Grief over the sudden death of a partner leads one in six surviving partners to experience such severe psychological distress that they begin taking sedatives or antidepressants. If the death also results in a noticeable loss of income, the share of widows and widowers using psychotropic medication is significantly higher. Economic insecurity greatly amplifies the mental strain after the death of a loved one, researchers conclude.

Passivity in financial choices is not due to specific personality traits – but depends on the context. This is the conclusion reached by researchers from CEBI and Danmarks Nationalbank in a new study.

The contraceptive pill has been hailed as one of the most revolutionary health technologies of the 20th century – a tool that gave women control over their fertility and paved the way for education and careers. But a new study suggests that this freedom may have come at a hidden cost: impaired mental health.