Recurrent Depression

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Marijuana could prevent post-traumatic stress symptoms
2011-09-21 18:38:00
Cannabinoids (marijuana) administration after experiencing a traumatic event blocks the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms in rats, according to a new study conducted at the University of Haifa and published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. ?We found that there is a ?window of opportunity? during which administering synthetic marijuana helps deal with symptoms simulating PTSD in rats,? said Dr. Irit Akirav of the University of Haifa?s Department of Psychology, who led the study. In the study, which Dr. Akirav conducted with research student Eti Ganon-Elazar, the researchers set out to examine how administering cannabinoids (synthetic marijuana) affects the development of PTSD-like symptoms in rats, whose physiological reactions to traumatic and stressful events is similar to human reactions.
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Depression associated with increased risk of stroke and stroke-related deat
2011-09-20 19:20:00
An analysis of nearly 30 studies including more than 300,000 patients finds that depression is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing stroke and dying from stroke, according to an article in the September 21 issue of JAMA. ?Stroke is a leading cause of death and permanent disability, with significant economic losses due to functional impairments. Depression is highly prevalent in the general population, and it is estimated that 5.8 percent of men and 9.5 percent of women will experience a depressive episode in a 12-month period. The lifetime incidence of depression has been estimated at more than 16 percent in the general population,? according to background information in the article. Whether depression increases the risk of stroke has been unclear. An Pan, Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to describe the association between depression and r...
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Routine screening for depression not recommended
2011-09-20 04:18:00
Routine screening for depression in primary care patients has not been shown to be beneficial or an effective use of scarce health care resources, which would be better focused on providing more consistent treatment of people with depression, concludes an analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/site/embargo/cmaj11103 5.pdf. Screening for depression by primary care providers is recommended in the United States and Canada if there are integrated care programs available with medical and nonmedical staff who provide follow up and treatment for depression. By contrast, the United Kingdom does not recommend screening because of a lack of evidence supporting its efficacy. The UK?s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines cited concerns about high rates of false-positive results, lack of evidence of benefit, high cost and large amount of resources, and the diversion of resources away from people with serious...
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Brains Of Females With Major Depressive Disorder Undergo Molecular-Level Ch
2011-09-19 09:17:00
According to findings published online this week in Molecular Psychiatry, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found molecular-level changes in the brains of women with major depressive disorder which link two hypotheses of the biological mechanisms that lead to depression. The results also allowed the researchers to recreate the changes in a mouse model that could improve future research on depression. Senior author Etienne Sibille, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry at the Pitt School of Medicine remarked that despite the fact that women are two times more likely to develop depression with more severe and frequent symptoms compared with men, very little research has focused on women or has been conducted in other female animals. Sibille said: ?It seemed to us that if there were molecular changes in the depressed brain, we might be able to better identify them in samples that come from females. Indeed, our findings give us a better understa...
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Some memory complaints in the elderly may be warning signs of cognitive pro
2011-09-15 15:23:00
Older individuals? complaints about memory lapses such as having trouble remembering recent events may indicate that they are experiencing cognitive problems that are greater than typical age-related changes. These findings, which are published today in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, indicate that primary care clinicians, who are often the first to see patients who are worried about their memory, should be aware that such complaints might be indicative of something serious and warrant a further cognitive assessment. Because the number of U.S. adults aged 65 years and older is projected to nearly double over the next two decades, the incidence of Alzheimer?s disease and other dementias is also expected to rise. In response, clinicians are incorporating cognitive screening tests as part of annual wellness visits for older people, and researchers are looking for simple ways to identify older individuals who may benefit from additional cognitive evaluations. To see ...
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Parental divorce linked to suicidal thoughts
2011-01-19 16:20:00
Adult children of divorce are more likely to have seriously considered suicide than their peers from intact families, suggests new research from the University of Toronto In a paper published online this week in the journal Psychiatry Research, investigators examined gender specific differences among a sample of 6,647 adults, of whom 695 had experienced parental divorce before the age of 18. The study found that men from divorced families had more than three times the odds of suicidal ideation in comparison to men whose parents had not divorced. Adult daughters of divorce had 83 per cent higher odds of suicidal ideation than their female peers who had not experienced parental divorce. The link between divorce and suicidal ideation was particularly strong in families where childhood stressors like parental addiction, physical abuse, and parental unemployment also occurred. For women who had not experienced these adverse childhood experiences, the association between parental divo...
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Beyond Improving Parkinson?s Symptoms, Does Deep Brain Stimulation Stall Th
2011-01-18 17:25:00
Parkinson?s disease symptoms begin subtly and worsen as damage to certain brain cells continues. But an electrical stimulation device implanted deep in the brain and programmed remotely, along with medications, may provide some control of ?motor symptoms? common to the disease, such as shaking, stiffness, and loss of muscle control. What happens, however, if the drugs are stopped and the device is switched off after five years? Are the symptoms far worse than they were to start, as might be expected with a ?progressive? degenerative disorder? Surprisingly, no, says neurologist Michele Tagliati, M.D., director of the Movement Disorders Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and one of the nation?s leading experts in deep brain stimulation therapy.
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Adolescents with severe mental disorders have never received treatment
2011-01-18 16:51:00
A recent study by Merikangas and colleagues published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) shows that only half of adolescents that are affected with severely impairing mental disorders ever receive treatment for their disorders. The researchers found that approximately one third of adolescents with any mental disorder received services for their illness (36.2%). Disorder severity was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of receiving treatment, yet only half of adolescents who were identified as having severely impairing mental disorders had ever received mental health treatment for their symptoms. In the article titled ?Service Utilization for Lifetime Mental Disorders in U.S. Adolescents: Results of the National Comorbidity Survey?Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A),? Dr. Merikangas and colleagues examined the rates of treatment for specific mental disorders in the NCS-A. The NCS-A is a national...
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Radiosurgery Can Help Patients with Severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
2011-01-07 17:36:00
For patients with extremely severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a procedure called radiosurgery may bring improvement when other treatments have failed, according to a study in the January issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. Dr. Douglas Kondziolka and colleagues of University of Pittsburgh report promising results of radiosurgery in three patients with very severe, ?medically refractory? OCD. Although further research is needed, radiosurgery could provide a new treatment alternative for the most extreme and difficult cases of OCD. Radiation Treatment Brings Improvement Where Medications Have Failed The patients were two women and one man with extremely severe OCD - on a standard OCD severity scale, two of the patients scored 39 out of 40. Despite taking multiple medications, all patients continued to have severe and disabling OCD ...
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Scientists shed light on what causes brain cell death in Parkinson?s patien
2011-01-07 16:56:00
Just 5 percent of Parkinson ?s disease cases can be explained by genetic mutation, while the rest have no known cause. But a new discovery by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center may begin to explain why the vast majority of Parkinson?s patients develop the progressive neurodegenerative disease. This week in The Journal of Neuroscience, the researchers demystified a process that leads to the death of brain cells - or neurons - in Parkinson?s patients. When researchers blocked the process, the neurons survived. The findings could lead to an effective treatment to slow the progression of Parkinson?s disease, rather than simply address symptoms that include tremors, slowed movement, muscle stiffness and impaired balance. Further studies could lead to a diagnostic test that could screen for Parkinson?s years before symptoms develop, said Syed Z. Imam, Ph.D., adjunct assistant professor at the UT Health Science Center.
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Light therapy shows promise for seniors? depression
2011-01-07 15:02:00
The bright-light therapy often used to fight the ?winter blues? may also ease major depression symptoms in older adults, a small clinical trial suggests. Researchers found that of 89 older adults with clinical depression, those who were randomly assigned to three weeks of ?bright light? therapy showed improvements comparable to what?s been seen in studies of antidepressant drugs. The therapy, which involves spending time with a ?light box? each day, is a standard treatment for seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that arises in the late fall and winter, when natural light is scarce.
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Maternal depression adversely affects quality of life in children with epil
2011-01-05 17:36:00
A study by Canadian researchers examined the prevalence of maternal depression and its impact on children newly diagnosed with epilepsy. Prevalence of depression in mothers ranged from 30%-38% within the first 24 months following a child?s epilepsy diagnosis. The mother?s depressive symptoms negatively impacted the child?s health-related quality of life, but the effects were moderated by the amount of family resources and mediated by how well the family functions and the extent of family demands. Details of this novel study appear online in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy. A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that depression affects 121 million people worldwide. One significant source of stress for parents is caring for a child with a chronic illness, such as epilepsy. Prior studies have shown that families of a child with epilepsy experience significantly more stress, anxiety, and rest...
More About: Life , Children , Depression , Quality of Life

Mount Sinai develops first screening tool for war veterans to assess trauma
2011-01-05 17:25:00
A team of researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine has developed the first web-based screening tool for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). This instrument has recently been used by soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who participated in the Sixth Annual Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute in Orlando to determine if they sustained a TBI. ?Traumatic brain injury is underdiagnosed, and left untreated can have long-term cognitive, behavioral and physical effects,? said Wayne Gordon, PhD, the Jack Nash Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine and an Associate Director of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who led the project. ?If we can intervene and diagnose TBI early, then we can prevent further complications.? Dr. Gordon and his team began working on this screening tool 20 years ago. Working in local schools, they found a surprising number of students with TBI but never reported it nor received medical attention, often...
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Sexual Dysfunction in Schizophrenia: Findings
2011-01-05 15:22:00
A Spanish group[9] has examined the effects of quetiapine in 82 outpatients with schizophrenia in a multicenter, noncomparative, open-label, naturalistic study. Patients received open treatment with quetiapine, the mean dose being 525.4 mg, and were followed up to 6 months. Sexual functioning was evaluated using the Psychotropic-Related Sexual Dysfunction Questionnaire (PRSexDQ). This scale includes questions about libido, orgasm, ejaculation, erectile function and general sexual satisfaction, higher scores relating to higher degrees of sexual dysfunction. As the authors state, ?due to the naturalistic design of the study?, no laboratory tests were performed. It is important to note that most of the recruited patients (n = 56) had been treated with antipsychotics before and were switched to quetiapine. PRSexDQ total scores decreased from baseline to end point. When only patients who received quetiapine as their primary medication without having been switched were analysed, scores re...

The Effects of Schizophrenic Medications on Male Sexual Dysfunction and Qua
2011-01-05 14:55:00
Sexual dysfunction often goes unrecognized in adult schizophrenic patients, but reportedly affects up to 60% of these individuals. This is twice the incidence in the general male population. Antipsychotic medications, including olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine and haloperidol, can contribute to male sexual dysfunction in schizophrenic patients. Dr. Mark Olfson and associates from the New York State Psychiatric Institute and South Beach Psychiatric Center in New York, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Rockville, Md. and Bristol-Meyers Squibb Company, Wallingford, Conn. examined the prevalence and clinical correlates of sexual dysfunction in schizophrenia outpatients treated with the above 4 medications. Their findings are reported in the March 2005 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. They conducted a cross-sectional study of sexual function of male outpatients with schizophrenia from 3 state psychiatric hospitals. They studied patients aged 18-70 years who met diagnostic criteri...
More About: Male , Sexual , Medications

Resurrecting the so-called ?depression gene?
2011-01-03 19:27:00
University of Michigan Health System researchers have found new evidence that our genes help determine our susceptibility to depression. Their findings, published online today in the Archives of General Psychiatry, challenge a 2009 study that called the genetic link into question and add new support to earlier research hailed as a medical breakthrough. In the summer of 2003, scientists announced they had discovered a connection between a gene that regulates the neurotransmitter serotonin and an individual?s ability to rebound from serious emotional trauma, such as childhood physical or sexual abuse.
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Team-based approach to care shows success in fight against depression with
2011-01-01 15:25:00
Many people in the U.S. have multiple common chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, which complicates health care needs. When depression coexists with diabetes, heart disease, or both, health outcomes are often less favorable. In a randomized controlled trial, testing a primary care intervention called TEAMcare, nurses worked with patients and health teams to manage care for depression and physical disease together, using evidence-based guidelines. The result for patients: less depression, and better control of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol and improved quality of life. Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) and Group Health Research Institute published their findings in the December 30, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine.
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Severe allergies linked to suicide risk
2010-12-27 16:35:00
People with severe nasal or skin allergies may have a higher suicide risk than the allergy-free, a new study suggests?although the reasons are not yet clear. Reviewing medical records for more than 27,000 suicide victims, Danish researchers found that just over one percent had ever been hospitalized for severe nasal allergies or eczema. That compared with 0.8 percent among nearly 468,000 adults studied for comparison. When the researchers weighed other factors?like people?s incomes and history of mental health disorders?those treated for severe allergies had a one-third higher risk of suicide than people with no history of allergies.
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Multiple Sclerosis More Linked to Depression in Minorities
2010-12-23 03:57:00
Multiple sclerosis (MS) can cause significant physical impairment, including fatigue, pain, muscle spasms, tremors and dizziness. For many with MS, the disease wreaks havoc with emotional well-being, too, and according to a new study, minorities might especially be at risk for developing depressive symptoms. Of study participants with the neurological condition, 44.2 percent of Latinos and 45.8 percent of African-Americans reported at least mild depression, compared with 38.7 percent of whites with MS. However, more Latinos never received mental health care, compared to whites or African-Americans with MS, according to lead study author Robert Buchanan, Ph.D. Buchan is a professor in the department of political science and public administration at Mississippi State University. For the study in the December 2010 issue of the journal Ethnicity & Disease, authors used data from a registry of 26,967 white, 715 Latino and 1,313 African- American MS patients.
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Psychologists find skill in recognizing faces peaks after age 30
2010-12-22 01:51:00
Scientists have made the surprising discovery that our ability to recognize and remember faces peaks at age 30 to 34, about a decade later than most of our other mental abilities. Researchers Laura T. Germine and Ken Nakayama of Harvard University and Bradley Duchaine of Dartmouth College will present their work in a forthcoming issue of the journal Cognition. While prior evidence had suggested that face recognition might be slow to mature, Germine says few scientists had suspected that it might continue building for so many years into adulthood. She says the late-blooming nature of face recognition may simply be a case of practice making perfect.
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AMA Recommends Strategies to Reduce Violence in ED
2010-12-21 14:59:00
A key AMA council notes that psychiatric patients who are appropriately medicated are no more likely to be violent than the general population. A resource document outlining essential services necessary to address emergency department violence was approved at last month?s meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. The document, in the form of a report by the AMA?s Council on Science and Public Health (CSAPH), is designed to assist in the implementation of procedures to protect physicians and other staff in emergency departments (EDs) and to assure optimal care for patients, including those with psychiatric or behavioral conditions. The AMA will make it available to hospitals, emergency medicine departments, physicians, mental health clinicians, patient advocates, and law-enforcement organizations. 
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Screening Mandate Will Be Boon to Early Mental Illness Detection
2010-12-21 14:53:00
Private insurers and many Medicaid plans will be required to cover the cost of screening beneficiaries for psychiatric illness, which is expected to decrease the number of individuals whose mental illness goes undetected. Screening for psychiatric illness in adults and children nationwide is expected to increase as coverage mandates in the new health care law for both private and public insurance programs go into effect over the next few years. And that increase could help cut the rates of untreated mental illness, said mental health advocates. Supporters of increased access to mental health care gathered for a Capitol Hill briefing in November to hail the expected benefits of the health care reform law. Those benefits came via provisions that include a requirement that all health insurance plans participating in the new state health insurance exchanges?planned for launch by 2014 - cover services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the Advisory Commi...
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Children with autism lack visual skills required for independence
2010-12-21 14:02:00
The ability to find shoes in the bedroom, apples in a supermarket, or a favourite animal at the zoo is impaired among children with autism, according to new research from the University of Bristol. Contrary to previous studies, which show that children with autism often demonstrate outstanding visual search skills, this new research indicates that children with autism are unable to search effectively for objects in real-life situations ? a skill that is essential for achieving independence in adulthood. Previous studies have tested search skills using table-top tasks or computers but none, until now, has tested how children with autism fare in a more true-to-life setting. In a unique test room, 20 children with autism and 20 typical children of the same age and ability were instructed to press buttons on the floor to find a hidden target among multiple illuminated locations. Critically, these targets appeared more on one side of the room than the other. 
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First-time dads? age tied to kids? schizophrenia risk
2010-10-29 03:16:00
Men who are relatively older at their first child?s birth may be more likely than younger first-time dads to have a child who eventually develops schizophrenia, hint results of a large Danish study. Using data on more than 2 million people born in Denmark between 1955 and 1992, researchers found a link between first-time fathers? age and the odds of any of their children developing schizophrenia. In contrast, the connection was not seen among fathers who were relatively older only when their second- or later-born child came into the world.
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U of M researchers identify possible key to treating, understanding post-tr
2010-10-28 16:35:00
University of Minnesota Medical School and Minneapolis Veterans Affair Medical Center researchers have discovered a correlation between increased circuit activity in the right side of the brain and the debilitating, involuntary flashbacks triggered by post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The ability to objectively diagnose PTSD through concrete evidence of neural activity, its impact and its manifestation is the first step towards effectively helping those afflicted with this severe anxiety disorder. PTSD often stems from war, but also can be a result of exposure to any psychologically traumatic event. The disorder can manifest itself in flashbacks, recurring nightmares, anger or hyper-vigilance. Using a technique called Magnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive measurement of magnetic fields in the brain, researchers found differences between signals in the temporal and parieto-occipital right hemispheric areas of the brain among those with PTSD. The temporal cortex, in ...
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Why your job is making you depressed
2010-10-28 04:34:00
Dr. Greg Couser, M.D., is the medical director of the employee assistance program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He also holds a handful of other titles, including two that begin with director or assistant director. Needless to say, his job is demanding, but he typically doesn?t get too stressed out. Why? Because he has a lot of control over the demands that are placed upon him and ?an understanding employer? that gives him the time he needs do his job well. Not everyone is so lucky. Most people in today?s economy are happy just to have a job?any job. But work-related factors like long hours, a poor relationship with your boss, and lack of control over daily tasks?factors that can get worse when the boss is pinching pennies?can contribute to depression as well.

Million-Dollar Prize for Couple Who Traced Roots of Youth Violence
2010-10-28 04:20:00
A husband-and-wife team of neuropsychologists whose work has shed light on the interplay between genes and the environment in determining proclivity toward violence have been awarded the $1 million Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize. Terrie Moffitt and Avshalom Caspi established that although certain genes are linked to an increased tendency for antisocial behavior, these genetic traits don?t necessarily manifest themselves if the individual has had a favorable upbringing. Both researchers hold professorships at two institutions: Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and King?s College London. Moffitt and Caspi?s work has led to programs to improve the social and living environment of children, especially in poor neighborhoods.
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What doesn?t kill us makes us stronger
2010-10-28 04:18:00
We seem to fare better after facing a few knocks compared to those who sail through life with no problems. A study has demonstrated how adverse experiences foster adaptability and resilience, with resulting advantages for mental health and well-being. Suffering from life?s ups and downs also means that we are better equipped to deal with adverse events in the future compared to those who have not experienced any difficulties.

Anxiety disorders affect smoking cessation
2010-10-28 04:17:00
Cigarette smokers who have a history of anxiety disorders have a harder time than others quitting smoking, U.S. researchers suggest. Lead author Megan Piper of the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention says the study offered free coaching and medications to smokers in Madison and Milwaukee. The study found the overall quit rates were high, but smokers with anxiety diagnoses were much less likely than others to quit smoking. Out of the 1,504 study participants, 455 reported a panic attack in the past, 199 reported social anxiety disorder and 99 reported generalized anxiety disorder?some reported having more than one diagnoses.
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Can meditation change your brain? Contemplative neuroscientists believe it
2010-10-28 03:15:00
Can people strengthen the brain circuits associated with happiness and positive behavior, just as we?re able to strengthen muscles with exercise? Richard Davidson, who for decades has practiced Buddhist-style meditation ? a form of mental exercise, he says ? insists that we can. And Davidson, who has been meditating since visiting India as a Harvard grad student in the 1970s, has credibility on the subject beyond his own experience.
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