Health

Financial Psychology: Do You Have a Money Disorder?

May 22, 2019 By Kathryn Vercillo Leave a Comment

Let’s face it: most of us struggle with finances. Dealing with our money is a confusing thing. It’s often fraught with emotion. Even when we have significant knowledge about personal finance, sometimes we get overwhelmed by the reality of our money. Problems can crop up in so many ways. For example, we may be great at budgeting but find it challenging to talk to our family members about money. However, for some people, those challenges rise to the level of a money disorder.

What is a Money Disorder?

Dr. Brad Klontz has co-authored a book called “Mind Over Money: Overcoming the Money Disorders that Threaten Our Financial Health.” In this book, he explains that a money disorder is a destructive pattern of thoughts, emotions, and actions that relate to money. They are distorted beliefs about money. They undermine us, causing behavior that limits or sabotages us financially.

Financial Flashpoints May Cause Money Disorders

Klontz argues that “financial flashpoints” are at the root of these disorders. He says,

“Financial flashpoints are painful, distressing, and/or dramatic life events associated with money that are so emotionally powerful, they leave an imprint that lasts into adulthood.”

In some cases, the flashpoint may be a single traumatic event. For example, if your family experienced a sudden job loss that caused the financial crisis and left you homeless, then that might be your financial flashpoint. However, the flashpoint can also be a more persistent situation as well as one that’s subtler.

For example, if you grew up internalizing certain unhelpful messages about money (such as “money is the root of all evil”) then that could be your flashpoint. This understanding is similar to other types of trauma. For example, someone may develop PTSD because of a single violent event such as a rape while someone else may experience PTSD as a result of chronic insidious mental abuse.

Similarly, we can develop money disorders for different reasons. Furthermore, we may not immediately recognize their root cause.

Types of Money Disorders

In his book, Klontz outlines three broad types of money disorders. There are different types of specific problems that fall under each category.

1. Disorders of Worshipping Money

These types of money disorders related to people who have self-destructive behaviors related to earning and spending money. Specific money disorders in this category include:

Compulsive shopping
Gambling
Hoarding
Overspending
Workaholism

It’s important to note that there is some crossover between other mental health issues and money disorders. For example, hoarding may be more about an anxiety issue than a money disorder. Likewise, gambling may be more about addiction than specifically about money. A professional can help you work through these nuances.

2. Disorders of Avoiding Money

Some people obsess over money whereas others want to avoid it entirely. For example, one subcategory here is “financial denial.” If you’re the kind of person who never knows how much money you have in the bank or what you owe on loans then you might struggle with financial denial.

Financial rejection is another subcategory of avoidant money disorders. This is an emotional reaction toward acquiring money. If you feel guilt whenever you earn or save money then you might be dealing with this type of avoidance issue.

Chronic underspending and excessive aversion to financial risk are also disorders related to avoiding money.

3. Relational Money Disorders

Many of us struggle to connect with others when it comes to money. Think about it – how many of the fights in a marriage are about finances? However, this can rise to the level of a money disorder. Sub categories include:

Financial dependence, which means leaving our finances up to someone else instead of dealing with them ourselves
Financial enabling, such as when a parent continues supporting an adult child even though the parent can’t afford to do so. Notably, the financial dependent is often in a relationship with the financial enabler.
Financial incest, which relates to manipulation and emotional abuse related to finances (typically in a parent-child relationship)
Financial infidelity, which has to do with lying to your partner about spending

In other words, these problems aren’t just general fights about money. Many people disagree over money. Most of us struggle at least a little bit to talk properly about money. However, when it rises to the level of emotional abuse, lying, or destructive behavior to or from another person then it may be a money disorder.

Do You Have a Money Disorder?

Most of us have financial challenges in the “normal” range. However, “normal” is a tricky word. Just like with mental health, there’s not a “right” and “wrong” but rather there is a spectrum.

For example, each of us has experienced some kind of sadness or grief that in the moment could look a lot like depression. Then there are people who live with ongoing life-threatening depression. A large number of people live somewhere in the middle, dealing with shorter bouts of depression during their lifetime. These things are each different. They can’t be treated the same. However, they exist on a spectrum and we can all learn from the lessons at each part of the spectrum.

