A new five-year analysis of the nation’s death rates recently released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the suicide rate of middle-aged people (45-to-54-year-olds) has surged nearly 20 percent from 1999 to 2004. This increase is larger than nearly every other age group when adjusted for population size. »more»

The answer to this question is, unfortunately, "it depends." And it depends on what type of midlife crisis the person is experiencing -- or if it's even a midlife crisis at all. »more»

According to a comprehensive study of data from 80 countries, researchers at Britain's Warwick University and America's Dartmouth College have confirmed what people in their forties have known for years, middle age is indeed truly miserable. Researchers discovered that "for both men and women the probability of depression peaks around 44 years of age. »more»

Music can be very powerful and can evoke memories and emotions. What song(s) best capture how you are feeling and why? (Perhaps at some point we'll put together a iTunes playlist for us all to listen to).

Feeling lonely is never fun. However when it happens in middle age it can take a very bad toll on one's health. In the August issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, two University of Chicago psychologists report their findings that loneliness leads to very negative physiological affects on middle age bodies. »more»

If you are not yet signed up for the monthly LifeTwo newsletter then do so now. All you have to do is type the email address in the green box on the upper right-hand column of this web site. You can unsubscribe at anytime. »more»

The Los Angeles Times tackles the "give and take of caregiving" in a thoughtful piece about taking care of seniors while still raising children. The article focuses on Lisa Wood, 44, who has a mother with Alzheimer's disease and a 5-year old daughter. »more»

Hundreds of thousands of families will soon see their youngest child off to college, and that means an outbreak of despondent mothers and fathers suffering from empty nest syndrome.

Or does it? »more»

Empty nests. Menopause. Midlife crisis. Those are some of the reasons midlife is supposed to cause depression in women.

But as with so much information about midlife, that is at best only part of the story. »more»

Most people want to live happy and live long. Can you have it all?

The good news: happiness and longevity seem to be positively correlated -- in other words, longer-lived people tend to be happier, and happier people tend to be long-lived. »more»