February, 2010
Brain Stimulation May be More Effective Than Antidepressants
For those who are dealing with debilitating depression, antidepressants are meant to provide relief. Recent research, however, has identified that more than one third of patients with depression may not be achieving a satisfactory response from their medication.
A recent post in Science Daily shows that deep brain stimulation (DBS), a form of targeted electrical stimulation in the brain, is undergoing careful testing to determine the role it could play in the treatment of patients who have not sufficiently improved during more traditional forms of treatment.
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Excessive Internet Use Linked to Depression
People who spend a great deal of time browsing the Internet are more likely to show depressive symptoms, according to the first large-scale study of its kind in the West by University of Leeds psychologists. The researchers found striking evidence that some users have developed a compulsive Internet habit, whereby they replace real-life social interaction with online chat rooms and social networking sites. The results suggest that this type of addictive surfing can have a serious impact on mental health.
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Study Finds Genetic Mutations Associated with Suicide Risk among Depressed Patients
A new report reveals that single mutations in genes involved with nerve cell formation and growth appear to be associated with the risk of attempting suicide among individuals with depression. The study will appear in the April print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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Aftermath of Suicide: Help for Families
In the wake of a loved one’s death by suicide, families often disintegrate, unable to deal with the intense grief and the difficult, painful, and often unanswerable question of “Why?” For every suicide, it is estimated that at least six persons are affected. These include family members, co-workers, neighbors, classmates and close friends. Beyond grief and the fruitless search for answers, survivors of suicide also grapple with crippling emotions.
Those with Schizophrenia More Likely to Encounter Criminal Justice System
A new study shows that people being treated for schizophrenia are more likely than the general population to have encounters with the criminal justice system in the US. The study, published in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry, has shown that schizophrenia patients’ involvement with the criminal justice system is primarily driven by their being victims of crime and that the average annual per-patient cost of involvement with the criminal justice system was $1,429.
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