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The bone analysis was based on excavations of the graves of 22 gladiators from about 1,800 years ago in the Roman town of Ephesus, now in Turkey.
The bones revealed that the typical food eaten by gladiators was wheat, barley and beans - and this echoed the contemporary term for gladiators as the "barley men".
There was little sign of meat or dairy products in the diet of almost all of these professional fighters, who performed in front of Roman audiences.
But there were bones from two people that seemed to have a different pattern, revealing a diet much higher in animal protein and lower in beans and pulses.
This could show there were gladiators originally from other parts of the Roman empire who had a different type of diet.
And the next stage of the research will be to use the analysis of the bones to look for where gladiators might have once lived.
The researchers say that gladiators were mainly prisoners of war, slaves and condemned offenders. But there were also people who volunteered to train and take part in contests.
They estimate that men taking part in gladiator contests had a one-in-nine chance of being killed, each time they fought.
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. -- As the suspect appeared in court Monday, last week's shootout with police outside a Shawnee Mission elementary school has some wondering if a mental health co-responder would have made a difference.
Shots were fired Friday afternoon as school was letting out at Highlands Elementary in Mission. Dylan Ruffin, 26, initially shot toward the school, striking a van in the parking lot and a sign out front, before exchanging gunfire with police at a home across the street.
Ruffin was charged Saturday with three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and one count of criminal discharge of a firearm at a dwelling or structure. He appeared in a Johnson County courtroom through video conference in a wheelchair after police shot him in the leg during that shootout.
According to the Johnson County Mental Health Center, in many situations, mental health co-responders can help in emergency situations. But when a scene isn't secure, police have to focus on everyone's safety.
"Typically what you would see is the police officers would arrive at the scene, secure the scene, and then the co-responder would come in to evaluate the individual, to talk with the individual, and look at what options might be available to them," said Tim DeWeese, the JoCo center's director.
However, he said Friday's situation escalated too quickly to evaluate.
"It's hard for me to project, but what I can say is, when we've been able to have secure scenes and for CIT trained officer as well as a co-responder work together with the individual, we have been able to provide services immediately to those individuals," DeWeese said.
DeWeese said it's hard to know what may have caused Ruffin to make the decision to allegedly discharge a gun.
"People that commit violent crime -- we're always looking for a reason why that might happen, and of course, mental illness may be a part of that, but I think we have to be careful about making that jump," he said.
Children released from Highland saw much of the chaos. DeWeese said kids generally will deal with trauma for a few weeks after the incident.
"If symptoms or problems continue to occur beyond that, then parents need to help their youngsters and reach out to professional help," DeWeese said.
Ruffin's being held on a $500,000 cash bond. If released, court documents say he would need to undergo a mental health evaluation first. He's expected back in court on March 14.
Castleford Tigers half-back Ben Roberts has had his contract cancelled by mutual consent.
The 33-year-old Samoan and New Zealand international has struggled with injury this season and also fallen out of favour, playing just one of six Super League games so far.
He joined Tigers in 2015 and made a total of 78 appearances.
Director of Rugby Jon Wells told the club website Roberts should be "incredibly proud" of his contribution.
"He played his part in re-positioning this club to where we are today. At his best, he was unplayable," Wells added.
"In recent months, Ben's injury issues have meant he has struggled to reach a point of fitness and availability that would allow him a continued run in the matchday 17.
"Following a series of long but amicable discussions, we have reached an agreement which works for both Ben and the club."
US President Donald Trump is a “frightened and cowardly thief”, according to ISIS, who mocked the American in a video as the terror group faced complete annihilation in Syria.
Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, ISIS’ official spokesman, broke his six-month silence to mock Mr Trump in a 44-minute recording in which the terror network referred to the US “the enemy of Islam”. Referring to Mr Trump’s Christmas trip to Iraq that saw the US leader confining his three-hour visit to the Al Asad Air Base, al-Muhajir said: “How strange for a victor who can’t even announce publicly an official visit to a country he claims to be bringing peace and stability to. “He could only come like a frightened and cowardly thief.” He then went on to ridicule the President’s clim of victory over ISIS.
He then accused governments of shedding “crocodile tears over the victims” of the devastating Christchurch killings on Friday.
The recording was called ‘He Was Sincere toward God, so God Fulfilled His Wish’.
Al-Muhajir also warned the world governments “discriminate against Muslims and their rights” before telling Muslims across the globe of the consequences of blanking ISIS’ call to join the alleged caliphate.
Earlier this year, President Trump said the war against ISIS nearing its conclusion.
Syrian forces are battling the terrorist enclave in Baghouz, a village located in eastern Syria, where a large majority of ISIS fighters and followers reside.
