Depression
UK Moving to Improve Therapy for Patients Suffering with Depression
Individuals suffering with depression need more than simply a prescription to popular medications – they also need psychological therapy. According to a BBC News piece, however, 65 percent of UK doctors say they can rarely offer such therapy to depression sufferers within two months of referral.
This finding is according to the Royal College of GPs survey of 590 UK doctors reported that access to psychological services was only usually possible in that time frame. This survey is the result of the government’s efforts in working with RCGP to provide better access to therapies.
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Antidepressants Effective in Individuals with Physical Ailments
When depression is mixed with physical illnesses, the challenge in treatment can intensify. According to a new systematic review by Cochrane researchers at King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Center in the UK, antidepressants are effective in the treatment of depression in those with physical illnesses.
A recent Science Daily release focused on this study and its approach to examining the effects physical illness can have on mental health. Research in the industry indicates that more than 10 percent of patients suffering from physical diseases also suffer from depression.
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Antidepressants Help Patients with Physical Illness
Antidepressants are effective against depression in patients suffering from physical illnesses, according to a new systematic review by Cochrane researchers at King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre in the UK. The researchers found the drugs were more effective than placebos at treating depression in these patients. One of the most neglected areas of healthcare research is the effects of physical illness on an individual’s mental health.
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Vitamin D May Lift Spirits in Cold Weather
A daily dose of vitamin D may just be what people in northern climates need to get through the long winter, according to researchers at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON). This nutrient lifts mood during cold weather months when days are short and more time is spent indoors.
Some Antidepressants Bring Higher Risk of Developing Cataracts
A new statistical study has found that some antidepressant drugs are associated with an increased chance of developing cataracts. Researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and McGill University conducted the study, based on a database of more than 200,000 Quebec residents aged 65 and older, that showed statistical relationships between a diagnosis of cataracts or cataract surgery and the class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), as well as between cataracts and specific drugs within that class.
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Critical Brain Chemical Plays Role in Severe Depression
The next advance in treating major depression may relate to a group of brain chemicals that are involved in virtually all our brain activity, according to a study published today in Biological Psychiatry. The study is co-authored by Drs. Andrea J. Levinson and Zafiris J. Daskalakis of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). This study shows that compared to healthy individuals, people who have major depressive disorder have altered functions of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). In the study, individuals with the most treatment-resistant forms of illness demonstrated the greatest reductions of GABA levels in the brain.
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Obesity Associated with Risk of Depression and Vice-Versa
Obesity appears to be associated with an increased risk of depression, and depression also appears associated with an increased risk of developing obesity, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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Video Games that Include Exercise May Help Older Adults with Depression
Research at the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests a novel route to improving the symptoms of subsyndromal depression (SSD) in seniors through the regular use of “exergames,” or entertaining video games that combine game play with exercise.
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Childhood Stress Contributes to Depression
New research using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows that childhood stress such as abuse or emotional neglect, in particular when combined with genetic factors, can result in structural brain changes, rendering these people more vulnerable to developing depression. The study led by scientists at Trinity College Dublin has just been published in the international scientific journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
Husbands’ Anti-Social Behaviors Increase Wives’ Symptoms of Depression
In the United States, nearly 10 percent of the population suffers from a depressive disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. While the causes of depression vary, a new study at the University of Missouri reveals that marital hostility is a contributing factor. MU researcher, Christine Proulx, found that husbands’ hostile and anti-social behaviors increased their wives’ symptoms of depression over time.
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