Similarly, some people have very serious money disorders. Some people are perfectly comfortable with all aspects of their finances. Most of us exist somewhere in the middle. We can all learn from the lessons at any part of the spectrum. That said, if you feel that you do truly have a money disorder, it’s important and okay to ask for help.

How to Get Help for a Money Disorder

There are therapists available who specialize in helping people who are struggling with financial issues. Whether or not you want to use the term “financial flashpoints” the experiences we’ve had with money in the past can definitely negatively shape our experiences with money in the present time. Working through your beliefs, fears, and history around money can help you improve not only your feelings about finances but the status of your wealth as well.

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Can CBD Oil Help in Treating Heroin Addiction?

May 21, 2019 By Amanda Blankenship Leave a Comment

The opioid epidemic has cost the United States economy more than $1 trillion since 2001. It is projected to cost the U.S. more than $500 million over the next three years, should the current numbers continue to trend upward. This has sent researchers scrambling for a way to help treat individuals with heroin and opioid addiction. A recent study found CBD oil may be an answer.

What is Cannabidiol?

Cannabidiol, also known as CBD oil, is the non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, not to be confused with THC. THC is the ingredient in hemp that would make you feel “high.” CBD, on the other hand, has no psychoactive effects and, more recently, researchers have found it can help treat other medical conditions as well.

CBD oil has been shown to have a beneficial impact on anxiety, depression, acne, pain relief, and even heart disease. More recently, it has been found to help treat patients with heroin addiction. It has been shown to help reduce cravings in addicts and relieve their anxiety when coming down as well.

“The intense craving is what drives the drug use,” Yasmin Hurd, the lead researcher on the study said. “If we can have the medications that can dampen that [craving], that can greatly reduce the chance of relapse and overdose risk.”

Using CBD Oil to Treat Heroin Addiction

Currently, medications used to treat opioid addition like methadone and buprenorphine curb cravings. However, only one-third of patients in the U.S. receive these medications as treatment. Additionally, only one in five individuals in need of treatment are receiving any kind of therapy to help them with their addiction.

These two medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but there are still obstacles in getting them distributed to those in need. Not to mention methadone and buprenorphine are still opioids that require close treatment and regular visits to the doctor. So, you’re really just trading in one burden for another.

The Study

For the most recent study, Hurd and her colleagues took a look at 42 individuals with a recent history of heroin use. All of them were recruited from halfway houses and social service groups. None of the people involved in the study were using methadone or buprenorphine.

The study’s participants had used heroin for an average of 13 years. Most of them had been clean for less than one month when beginning the study. During the entire study, they had to refrain from heroin use completely.

All of the study’s participants were divided into three groups. One group was given 800 mg of CBD. The second group was given 400 mg and the third group was given a placebo. Each individual was given one dose a day for three consecutive days. Then they were followed for two weeks. Over the span of two weeks, each participant was shown videos of nature as well as drug-related images. After they saw the videos, they were asked to rate their craving for heroin.

Researchers found that a week after the last administration of CBD had two or three times reduced cravings, compared to the placebo group. Heart rate and cortisol (the stress hormone) levels were both reduced in individuals given CBD oil as well.

CBD Shows Promise

In the study, researchers used Epidiolex. Epidiolex is the first FDA-approved cannabis-based medicine. With many of the products on the market right now, the exact concentration of CBD is unknown, and some may have additives. However, Epidiolex is regulated and the exact concentration is known. This was key to the study’s findings. There were very few bad reactions. Some individuals experienced mild diarrhea, headache, and fatigue.

Hurd has run a pilot study prior to this two-week experiment. Her next step is to perform a longer-term study. She hopes to follow participants for up to six months with CBD oil treatment.

“This is an extremely significant paper. We need to utilize every possible treatment in helping people with chronic pain to find other ways to manage their symptoms and in people with opiate addiction to find relief,” said Dr. Julie Holland, a psychiatrist in New York. “CBD not only manages the anxiety and cue/craving cycle, it also diminishes the original pain and inflammation that leads to opiate use in the first place.”

While many questions still need to be answered, Hurd and her colleagues believe this is a good start to really looking at CBD oil as a treatment for heroin addiction. “Ultimately, “this can really help save lives,” she said.

Readers, what do you think about the latest findings?