It is also believed to be the last area the extremist group have a hold over.
Mustafa Bali, a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said: "We expect it to be over soon."
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi Yazidi group affiliated with a Shi’ite-led armed faction took control on Tuesday of Sinjar, said residents of the northwestern city that is claimed by both Kurdish and central Iraqi authorities.
The Yazidi group, called Lalesh, extended control over all of Sinjar after the withdrawal late on Monday of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who were deployed there, the residents said.
“There was no violence, the Lalesh group moved after the Peshmerga pulled out,” said a resident by phone.
Responding to a Kurdish referendum on independence held last month, Iraqi government forces on Monday captured the Kurdish-held oil city of Kirkuk, transforming the country’s balance of power.
That was part of lightning strike ordered by Minister Haider al-Abadi to retake all disputed areas, including Sinjar, occupied by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Peshmerga force in the course of the war on Islamic State.
Lalesh is affiliated with Popular Mobilisation, an armed group formed mainly of Iran-trained Shi’ite paramilitaries, with the participation of smaller forces from other communities including Sunnis, Christians and Yazidis. It is officially under Abadi’s authority.
Goa and Kerala had the highest scores in 2016, both over 60, whereas Assam and Uttar Pradesh had the lowest, both below 40.
While India has seen improvements since 1990, its HAQ score was lower than 50 for 23 of the 32 causes of death.
India ranks a lowly 145th among 195 countries in terms of healthcare access and quality in 2016, as assessed in a Global Burden of Disease study published in The Lancet. The study used an index based on 32 causes of death that should be preventable with effective medical care. Each country was given a healthcare access and quality (HAQ) score between 0-100. India’s HAQ score is 41.2, up from 24.7 in 1990.
For the first time, the study also analysed healthcare access and quality between regions of seven countries including India. China and India had the widest disparities of 43.5 and 30.8 points, respectively, while Japan had the narrowest of 4.8 points. In India, the 30.8-point difference marks an increase in disparity from 23.4 points in 1990. Goa and Kerala had the highest scores in 2016, both over 60, whereas Assam and Uttar Pradesh had the lowest, both below 40.
While India has seen improvements since 1990, its HAQ score was lower than 50 for 23 of the 32 causes of death. Particularly low were scores like 12 for skin cancer, 24 for neonatal deaths and adverse medical treatment, and 30 for tuberculosis and chronic kidney ailments. “This is really disappointing – well behind BRICS countries,” Dr Madhukar Pai, Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology and Global Health told The Indian Express.
Dr K Srinath Reddy, president of Public Health Foundation of India, felt that the reason for India’s poor show is the low density of health workers in the poorly performing states. “For instance the Janani Suraksha Yojana has registered a rise in the number of institutional deliveries. However there is no demonstrable correlation with lowering of maternal mortality in certain states,” Dr Reddy said.
This scorecard shows that the health system is weak and while centrally funded schemes have provided health access in some areas, quality has not improved in certain states, he added. The global average HAQ score was 54.4. Iceland and Norway top the list with a HAQ score of 97 each.
WEINSTEIN CO.Michelle Williams has won the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Golden Globe for the biopic "My Week With Marilyn."
Michelle Williams has won the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Golden Globe for the biopic "My Week With Marilyn."
Based on the memoirs of Colin Clark (a minor character in the film), third-assistant director on the Marilyn Monroe pic "The Prince and the Showgirl," the film delves into the sometime-strained interaction between the actress (played by Williams) and co-star Lawrence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh).
In his review, Star-Ledger film critic Stephen Whitty gave the film three stars and while other actresses may come to mind for portraying the blonde bombshell, he says that Williams is an almost perfect choice and that the movie belongs to her. "She still looks little like Monroe - even though the camera and the costume designer have helped her out a bit, particularly around the hips," he wrote in his review. "But no other actress has quite understood the frustrated, maternal side of Monroe that informed so many of her performances. Or quite recaptured that absolutely luminous quality she had on film."
Williams is a previous two-time Oscar and Golden-Globe nominee. She was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for the 2010 drama "Blue Valentine." She was also nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for "Brokeback Mountain" in 2006.
Other notable roles, of late, include the Martin Scorsese 2010 psychological thriller "Shutter Island," Charlie Kaufman's 2008 comedy-drama "Synecdoche, New York" and 2008 the indie darling "Wendy and Lucy."
Do you feel very anxious or depressed sometimes? Talking to a professional can help. Neil and Rob talk about talk therapy and teach you six items of useful vocabulary in this episode of 6 Minute English.
Welcome to 6 Minute English, where we bring you a thoughtful topic and six items of vocabulary.
OK. Is he the anxious middle-aged guy from New York who talks about his problems all the time?
That's the one. He was paying for… psychoanalysis – and that's a type of talk therapy that was popular in the 1970s. Do you know what therapy means, Rob?
