Depression
Video Games May Present Healthful Benefits for Those Suffering from Depression
Those who suffer from depression and other mental illnesses, often turn to their doctors or therapists for answers to their condition and medications to relieve them of their symptoms.
Now, an article in the Washington Post suggests a new type of therapy: video games. To try and determine if there truly is a link between mental health benefits and participating in playing of the video game Bejeweled, manufacturer PopCap commissioned and funded a study.
Researchers determined that those volunteers who played Bejeweled displayed improved mood and heart rhythms compared with volunteers who weren’t playing. PopCap is now set to launch a second phase of testing to determine if video games can have measurable effects on clinical markers of depression.
This study and subsequent publishing of the findings is part of a broad array of unconventional efforts by video game companies to try and develop a new market for their products. This seems to be in direct contrast with the addictive aspects of video games and the impact that can have on a person’s mental health.
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Home Foreclosures Linked to Major Depression
The news of home foreclosures has been occupying much of the airwaves as individuals throughout the country have either lost jobs or found they really couldn’t afford the house they wanted so badly. While this has a negative financial impact, it also has shown to affect their mental health.
Science Daily recently issued a release citing a study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine which found nearly half of people studied while enduring foreclosure reported depressive symptoms. Another 37 percent met the screening criteria for major depression.
“The foreclosure crisis is also a health crisis,” said lead author Craig E. Pollack, MD, MHS, who conducted the research while working as an internist and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at Penn. “We need to do more to ensure that if people lose their homes, they don’t also lose their health.”
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Preschoolers with Depressed Mothers More Likely to Suffer Depression, Anxiety
The images of a group of preschoolers running around and enjoying each other and their environment generally do not include children who are depressed and anxious. Even if they cannot be easily identified, a new study suggests roughly 15 percent of these children do experience such mental states.
A recent Science Daily release focused on this five-year investigation into the general mental state of preschool aged children. In fact, this study suggests that 15 percent of preschoolers actually have atypically high levels of depression and anxiety. Study findings suggest such states were more common if the child’s mother had a history of depression.
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Depression Screening Could Start as Early as Second Grade
In some reports, depression has been called the most “over diagnosed” disease in this country. In others, it is still considered to be a mental health issue largely undetermined in a number of individuals due to lack of symptoms or other contributing factors. Practitioners are trying to better implement depression screening, but exactly when to introduce the process can still be somewhat questionable.
Now, Science Daily has released a report examining new research that suggests screening could begin in children much earlier than previously thought. As depression is the most common mental health disorder in the United States, screening early and effectively is critical for an individual’s wellbeing.
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Major Depression Contributes to Pain Symptoms
Pain is a complicated thing as symptoms cannot always be fully attributed to an organic origin for those suffering from depression. Dirk Frieser, psychologist at the Institute of Psychology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, notes in a recent Science Daily report that women are more frequently affected by depression and by the so-called somatoform pain disorder.
Somatoform symptoms are those that cannot by fully explained in medical terms. Surprisingly, this is a widespread phenomenon. Frieser noted, “up to 80 percent of the symptoms reported in GP practices are somatoform. However, this does not mean that patients are simply ‘imagining’ that they have these symptoms.”
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Clinical Depression Causes Early Malfunction in Brain’s Reward Center
Clinically depressed people are less capable of finding pleasure in activities they used to enjoy, a recent study shows. Research published in the August 26 issue of the NeuroReport shows reduced brain function in the reward center of the brain in depressed individuals, when compared to healthy subjects.
To investigate the effects of depression on brain activity, Dr. Elizabeth Osuch, a researcher at the Lawson Health Research Institute, and her team asked 15 healthy subjects and 16 recently depressed subjects to provide a list of their favorite music as well as identify music that they neither liked nor disliked (neutral music).
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The Health Benefits of Pet Ownership
By Leslie Thompson
They’re members of your family. Best friends and confidants. They act as your alarm clock in the morning and a security guard at night. They’re your pets and then some. Ask any pet owner about the role their pet plays in their life and expect to pull up a chair and stay a while as they gush about their favorite four-legged critter. Simply stated, people love their pets. And for good reason. Studies have continually shown that people who own pets are happier, more productive, and overall healthier—both mentally and physically. It’s no surprise that a recent survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) shows that more than 57 percent of U.S. households own one or more animal. But how does owning a pet affect one’s health? You’d be surprised at how many ways!
Depression, Substance Abuse, and Mental Illness in the Military
By Colin Gilbert
A 2007 CBS News story recounted the life of a soldier, Staff Sgt. Daniel Shannon, who had been injured in combat and subsequently suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Shannon was prone to violent outbursts, where he would find himself destroying furniture in fits of rage. Sadly, stories like his are common; as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have lingered on, rates of mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, suicide, and PTSD have steadily climbed.
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Exercise and Depression
By Leslie Thompson
Doctors, scientists, and personal trainers have long touted the benefits of exercise on a person’s physical health. Regular fitness activity prevents chronic health conditions, helps maintain a healthy weight, increases energy, and much more. But did you know that exercise also benefits your mental health by reducing depression and anxiety? If you are one of the millions of Americans who suffers from depression, take note: Hitting the gym has just become a little more enticing.
Lack of Sunlight Linked to Depression
Sunlight is often labeled as something to avoid as it is blamed for causing skin cancer. While it is true that overexposure to sunlight can be a contributor to melanoma, a lack of sunlight is associated with reduced cognitive function among depressed people.
Science Daily recently published a release examining the writings of researchers in BioMed Central’s Environmental Health. During this study, researchers gathered weather data from NASA satellites to measure sunlight exposure throughout the United States. This information was linked to the prevalence of cognitive impairment in depressed people.
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