedly a healthier substitute for tobacco. Despite e-cigarettes lacking the majority of substances known to cause smoking-related diseases,...
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Can Antidepressant Treatment Lead to a Broken Heart?

By Dr. Chris Ball |May 08, 2016|English

The recognition of mental health problems has improved in many countries. For example, more than 1 million people in the UK sought help from the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, a service set up by the National Health Service (NHS),...
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The Link Between Diesel Emissions and Poor Health – Something in the Air?

By Ross Campbell |May 02, 2016|English

Every year 3.7 million premature deaths worldwide are attributed to illnesses caused by air pollution.1 Around half a million of these occur in Europe.2 Pollutants caused by traffic – specifically, nitrogen dioxide and particulates – are...
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Disability Underwriting: Expanded Use of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

By Susan Hendrix |April 07, 2016|English

U.S. underwriters of individual disability policies often struggle making an underwriting decision when a physician has noted subjective symptoms without diagnosis. This is especially true when assessing conditions such as anxiety and depression. It...
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Fighting Workplace Stress – How Resilience Can Help Improve Mental Health

By Anke Siebers |March 17, 2016|English | Deutsch

Workplace stress can lead to diminished job performance, personal unhappiness and psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. It has a significant effect on health and the economy. Stress is the second most reported work-related health issue...
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