Yes. Therapy means a type of treatment for a problem or illness. And talk therapy is a treatment for psychological problems – which means problems of the mind – in case you were struggling with another long Greek word, Neil! Trained therapists work with you on ways to understand your thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
Hey, Rob, I'm an expert on long Greek words. Psychology is the noun, by the way. And the prefix 'psycho' in front of any word means 'to do with the mind'.
…Where disturbed means not thinking or behaving in a normal way – because you have psychological problems. Norman Bates would have found talk therapy helpful, don't you think?
I'm going to go for Sigmund Freud.
OK. Interesting answer – we'll find out later whether it was the right one or not. Now, moving on, what do you think is the most common psychological problem today, Neil?
It's depression. And depression – a feeling of unhappiness that can affect your thoughts, behaviour, and feelings – is the most common psychological problem affecting people throughout the world.
How depressing! That's the adjective! It makes me feel depressed just thinking about it.
And depressed is the adjective we use to describe how we are feeling. Don't feel depressed, Rob! Let's listen to Professor Brent Roberts from the University of Illinois to find out more about the benefits of talk therapy.
Seeing a therapist does result in marked changes in psychological functioning. So people get less depressed and they get less anxious, and it seems to be regardless of what type of intervention is engaged in. And that is… and that has been one of the more positive aspects of the therapy research that we've seen.
So when people talk to therapists about their problems, it results in marked changes in their psychological functioning – marked here means obvious or noticeable.
And these marked changes are that people become less depressed and anxious!
An intervention, by the way, is something you do to improve a medical problem – and in this context, it refers to different types of talk therapy.
But why is talking about our problems helpful, Neil?
I think it gives a shape to our problems. It makes them seem clearer – and that's a first step in being able to manage them. Also, "a problem shared is a problem halved", as the saying goes.
There's also some scientific evidence that talk therapy can change the way we think and feel – by replacing negative thought patterns with positive ones.
Medication can also change the way we think and feel. Some people take pills to treat depression.
But medication can have negative effects, for example it can make you feel sleepy during the daytime.
Therapy is a type of treatment for a problem or illness. There's therapy – therapist – therapeutic.
My therapist is using a new therapy with me – it's very therapeutic!
Therapeutic means 'treating an illness' – but in a more general sense, it can simply mean 'relaxing'. For example, I find listening to music very therapeutic.
OK. Next up – psychological – relating to the mind. Psychology – psychologist – psychological. Depression and anxiety are both psychological problems.
My friend is studying psychology at university.
I want to be a famous psychologist.
A career change at your age, Neil?! You've kept that one a secret. OK. Number three – disturbed – 'not thinking or behaving in a normal way because you have psychological problems'. She was a disturbed young woman.
Or disturbing – I've been having very disturbing dreams recently.
Poor Neil! Disturbing here means 'upsetting or worrying'.
Next item – depression – a feeling of unhappiness that can affect your thoughts, behaviour, and feelings.
We felt depressed by the news.
The news was very depressing!
Alright. Let's lift the mood – marked means 'obvious or noticeable'. There's been a marked improvement in your English homework!
There was a marked increase in the company's profits last year!
And finally – intervention – something you do to improve a problem – medical or otherwise.
Let me intervene at this point – intervene – that's the verb and in this context it means 'to interrupt' – and say we've forgotten the quiz question, Rob!!
Oh, no! Good intervention. Yes, let's remind ourselves of that quiz question: who invented the first talk therapy? And you said Sigmund Freud, which is the right answer, so well done, Neil! Psychoanalysis was invented in the early 1890s by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. The patient lies on a couch and talks about their thoughts, feelings and dreams while the therapist listens. Psychoanalytic sessions typically last 50 minutes and take place 4 to 5 times a week.
OK. Good to know. But I think I prefer our own brand of talk therapy here on the show. And listeners – you can express your thoughts and feelings by visiting our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages.
Talk to you again soon! Bye bye!
TASCOR Construction Co. has announced the appointment of Dennis Allison as president. He joined the firm after serving nine years with Koll Construction Co., where he was vice president and manager of its Newport Beach division.
The new marketing coordinator at Signature Homes is Christy Singletary. She will work in advertising, public relations and marketing. She previously was employed by the Ross Co., a home building company in Newport Beach.
Jerry D. Irion has been named vice president of special projects at T&S; Development Inc. He will be in charge of marketing properties planned for auto malls. Previously, he was vice president and general manager of Casablanca Furniture Manufacturing.
Laura R. Camp has been promoted to controller for Trammell Crow Co./Orange County, working out of the firm's Irvine office. She'll oversee all accounting functions for commercial, industrial and retail projects in Orange and Riverside counties.
Rich & Associates, Marina del Rey, has announced the appointment of Kathleen Cullen as regional manager, and Bridget Heinrich, as assistant manager.