How to Declutter If You Hate Marie Kondo

May 20, 2019 By Kathryn Vercillo Leave a Comment

Marie Kondo offers what is known as the Konmari method of decluttering your house, which seems to polarize people. She’s a best-selling author—evidence that many, many people love her decluttering methods. Ever since Netflix came out with her television show Tidying Up, though, articles seem to crop up everywhere with complaints about her methods. Her approach doesn’t work for everyone, but that’s okay. There are many different ways of decluttering your home. You don’t have to take her approach.

Understanding the Konmari Method

Personally, I like a lot of what Marie Kondo has to say. (I’m not a fan of the TV show, but I like her books.) I think that even if you don’t appreciate everything about her or want to use her method entirely, there are some great lessons she has to offer. In fact, I think that sometimes when people say they don’t like her method, they actually just haven’t dug into it well enough to understand it.

For example, Project Runway mentor Tim Gunn was recently quoted widely as being anti-Kondo. Marie Kondo is famous for saying that you should only keep objects that “spark joy.” Gunn was cited in numerous articles as saying something akin to, “Roget’s Thesaurus doesn’t spark joy, but I want to keep it.” I think this sweeping statement misses the point. I think at some level, if he’s using that thesaurus and he relates to in terms of how it improves his writing or reading, then it does spark joy.

What I Took Away From Marie Kondo’s Method

In any case, before we dig into alternatives to Marie Kondo, I’d like to say that these are the things I personally find useful in her method:

She practices gratitude. She appreciates each item, even if she doesn’t want to keep it. I think this is a good practice.
It’s helpful for me to take all like items out and look at them together. This doesn’t work for everyone. Some people find it overwhelming. However, I like to see exactly what I’m dealing with all in one spot.
I like the “spark joy” concept. It doesn’t always work for me. My medications don’t spark joy, but they’re a necessity. So I think it’s too simplified. But it’s a helpful method for deciding about things I’m unsure about keeping.
Some of Marie Kondo’s very specific organizing tips are helpful. She has cute methods for folding and storing clothing that I really like.

4 Other Helpful Approaches to Decluttering

Marie Kondo is the name on everyone’s lips right now. However, there are many different methods of decluttering. Some of them have names. Others are just tried-and-true methods. I think it’s worth it to review many different options to find what works for you. You don’t have to use one method singularly and in its entirety. You can pick and choose what works best for you. Here are four different approaches to consider:

1. Your House is a Container

Dana K. White is the author of the book Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff. My favorite takeaway from this book is the idea that every space in your home is a container. Each container can only hold what it holds. Every similar item should go in one container. You should start filling the container with the things you most want to keep.

For example, your bookcase is a container. It can only hold X amount of books. Every single book in the house should fit in this container. In other words, you shouldn’t have extra books on nightstands, in boxes, etc. Take all of the books out and start placing them in the container. You should put the ones you most want to keep in there first. If the container is full, and you want to add a book, then you need to remove one you like less.

Your container may be bigger or smaller. For example, if you have a whole library in your house, then it may contain multiple bookcases. The library is the container. In contrast, the container might be just one shelf. For example, all children’s books might go on on only that shelf. Each room is a container, each space in the room is a container, and that container might have smaller containers such as shelves or drawers.

2. The ClutterBug Organizing Style

Blogger and author Cassandra Aarssen has identified four different types of “ClutterBugs.” When you know your type, you gain a better understanding of the different things that matter to you in terms of organizing. Organizing and decluttering aren’t quite the same thing, but they go hand in hand. The four types of ClutterBugs, briefly, are:

Bee: Believes in a perfect organizing system and wants their items in sight.
Butterfly: Likes simple, quick organizing tools and wants their items in sight.
Cricket: Loves detailed organizing systems with very little clutter in sight.
Ladybug: Likes simple, quick organizing tools but wants items out of sight.

So, for example, it’s helpful for me to know that I like really simple organizing systems. If a system requires too much work or effort, I won’t bother. That means I’m either a butterfly or a ladybug. Since I like my items out of sight, I’m a ladybug. Therefore, decluttering is easier for me when I have simple systems for out-of-sight but accessible storage (such as bins inside closets).

