To outsiders depression can be difficult to understand. It's more than just sadness or a bad day, it's a medical illness that can affect personal relationships, work and even interests.

It wasn't until her son was diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder (ADD) that Sandra Vitallo had a label for all the things she'd been feeling since childhood.

When it was discovered more than 100 years ago, Bipolar Disorder was believed to be the result of "bad blood," thought to be caused by black bile. Later the mental disorder best known for episodes of depression and mania was treated with lithium.

Every day, some 4,000 teenagers smoke their first cigarette. About 1,000 of them will become addicted daily smokers. Their new tobacco addiction will add to the $200 billion burden that smoking costs the United States every year. And with their first puff, these youngsters start the clock ticking toward an unhealthy - and likely fatal future. To combat this disturbing public health menace, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring all cigarette packaging to be wrapped in graphic and sometimes disturbing images starting next year.

You're 24 years old and you're having trouble remembering names and movie plots. It's slightly troubling, but you pass it off to having millions of impressions and images bombard your brain every day. After all, you're too young to have Alzheimer's - right? Maybe not. If you're white, you probably have the gene that increases your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Pretty scary stuff. That's not all the bad news. This gene starts doing its damage decades before AD reveals its ugliest sides, even though symptoms don't show up for years. In startling new ...

Try to find a packaged food that doesn't contain some form of sugar. Pretty tough to do. In fact, it's nearly impossible. The bitter truth is - we are drowning in sweetness. Food and beverage manufacturers add sweeteners to most processed foods because it's a cheap way to make just about anything tastier.

Researchers are opening the door to being able to offer personalized treatment to people suffering from serious mental health disorders.

Use it or lose it. How many times have we heard that? Now we're learning that exercising and nourishing the brain are essential for keeping your mind fit and flexible. What's more, we now know that maintaining an agile mind doesn't have to be difficult or painful. In fact, it can be loads of fun.

Catherine Zeta-Jones deciding to seek treatment for Bipolar II sheds light on a mental illness that affects millions of Americans. Bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic-depressive illness, is a complex spectrum of mental illness that can destroy lives. Literally.

You don't have the energy for much of anything - work or fun. Nothing seems exciting. Food either doesn't interest you or offers only a few minutes of comfort.