The bone analysis was based on excavations of the graves of 22 gladiators from about 1,800 years ago in the Roman town of Ephesus, now in Turkey.

The bones revealed that the typical food eaten by gladiators was wheat, barley and beans - and this echoed the contemporary term for gladiators as the "barley men".

There was little sign of meat or dairy products in the diet of almost all of these professional fighters, who performed in front of Roman audiences.

But there were bones from two people that seemed to have a different pattern, revealing a diet much higher in animal protein and lower in beans and pulses.

This could show there were gladiators originally from other parts of the Roman empire who had a different type of diet.

And the next stage of the research will be to use the analysis of the bones to look for where gladiators might have once lived.

The researchers say that gladiators were mainly prisoners of war, slaves and condemned offenders. But there were also people who volunteered to train and take part in contests.

They estimate that men taking part in gladiator contests had a one-in-nine chance of being killed, each time they fought.

JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. -- As the suspect appeared in court Monday, last week's shootout with police outside a Shawnee Mission elementary school has some wondering if a mental health co-responder would have made a difference.

Shots were fired Friday afternoon as school was letting out at Highlands Elementary in Mission. Dylan Ruffin, 26, initially shot toward the school, striking a van in the parking lot and a sign out front, before exchanging gunfire with police at a home across the street.

Ruffin was charged Saturday with three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and one count of criminal discharge of a firearm at a dwelling or structure. He appeared in a Johnson County courtroom through video conference in a wheelchair after police shot him in the leg during that shootout.

According to the Johnson County Mental Health Center, in many situations, mental health co-responders can help in emergency situations. But when a scene isn't secure, police have to focus on everyone's safety.

"Typically what you would see is the police officers would arrive at the scene, secure the scene, and then the co-responder would come in to evaluate the individual, to talk with the individual, and look at what options might be available to them," said Tim DeWeese, the JoCo center's director.

However, he said Friday's situation escalated too quickly to evaluate.

"It's hard for me to project, but what I can say is, when we've been able to have secure scenes and for CIT trained officer as well as a co-responder work together with the individual, we have been able to provide services immediately to those individuals," DeWeese said.