3. Love It? Use It? Need It?

I’m not sure if this system has a name or if there’s a person attached to it. It’s something I heard about years and years ago and have always turned to when making decisions. Basically, for each item in the house, you ask yourself if you love, use, or need it? If it’s none of those three, then you get rid of it. It’s similar, in a sense, to Marie Kondo’s concept of “sparking joy,” but it has more leeway for other items. For example, Roget’s Thesaurus might not spark joy for Tim Gunn, but if he uses it, then he can still keep it. Likewise, I need my meds, so I keep them.

I find this helpful when decluttering non-physical items as well. For example, when I’m cleaning up my finances, I can turn to these questions. I need electricity. I use my Hulu account. As for “love,” well, I love certain magazine subscriptions but could get rid of others to save money.

4. Swedish Death Cleaning Method

Like the Marie Kondo method, the Swedish Death Cleaning method has grabbed attention in recent years. There’s a popular book about it by author Margareta Magnusson. The idea is that you approach decluttering with awareness that if you died, someone you love would have to deal with all of this stuff. Ultimately, it’s a minimalistic approach; you keep what is most meaningful and let go of the rest.

Admittedly, I haven’t tried this one, yet. However, I think it might work particularly well for my collection of writings and journals. If I die, someone will have to go through this. As a writer, I want more control over what’s kept, where it goes, etc. Therefore, I should start uncluttering that stuff now. It’s also a good reminder to properly store passwords, important financial information, etc.

Why Declutter At All?

I happen to love decluttering. When my space is cluttered, my mind feels cluttered. (Conversely, when I’m mentally cluttered, my space gets that way as well.) I find that my health is better when I declutter. However, not everyone feels that way. Some people love having a lot more stuff than I prefer. That’s okay. Find what works for you. With that in mind, though, there are some good reasons to declutter. It’s worth considering them and seeing if they hold true for you. For example:

If your home is so cluttered that you can’t find things, then you might spend money on duplicate items.
When clutter starts to make you feel smothered, it’s time to find a different way of doing things.
Physical clutter often shows up as disorganization in other areas of life, including finances and mental health.
You might have an urge to declutter but ignore it because it’s overwhelming.

Processed Foods Are Adding to the Number on the Scale: New Study

May 17, 2019 By Amanda Blankenship Leave a Comment

A new study found processed foods may actually have a more profound impact on weight gain than initially thought. Ultra-processed items led to weight gain within just two weeks. Because these foods are typically cheaper, individuals who are unable to buy organic, more expenses foods may have the highest risk of obesity due to the foods they can afford.

Previous Findings

Processed foods include things like soda, packaged snacks, meat nuggets, many frozen meals, and other foods high in additives.

Previous studies have linked processed foods to obesity, intestinal inflammation, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and possibly even death. Despite these findings, processed foods still make up 57.9 percent of the food intake in the United States.

“Previous studies have found correlations between ultra-processed food consumption and obesity,” Kevin D. Hall, from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said.

Hall and his colleagues led the most recent study to compare unprocessed and processed foods. The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

The Latest Study

To conduct the study, the research team took a look at 10 men and 10 women. All study participants stayed at the clinical center for 28 days. Half of the individuals involved in the study were given ultra-processed food for the first two weeks of their stay. The rest of the participants received unprocessed foods during the two-week timeframe. After two weeks, the groups switched.

All of the participants ate three meals each day. Researchers instructed them to eat as little or as much as they’d like. Snacks and bottled water was available to them throughout the day as well.

What they found was that individuals on the ultra-processed food diet ate around 508 calories more every day than when they were eating unprocessed food. Because of this, each of them put on about 2 pounds, most of which was body fat. Those on the unprocessed food diet lost 2 pounds during the two-week timeframe. They also saw an increase in gut hormone peptide YY. This hormone typically decreases hunger.

Why Are Processed Foods Bad?

The weight gain seen in the study participants may come from several factors, according to Hall. Individuals in the processed food group ate much faster, consuming an additional 17 calories per minute than their unprocessed counterpart.

“Ultra-processed foods contribute to more than half the calories consumed in the USA, and they are cheap and convenient options,” Hall stated.

Because it accounts for such a high amount of the U.S. population’s food intake, Hall is pointing to socioeconomic changes as an answer.

He concluded the study’s paper by saying, “However, policies that discourage consumption of ultra-processed foods should be sensitive to the time, skill, expense, and effort required to prepare meals from minimally processed foods — resources that are often in short supply for those who are not members of the upper socioeconomic classes.”

