Depression
Anti-Depressant Associated with Increase in Suicidal Thoughts in Men
The popular anti-depressant Nortriptyline has been found to cause a ten-fold increase in suicidal thoughts in men when compared to its competitor escitalopram. Nortriptyline is marketed under the brand names Sensoval, Aventyl, Pamelor, Norpress, Allegron, and Nortrilen. Escitalopram is marketed as Lexapro and Cipralex.
Science Daily reports that the research was carried out by Dr. Nader Perroud from the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, who headed up GENDEP, an international team.
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Pre-Natal Exposure to Antidepressants Can Influence Newborn’s Health
A new report shows that exposure to a certain class of antidepressant medications during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, a low five-minute Apgar score (a measure of overall health of the baby), and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.
The study, published in the October issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, reports that more than one in ten pregnant women are estimated to have depression, comparable in frequency and severity to postpartum depression. “Depression, antidepressants, and lifestyle factors associated with depression may influence pregnancy outcomes and newborn health,” the authors write.
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ADHD and Depression May Predict Internet Addiction in Adolescents
Adolescents with psychiatric symptoms such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), social phobia, hostility, and depression may be more likely to develop an Internet addiction, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Addiction to the Internet can negatively impact school performance, family relationships, and adolescents’ emotional states.
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Depression Shortens Lives of Cancer Patients
It is well known throughout the health care industry that there is a direct link between depression and serious illness. This link can have significant implications for anyone with an illness as it can hamper an individual’s ability to fully recover.
US News recently reported that in cancer patients, depression can shorten a person’s life. This finding is the result of an analysis of research that raised questions about the need to screen patients for psychological problems.
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Marijuana Dependency Linked to Depression, Suicidal Thoughts
A new study found that people who smoke marijuana before age 17 are 3.5 times more likely to attempt suicide as those who started smoking marijuana later in life. In addition, people who are dependent on marijuana have a higher risk of experiencing major depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The large-scale epidemiological study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
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Study Analysis Finds Gene Variation Associated with Increased Depression May Not Provide Link
Much of the effective treatment of depression lies in the accurate identification of its origin and triggers. While stressful life events are an obvious trigger, a specific gene variation that has been identified as increasing the risk in conjunction with stressful life events may actually have no impact at all.
This surprising finding is the result of research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, challenges the widely accepted assumption in identifying risk factors for depression.
Scientists believe that most mental disorders are the result of a combination of many genetic risk factors that interact with environmental triggers. Identifying the exact combinations continues to present significant challenges in the research, keeping absolute treatments at bay.
As a result of advances in scientific understanding and technologies in the last decade, mental health researchers found in 2003 that a gene involved in serotonin activity increased over a five-year period. This groundbreaking research received wide acclaim and produced far-reaching influence. The problem with this study is scientists have been unable to replicate its findings as follow-up studies have produced inconsistent results.
To challenge the 2003 findings in an effort to either confirm or contradict the results, Kathleen Merikangas, Ph.D., of the NIMH Intramural Research Program, led a group of scientists from NIMH and six universities in a meta-analysis, re-analyzing data on 14,250 participants in 14 studies published from 2003 through March 2009. This original data was analyzed to also identify potential gender differences associated with serotonin genotype, stressful life events, and depression.
While the workgroup did find a strong association between the number of stressful life events and risk of depression across the studies, the presumed high-risk version of the serotonin transporter gene failed to show a relationship to increased risk for major depression. The relationship was not shown alone or in interaction with stressful life events. The findings proved to be the same in men and women.
Researchers within the workgroup suggest these findings may account for the difficulty others have had in attempting to replicate the 2003 study. The analysis certainly brings into question the validity of the 2003 study and highlights earlier reviews that had also questioned the actual impact the gene had on depression risk.
“Even though our re-analysis did not confirm an association between the serotonin gene and depression, the finding that the environmental factor was strongly associated with depression in several studies reminds us that environmental factors are also involved in the complex pathways leading to mental disorders,” noted Merikangas in a NIMH statement. “Future progress will require thoughtful integration of the tools of genetics, epidemiology, and clinical and behavioral sciences.”
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain which helps brain cells to communicate with one another. This particular neurotransmitter is involved in regulating mood. A person’s inability to make or use the right amount of serotonin has been linked to a number of mental disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, autism, and schizophrenia.
New Test May Be Able to Quickly Predict Accuracy of Anti-Depressants for Individuals
Treating major depression is not a quick fix—it is a long, slow journey to restoring mental health. Although many antidepressant medications are available, no single biomarker or diagnostic test exists to predict which one is right for an individual. As a result, for more than half of all patients, the first drug prescribed doesn’t work, and it can take months to figure out what does.
But now, based on the final results of a nationwide study led by UCLA, clinicians may be able to accurately predict within a week whether a particular drug will be effective by using a non-invasive test that takes less than 15 minutes to administer. The test will allow physicians to quickly switch patients to a more effective treatment, if necessary.
Alcohol Abuse May Lead to Overeating and Depression in Women
A new study of young professional women finds that excessive alcohol use can relate to overeating and depression. Researchers surveyed 393 men and 383 women at ages 24, 27, and 30 about their weight, alcohol use, and depression symptoms within the last year. They found that women who had alcohol use disorders at age 24 were more than three times as likely to be obese at age 27, compared to women who did not.
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New Study Explores Postpartum Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
When a new mother suffers from postpartum depression, she may experience thoughts of committing suicide. A new two-year study found that for women contemplating taking their own lives, the mother-infant relationship and development was a negative experience, accompanied by mood disturbances, low maternal self-esteem, negative perceptions of their effectiveness as parents, and noticeably less responsiveness to their infants’ cues.
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Anxiety, Depression, and Substance Abuse May Be More Common Than We Think
A new study finds that anxiety, depression, and substance abuse may be twice as high in as the mental health community has been led to believe, due to the vast amount of people who don’t report or aren’t asked about their problems.
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