DeWeese said it's hard to know what may have caused Ruffin to make the decision to allegedly discharge a gun.

"People that commit violent crime -- we're always looking for a reason why that might happen, and of course, mental illness may be a part of that, but I think we have to be careful about making that jump," he said.

Children released from Highland saw much of the chaos. DeWeese said kids generally will deal with trauma for a few weeks after the incident.

"If symptoms or problems continue to occur beyond that, then parents need to help their youngsters and reach out to professional help," DeWeese said.

Ruffin's being held on a $500,000 cash bond. If released, court documents say he would need to undergo a mental health evaluation first. He's expected back in court on March 14.

Castleford Tigers half-back Ben Roberts has had his contract cancelled by mutual consent.

The 33-year-old Samoan and New Zealand international has struggled with injury this season and also fallen out of favour, playing just one of six Super League games so far.

He joined Tigers in 2015 and made a total of 78 appearances.

Director of Rugby Jon Wells told the club website Roberts should be "incredibly proud" of his contribution.

"He played his part in re-positioning this club to where we are today. At his best, he was unplayable," Wells added.

"In recent months, Ben's injury issues have meant he has struggled to reach a point of fitness and availability that would allow him a continued run in the matchday 17.

"Following a series of long but amicable discussions, we have reached an agreement which works for both Ben and the club."

US President Donald Trump is a “frightened and cowardly thief”, according to ISIS, who mocked the American in a video as the terror group faced complete annihilation in Syria.

Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, ISIS’ official spokesman, broke his six-month silence to mock Mr Trump in a 44-minute recording in which the terror network referred to the US “the enemy of Islam”. Referring to Mr Trump’s Christmas trip to Iraq that saw the US leader confining his three-hour visit to the Al Asad Air Base, al-Muhajir said: “How strange for a victor who can’t even announce publicly an official visit to a country he claims to be bringing peace and stability to. “He could only come like a frightened and cowardly thief.” He then went on to ridicule the President’s clim of victory over ISIS.

He then accused governments of shedding “crocodile tears over the victims” of the devastating Christchurch killings on Friday.

The recording was called ‘He Was Sincere toward God, so God Fulfilled His Wish’.

Al-Muhajir also warned the world governments “discriminate against Muslims and their rights” before telling Muslims across the globe of the consequences of blanking ISIS’ call to join the alleged caliphate.

Earlier this year, President Trump said the war against ISIS nearing its conclusion.

Syrian forces are battling the terrorist enclave in Baghouz, a village located in eastern Syria, where a large majority of ISIS fighters and followers reside.

It is also believed to be the last area the extremist group have a hold over.

Mustafa Bali, a spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said: "We expect it to be over soon."

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi Yazidi group affiliated with a Shi’ite-led armed faction took control on Tuesday of Sinjar, said residents of the northwestern city that is claimed by both Kurdish and central Iraqi authorities.

The Yazidi group, called Lalesh, extended control over all of Sinjar after the withdrawal late on Monday of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who were deployed there, the residents said.

“There was no violence, the Lalesh group moved after the Peshmerga pulled out,” said a resident by phone.

Responding to a Kurdish referendum on independence held last month, Iraqi government forces on Monday captured the Kurdish-held oil city of Kirkuk, transforming the country’s balance of power.

That was part of lightning strike ordered by Minister Haider al-Abadi to retake all disputed areas, including Sinjar, occupied by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Peshmerga force in the course of the war on Islamic State.

Lalesh is affiliated with Popular Mobilisation, an armed group formed mainly of Iran-trained Shi’ite paramilitaries, with the participation of smaller forces from other communities including Sunnis, Christians and Yazidis. It is officially under Abadi’s authority.

Goa and Kerala had the highest scores in 2016, both over 60, whereas Assam and Uttar Pradesh had the lowest, both below 40.

While India has seen improvements since 1990, its HAQ score was lower than 50 for 23 of the 32 causes of death.

