Dartmouth/Hitchcock Medical Center.

Four to eight percent of American children experience bouts of major depression. Among teenage girls, that rate can be as high as sixteen percent. This program from The Doctor Is In emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and treatment to avoid potential patterns of repeated depression later in life-and to prevent substance abuse and suicide. Children suffering from depression talk about how they cope with it, while child psychiatrist David G....

Faced with complex regimens of medication and diminished tolerances for alcohol, many elderly Americans run the risk of falling into the trap of substance abuse. In this program from The Doctor Is In, senior citizens discuss how they deal with these challenges, while Dr. James Campbell, director of the geriatric center at MetroHealth Medical Center, and Carol Colleran Egan, director of older adult services for Hanley-Hazelden Center, present some...

With bullying, sexual harassment, and credible death threats on the rise, school is becoming less about learning and more about fear. This program from The Doctor Is In thoroughly examines violence among children and teens of both sexes. Innovative preventive measures yielding impressive results at Bartle Elementary in New Jersey and Lebanon Junior High in New Hampshire are featured. In addition, psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence,...

Left untreated for too long, melanoma-almost always curable when treated early-becomes one of the deadliest of all cancers. This program from The Doctor Is In promotes sun exposure precautions and self-examinations as ways to lower risk of contracting and dying of melanoma, describes standard medical practices once melanoma is diagnosed, and investigates the ongoing research to find more effective treatments, including a cancer vaccine. Commentary...

An estimated six million people have eating disorders - a complex disease that has no one cause, which involves biological, social, and emotional problems, and in which the pressure to be thin plays a major role. This program from The Doctor Is In covers the personality profiles of those likeliest to develop anorexia, explains their perceived need to be thin and inability to acknowledge that they are thin enough, shows how anorexia develops and demonstrates...

This program illustrates the excitement and frustration inherent in cancer research, and outlines the steps by which drugs are tested for safety and effectiveness. Dr. Randy Noelle, professor of microbiology and immunology at Dartmouth Medical School, and Dr. Richard Stone of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute focus on the recruitment of patients for clinical trials and the procedures in place to maximize their safety. Highlighting promising new treatments...

Parkinson's disease currently afflicts one out of every 100 Americans over the age of 60. How do they cope with it? And what new medical insights are being derived from the study of it? This program from The Doctor Is In sheds light on both of those questions through interviews with Stanley Fahn, professor of neurology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and scientific director of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation; neurosurgeon David Roberts,...

Alternative, or complementary, health systems are gradually being integrated into American culture and can now be found in many American physicians' offices. This program from The Doctor Is In provides an overview of Chinese and Indian medicine, homeopathy, herbalism, naturopathy, and massage. It also examines osteopathy and chiropractic as practices recognized by traditional doctors. The program observes patients who are using one or more of these...

This program from The Doctor Is In presents two hospital-based programs that are helping children lose weight and keep the pounds off by setting realistic goals based on good health, not appearance. Patients talk about what it is like, from a child's point of view, to be overweight and how they have succeeded in adhering to a program of portion control and exercise to create a healthier lifestyle. Commentary by Harvard Medical School's Dr. David Ludwig;...

As many as one in five older Americans have late-life depression, which can lead to suicide. In this program from The Doctor Is In, three senior citizens describe how they have coped with this life-threatening illness. Medical commentary is provided by Charles Reynolds III, director of the Late-Life Depression Evaluation and Treatment Center at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; psychiatrist Thomas Oxman, of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical...