October, 2009
Study Examines Impact of Cocaine Abuse
While the use of cocaine can have far-reaching impacts on an individual, the memory and cognitive problems associated with use and abuse may also be linked to pre-existing traits or lifestyle factors. These findings were discussed in a recent Science Daily post and were presented at the Neuroscience 2009, an annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
“Our results clearly demonstrate the negative impact that even limited access to cocaine can have on cognitive function,” said senior author Charles W. Bradberry, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh. “These findings may lead to the development of therapies for cognitive impairments as a way to improve addiction treatment.”
Seniors Online Show Less Depression
While some are crying out against the dangers too much Internet use can cause an individual, others are touting its value in terms of social connection. For seniors especially, Internet use could be good for their health.
According to a McKnights article, seniors using the Internet could reduce rates of depression and cut healthcare costs at the same time. This prediction is part of a new report from The Phoenix Center.
Seniors face significant challenges in maintaining relationships with friends and family, especially if they have mobility difficulties. Such obstacles can lead to depression and can complicate current health conditions.
Study Finds Hopelessness Can Lead to Stroke
Consistent research has shown that a person’s mental health plays a large role in their physical health. Now, new research out of the University of Minnesota Medical School has found that healthy, middle-aged women experiencing feelings of hopelessness are also experiencing thickening of the neck arteries, which can be a precursor to a stroke.
Science Daily recently issued a report on this study, which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. This study found negative thinking and feelings of uselessness – or hopelessness – affects arteries independent of clinical depression and before women develop clinically relevant cardiovascular disease.
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Study Highlights Need for Substance Abuse Programs Among Highly Educated
There is a common assumption among certain cultures and societies that pursuing a higher education can automatically protect against risky behavior. By making these assumptions, opportunities for prevention and intervention can easily be missed as the higher educated are not immune to developing substance use and abuse problems.
It is important to examine evidence of substance-related problems among those with higher educations. While education tends to decrease the likelihood of substance-related addiction, assuming these individuals are immune can put them at greater risk for developing problems that could go untreated.
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Online Addictions Could Have Significant Impact on Health
Nearly every individual has the potential to develop an addiction to something. Whether it is a substance that is illegal or unhealthy, an online game, a particular type of food or even a specific activity, developing an addiction is not something saved only for those with a tendency to move towards drugs or alcohol.
Only certain addictions are identified as being a threat to an individual’s health, although recent research shows that obsessive addictions could lead to mental issues. A recent article out of Australia in the Sydney Morning Herald suggests that such use and addiction to the Internet could create a mental-health epidemic. In fact, one Sydney academic warns that such an epidemic would put 10 percent of adolescents at risk.
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Study Examines Peer Pressure and Addiction
Is peer pressure the main cause of addiction? Unfortunately, what people believe their peers want them to do is often the cause of what they actually do. The findings from a National Drug Agency (AADK) study done in Malaysia revealed that of 26,841 drug addicts surveyed between 2007 and 2008, 55 percent became hooked on drugs after being introduced to the substance by friends.
Only 35 percent of those surveyed found themselves addicted to a substance as a result of trying it out of fun or curiosity. The study also found that the highest number of drug users tend to be general workers, including individuals from construction, sales, fishing, plantations and service industries.
Children on Psychiatric Drugs Can Quickly Become Obese
Children taking psychiatric drugs can quickly gain an alarming amount of weight. The Associated Press reports that a study found that many gain nearly 20 pounds and become obese within just 11 weeks of starting the medication.
“Sometimes this stuff just happens like an explosion. You can actually see them grow between appointments,” said Dr. Christopher Varley, a psychiatrist with Seattle Children’s Hospital. Varley called the study “sobering.”
Weight gain is a known possible side effect of the anti-psychotic drugs prescribed for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The drugs are increasingly being prescribed for autism, attention deficit disorders, and other behavior problems. The new study in mostly older children and teens suggests that this age group may be more vulnerable to weight gain than adults.
The study also linked some of these drugs with worrisome increases in blood fats including cholesterol, also seen in adults. Researchers tie these changes to weight gain and worry that both may make children more prone to heart problems in adulthood.
The research is the largest in children who had just started taking these medicines, and provides strong evidence suggesting the drugs, not something else, caused the side effects, said lead author Dr. Christoph Correll of North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Glen Oaks, N.Y.
But because these drugs can reduce severe psychiatric symptoms in troubled children, “We’re a little bit between a rock and a hard place,” he said.
The study authors said their results show that children on the drugs should be closely monitored for weight gain and other side effects, and that when possible, other medicines should be tried first.
The study appears in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association. It involved 205 New York City-area children from 4 to 19 years old who had recently been prescribed one of the drugs; the average age was 14.
Depending on which of four study drugs children used, they gained between about 10 and 20 pounds on average in almost 11 weeks; from 10 percent to 36 percent became obese.
The drugs are Abilify, Risperdal, Seroquel, and Zyprexa. Of the four, Seroquel and Zyprexa are not yet approved for children, and they had the worst effects on weight and cholesterol. However, a government advisory panel recently voted in favor of pediatric use for the two drugs, and the Food and Drug Administration often follows its advisers’ recommendations.
The drugs’ makers said these problems are known side effects but emphasized the drugs’ benefits in helping patients cope with serious mental illness.
The four drugs have been considered safer than older anti-psychotic drugs, which can cause sometimes permanent involuntary muscle twitches and tics. That has contributed to widespread use of the newer drugs, including for less severe behavior problems, a JAMA editorial said.
The number of children using these drugs has soared to more than 2 million annually, according to one estimate.
Doctors “should not stretch the boundaries” by prescribing the drugs for conditions they haven’t been proven to treat, said Varley, co-author of the editorial.
Why these drugs cause weight gain is uncertain but there’s some evidence that they increase appetite and they may affect how the body metabolizes sugar, said Jeff Bishop, a psychiatric pharmacist at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The drugs also can have a sedation effect that can make users less active.
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Mental Health is Important for Overall Physical Health
Mental health is an important focus in the medical world as it is an integral part of overall physical health. Mental health professionals tried to emphasize this point at the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar on World Mental Health Day.
The Peninsula Qatar posted an article highlighting the event. Dr. Ziad Kronfol, associate professor of psychiatry at WCMC-Q, led a discussion on the relationship between depression and physical health at the World Mental Health Day event.
“Mental health disorders occur at all stages of life and in all cultures,” said Dr. Kronfol. “Depression, in particular, is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Research studies have shown that depression is a common complication of other chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis or kidney disease.”
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Why Anti-Depressants Don’t Work for Some
More than half of people who take antidepressants for depression never get relief. New research from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine finds that this is because the cause of depression has been oversimplified and drugs designed to treat it are aiming at the wrong target.
Science Daily reports that a study from the laboratory of long-time depression researcher Eva Redei, presented at the Neuroscience 2009 conference in Chicago this week, appears to topple two strongly held beliefs about depression. One is that stressful life events are a major cause of depression. The other is that an imbalance in neurotransmitters in the brain triggers depressive symptoms.
Depression-Inflicted Adults Fail to Seek Treatment
Seeking medical treatment for depression can make a significant impact on a person’s quality of life. For men and women in Ontario, Canada, less than half are seeking this treatment. In addition, those who have been hospitalized for severe depression fail to see a doctor for follow-up care within 30 days of discharge.
These findings were recently posted in Science Daily and suggest there is a need for a comprehensive care model that involves a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals to help both men and women to better manage depression and improve their quality of life.
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