What do you think about the latest findings about processed foods?

How Mental Health Issues Impact Finances

May 16, 2019 By Kathryn Vercillo Leave a Comment

I have struggled with chronic, recurring major depression. So, I know firsthand that mental health issues can impact finances. In other words, mental health challenges not only cost us money, but they also affect how we deal with money. Different conditions can impact people’s saving and spending in their own unique ways. Awareness of those challenges can help us to manage our finances better, despite the challenges.

The Cost of Mental Health Issues

Before we delve into how each diagnosis affects a person’s experience of money, it’s worth noting that mental health issues, in general, affect people’s finances. Dealing with those challenges can be costly. In my case, I needed weekly therapy as well as medication to get through the worst of times. Whether or not you have health insurance, those costs can add up.

Moreover, I needed things that can’t quite be tallied up in exact dollars and cents. For example, I needed a strong support system, which meant that I needed to put in time with friends. Until I learned how to structure friend time around cheap and free events, I spent a decent amount of money on meals and movies together. I don’t regret the cost because it helped build the connections.

I also needed a healthier diet with a focus on nutritious foods. Again, I’ve found ways to cut those costs over time, but buying healthy foods started as an expensive adjustment. Nevertheless, it was wholly necessary for my mental health. In the beginning, I also needed regular yoga classes, because that was the only way I could get my body moving. These days I can do yoga at home and take walks for free, but in the worst periods of depression, I needed to pay for classes to motivate me to go.

Each person finds different things that they have to pay to have strong mental health. People with specific mental health challenges each need their unique combinations of treatments, resources, and quality-of-life purchases. For example, I don’t do well living with other people, so I have to find a way to afford to pay to live on my own. Other people are in the opposite boat; living with people saves them money but also helps their wellbeing. Each person is different, but there is no denying that there’s a financial cost to starting and maintaining mental health treatment.

How Depression Impacts Finances

Each mental health issue requires its own treatment. More than that, though, a specific issue can cause a person to deal with money in unique ways. It’s not just the cost of treatment; it’s that the condition affects one’s ability to earn, save, and spend money. Depression often particularly affects people’s ability to earn money. If you don’t feel like you can even get out of bed to take a shower, how are you going to drag yourself to a job? If you do manage that, how will you be productive once you are there? Many people with depression end up losing time at work or quitting work for a period of time all together because it’s just too hard.

How Unipolar Depression Impacts Finances

Depression isn’t just one condition. We’re learning more and more about this every day. For now, we at least understand that depression exists on a spectrum. At one end is ongoing major depression, also known as unipolar depression. At the other end is bipolar depression, previously called manic depression. There are many different forms of depression in the middle, each of which may impact finances in its own way.

When you think of a classic stereotype of depression, you’re thinking about unipolar depression. It’s characterized by a lack of interest in things and a constant “depressed” mood. Additional symptoms include changes in eating and sleeping (typically overeating and nighttime insomnia combined with daytime hypersomnia), inability to concentrate, and thoughts of suicide and death. Clearly, this kind of depression impacts your ability to earn money. If you don’t even want to live, how can you care about working? If you can’t concentrate or remember things, it’s pretty hard to be productive at work.

Often, people with depression will lose time at work. Not only does this impact earning, but it also impacts saving. I, personally, had to dig into my savings and get loans to be able to pay for my treatment and other needs. I was able to maintain part-time work, but I just wasn’t as productive as I am when I’m at my healthiest, and my depleted savings account reflected that at the time.

As for spending, depression didn’t drive me personally to change my spending much. However, it greatly impacted my emotions around spending. Depression eats away at self-esteem and provokes a lot of shame and mental rumination. I thought a lot about my spending, about my inability to earn well or save money, and most of my thoughts were self-shaming. Of course, that only worsens depression. It’s a bad cycle. I had to learn to be gentle with myself about money as part of my process of getting out of depression, which was the only way I could get back on track with earning and saving money.

How Bipolar Depression Impacts Finances

Bipolar depression is characterized by mania. There may be periods of depression, which can affect finances in the same way as unipolar depression does. However, there are also manic periods, during which a person might feel euphoric, giddy, or anxious. They may experience delusions of grandeur or get unrealistically excited about a major project.