India ranks a lowly 145th among 195 countries in terms of healthcare access and quality in 2016, as assessed in a Global Burden of Disease study published in The Lancet. The study used an index based on 32 causes of death that should be preventable with effective medical care. Each country was given a healthcare access and quality (HAQ) score between 0-100. India’s HAQ score is 41.2, up from 24.7 in 1990.

For the first time, the study also analysed healthcare access and quality between regions of seven countries including India. China and India had the widest disparities of 43.5 and 30.8 points, respectively, while Japan had the narrowest of 4.8 points. In India, the 30.8-point difference marks an increase in disparity from 23.4 points in 1990. Goa and Kerala had the highest scores in 2016, both over 60, whereas Assam and Uttar Pradesh had the lowest, both below 40.

While India has seen improvements since 1990, its HAQ score was lower than 50 for 23 of the 32 causes of death. Particularly low were scores like 12 for skin cancer, 24 for neonatal deaths and adverse medical treatment, and 30 for tuberculosis and chronic kidney ailments. “This is really disappointing – well behind BRICS countries,” Dr Madhukar Pai, Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology and Global Health told The Indian Express.

Dr K Srinath Reddy, president of Public Health Foundation of India, felt that the reason for India’s poor show is the low density of health workers in the poorly performing states. “For instance the Janani Suraksha Yojana has registered a rise in the number of institutional deliveries. However there is no demonstrable correlation with lowering of maternal mortality in certain states,” Dr Reddy said.

This scorecard shows that the health system is weak and while centrally funded schemes have provided health access in some areas, quality has not improved in certain states, he added. The global average HAQ score was 54.4. Iceland and Norway top the list with a HAQ score of 97 each.

WEINSTEIN CO.Michelle Williams has won the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Golden Globe for the biopic "My Week With Marilyn."

Michelle Williams has won the Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Golden Globe for the biopic "My Week With Marilyn."

Based on the memoirs of Colin Clark (a minor character in the film), third-assistant director on the Marilyn Monroe pic "The Prince and the Showgirl," the film delves into the sometime-strained interaction between the actress (played by Williams) and co-star Lawrence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh).

In his review, Star-Ledger film critic Stephen Whitty gave the film three stars and while other actresses may come to mind for portraying the blonde bombshell, he says that Williams is an almost perfect choice and that the movie belongs to her. "She still looks little like Monroe - even though the camera and the costume designer have helped her out a bit, particularly around the hips," he wrote in his review. "But no other actress has quite understood the frustrated, maternal side of Monroe that informed so many of her performances. Or quite recaptured that absolutely luminous quality she had on film."

Williams is a previous two-time Oscar and Golden-Globe nominee. She was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for the 2010 drama "Blue Valentine." She was also nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for "Brokeback Mountain" in 2006.

Other notable roles, of late, include the Martin Scorsese 2010 psychological thriller "Shutter Island," Charlie Kaufman's 2008 comedy-drama "Synecdoche, New York" and 2008 the indie darling "Wendy and Lucy."

Do you feel very anxious or depressed sometimes? Talking to a professional can help. Neil and Rob talk about talk therapy and teach you six items of useful vocabulary in this episode of 6 Minute English.

Welcome to 6 Minute English, where we bring you a thoughtful topic and six items of vocabulary.

OK. Is he the anxious middle-aged guy from New York who talks about his problems all the time?

That's the one. He was paying for… psychoanalysis – and that's a type of talk therapy that was popular in the 1970s. Do you know what therapy means, Rob?

Yes. Therapy means a type of treatment for a problem or illness. And talk therapy is a treatment for psychological problems – which means problems of the mind – in case you were struggling with another long Greek word, Neil! Trained therapists work with you on ways to understand your thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

Hey, Rob, I'm an expert on long Greek words. Psychology is the noun, by the way. And the prefix 'psycho' in front of any word means 'to do with the mind'.

…Where disturbed means not thinking or behaving in a normal way – because you have psychological problems. Norman Bates would have found talk therapy helpful, don't you think?

I'm going to go for Sigmund Freud.

OK. Interesting answer – we'll find out later whether it was the right one or not. Now, moving on, what do you think is the most common psychological problem today, Neil?

It's depression. And depression – a feeling of unhappiness that can affect your thoughts, behaviour, and feelings – is the most common psychological problem affecting people throughout the world.

How depressing! That's the adjective! It makes me feel depressed just thinking about it.

And depressed is the adjective we use to describe how we are feeling. Don't feel depressed, Rob! Let's listen to Professor Brent Roberts from the University of Illinois to find out more about the benefits of talk therapy.

Seeing a therapist does result in marked changes in psychological functioning. So people get less depressed and they get less anxious, and it seems to be regardless of what type of intervention is engaged in. And that is… and that has been one of the more positive aspects of the therapy research that we've seen.

So when people talk to therapists about their problems, it results in marked changes in their psychological functioning – marked here means obvious or noticeable.

And these marked changes are that people become less depressed and anxious!

An intervention, by the way, is something you do to improve a medical problem – and in this context, it refers to different types of talk therapy.

But why is talking about our problems helpful, Neil?

I think it gives a shape to our problems. It makes them seem clearer – and that's a first step in being able to manage them. Also, "a problem shared is a problem halved", as the saying goes.

There's also some scientific evidence that talk therapy can change the way we think and feel – by replacing negative thought patterns with positive ones.

Medication can also change the way we think and feel. Some people take pills to treat depression.

But medication can have negative effects, for example it can make you feel sleepy during the daytime.

Therapy is a type of treatment for a problem or illness. There's therapy – therapist – therapeutic.

My therapist is using a new therapy with me – it's very therapeutic!

Therapeutic means 'treating an illness' – but in a more general sense, it can simply mean 'relaxing'. For example, I find listening to music very therapeutic.

OK. Next up – psychological – relating to the mind. Psychology – psychologist – psychological. Depression and anxiety are both psychological problems.

My friend is studying psychology at university.

I want to be a famous psychologist.

A career change at your age, Neil?! You've kept that one a secret. OK. Number three – disturbed – 'not thinking or behaving in a normal way because you have psychological problems'. She was a disturbed young woman.

Or disturbing – I've been having very disturbing dreams recently.

Poor Neil! Disturbing here means 'upsetting or worrying'.

Next item – depression – a feeling of unhappiness that can affect your thoughts, behaviour, and feelings.

We felt depressed by the news.

The news was very depressing!

Alright. Let's lift the mood – marked means 'obvious or noticeable'. There's been a marked improvement in your English homework!

There was a marked increase in the company's profits last year!

And finally – intervention – something you do to improve a problem – medical or otherwise.

Let me intervene at this point – intervene – that's the verb and in this context it means 'to interrupt' – and say we've forgotten the quiz question, Rob!!

Oh, no! Good intervention. Yes, let's remind ourselves of that quiz question: who invented the first talk therapy? And you said Sigmund Freud, which is the right answer, so well done, Neil! Psychoanalysis was invented in the early 1890s by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. The patient lies on a couch and talks about their thoughts, feelings and dreams while the therapist listens. Psychoanalytic sessions typically last 50 minutes and take place 4 to 5 times a week.

OK. Good to know. But I think I prefer our own brand of talk therapy here on the show. And listeners – you can express your thoughts and feelings by visiting our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages.

Talk to you again soon! Bye bye!

TASCOR Construction Co. has announced the appointment of Dennis Allison as president. He joined the firm after serving nine years with Koll Construction Co., where he was vice president and manager of its Newport Beach division.

The new marketing coordinator at Signature Homes is Christy Singletary. She will work in advertising, public relations and marketing. She previously was employed by the Ross Co., a home building company in Newport Beach.

Jerry D. Irion has been named vice president of special projects at T&S; Development Inc. He will be in charge of marketing properties planned for auto malls. Previously, he was vice president and general manager of Casablanca Furniture Manufacturing.

Laura R. Camp has been promoted to controller for Trammell Crow Co./Orange County, working out of the firm's Irvine office. She'll oversee all accounting functions for commercial, industrial and retail projects in Orange and Riverside counties.

Rich & Associates, Marina del Rey, has announced the appointment of Kathleen Cullen as regional manager, and Bridget Heinrich, as assistant manager.