Bipolar depression specifically affects spending. In manic phases, people may engage in impulsive, reckless behavior. Gambling, buying and using drugs, and binge shopping can all lead to financial ruin for people enmeshed in a manic period. Of course, when people are doing those things, it can also impact their job security, which could also affect earning money. Likewise, manic periods can cause problems in some housing situations, and changes in housing can have financial repercussions.

Some people don’t engage in obviously reckless behavior like this. However, their delusions of grandeur can lead to high spending. For example, someone who has a brilliant idea for a new invention might quit their job and take out a large loan to fund that idea. When the mania passes, the idea fades, and all of that spending was for naught.

People with both unipolar and bipolar depression may have disorganized finances. During depressive periods, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by money. Therefore, you might not want to deal with it at all. This can lead to failure to pay bills, using high-interest credit cards because you don’t want to deal with switching and other similar issues. In manic periods, you might just not care about that stuff, racking up bills without attending to paying them.

How Other Mental Health Issues Impact Finances

Depression is just one type of mental health issue. Each type affects finances in its own way. Some other examples include:

OCD can cause excess spending. For example, if you have contamination OCD (related to anxiety about germs), then you might use a bar of soap only once before replacing it with a new soap bar.
OCD can also lead to job loss. For example, if you have a detailed routine before leaving for work, then it can cause you to be late one time too many.
ADHD can lead to disorganization and procrastination with money matters.
Social anxiety sometimes causes spending on items or experiences to help a person feel like they “fit in.”
Research indicates that people with schizophrenia often have limited financial capacity, meaning that some may need assistance with money matters. One study found that 84% of people with schizophrenia say that their mental health issues cause problems with their finances.
People with hoarding disorders sometimes also have spending issues. In some cases, this is due to compulsive shopping. However, spending money on extra storage space is another big culprit.
People with substance abuse issues can have financial problems due to spending money on their addictions. In some cases, the lack of money can lead to theft and other financial crimes.
People with Narcissistic Personality Disorder may use money to control others.

Of course, these are all just examples of how mental health issues might impact finances. Everyone’s symptoms are different, as well as how they handle those symptoms. Someone with major depression, OCD, or another condition can still hold a successful high-powered job. Just because you have mental health issues doesn’t mean you’ll have financial challenges. Certainly, you can’t assume that someone else will have specific issues because of their condition. However, if you deal with mental health issues, it can be helpful to know what some of the common money issues might be so that you can keep an eye out for them in your own life.

Here’s How to Prevent Dementia

May 15, 2019 By Amanda Blankenship Leave a Comment

Dementia is a crippling disease that impacts more than 50 million people worldwide. It has been estimated that it may cost the world economy $1 trillion by 2050. Because of its massive impact, health officials have been working diligently to find treatment and prevention methods. The World Health Organization (WHO) has released guidelines to help prevent dementia.

The Perils of Dementia

Each year, another 10 million people develop dementia. Currently, it is an incurable condition. Researchers are constantly working on a way to treat it without any luck. Instead, they’ve switched their focus to preventative measures.

Many different health conditions and factors contribute to your risk of developing dementia later in life. Although age is a factor in developing the debilitating disease, it is not a normal part of aging and it isn’t inevitable either. WHO estimates that one-third of dementia cases could be prevented.

“In the next 30 years, the number of people with dementia is expected to triple,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “We need to do everything we can to reduce our risk of dementia. The scientific evidence gathered for these guidelines confirm what we have suspected for some time, that what is good for our heart, is also good for our brain.”

The organization released a 100-page report with various recommendations for people to consider.

How to Prevent Dementia

WHO’s advice is common sense: take care of yourself in your younger years to prevent dementia. The health organization suggests getting an appropriate amount of exercise and having a social life. You should also avoid bad habits such as drinking too much alcohol, overeating, and smoking. Additionally, you should treat any existing health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Some research suggests sticking to a Mediterranean diet may be another preventative measure. More importantly, you should eat well. However, Vitamin B and E, and fish oil pills won’t do anything to help prevent dementia, though they claim to.

“There is currently no evidence to show that taking these supplements actually reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, and in fact, we know that in high doses these can be harmful,” said Dr. Neerja Chowdhary of the WHO. You should get these nutrients through food instead.

There are no games or activities that will help you prevent dementia either, despite claims. There is also a lack of evidence to prove antidepressants will help reduce your risk of dementia as well.