Depression
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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Tiny Nerve Structure Stimulation Tested for Treating Depression
As depression can wreak havoc for an individual as well as close family and friends, it is important to understand the affect it can have and the best way to treat associated symptoms. Now, one team of neurosurgeons may have discovered a way to use brain surgery to treat severe depression.
Science Daily recently posted a release examining the work of this team and Heidelberg University Hospital that included psychiatrists at the Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim. This team treated a patient suffering from severe depression by stimulating the habenula, a tiny nerve structure in the brain.
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Stimulating the Brain’s Pleasure Center to Treat Depression
Even with the best of available treatments, over a third of patients with depression may not achieve a satisfactory antidepressant response. Deep brain stimulation (DBS), a form of targeted electrical stimulation in the brain via implanted electrodes, is now undergoing careful testing to determine whether it could play a role in the treatment of patients who have not sufficiently improved during more traditional forms of treatment.
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New Treatment Looks at Role of Serotonin in Antidepressants
Although antidepressants continue to be prescribed for those dealing with depression, they are believed to relieve symptoms in only 50 percent of patients. Now, a new study recently summarized in Science Daily suggests that the excess of one type of serotonin receptor in the center of the brain may be the cause.
The study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, is the first to find a causal link between receptor number and antidepressant treatment. It is expected this study could lead to more personalized treatment for depression.
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Study Tracks Common Mental Health Disorders Among American Youth
Only about half of American children and teenagers who have certain mental disorders receive professional services, according to a nationally representative survey funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The survey also provides a comprehensive look at the prevalence of common mental disorders. The results are part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a collaboration between NIMH and the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Excess Serotonin Receptors May Explain Why Antidepressants Don’t Work for Some Patients
An excess of one type of serotonin receptor in the center of the brain may explain why antidepressants fail to relieve symptoms of depression for 50 percent of patients, a new study from researchers at Columbia University Medical Center shows. The study is the first to find a causal link between receptor number and antidepressant treatment and may lead to more personalized treatment for depression, including treatments for patients who do not respond to antidepressants and ways to identify these patients before they undergo costly and ultimately futile therapies.
Hoarders: Not Just “Packrats”
“Makeover” shows can be very entertaining—they usually involve making over the appearance of someone who may have low self-esteem, or building a new home for a family devastated by loss. Some shows offer cleaning services to families who households are disorganized and chaotic. These shows can teach, instill kindness, or even be beneficial or rewarding for its viewers. But there is a much darker reality that is not prevalent in these reality entertainment shows; some people who are characterized as “packrats” may actually have a serious underlying mental disorder. These aren’t the people who pride themselves as collectors or admit to being unorganized or a shopaholic. People who habitually collect and never discard items are compulsive hoarders.
Deep Brain Stimulation Successfully Treats Severe Depression
A team of neurosurgeons at Heidelberg University Hospital and psychiatrists at the Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim have (for the first time) successfully treated a patient suffering from severe depression by stimulating the habenula, a tiny nerve structure in the brain. The 64-year-old woman, who had suffered from depression since age 18, could not be helped by medication or electroconvulsive therapy. Since the procedure, she is free of symptoms for the first time in years.
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Antidepressants Could Pose Stroke Risk for Older Women
Could antidepressants be bad for your health? According to a Women’s Health Initiative study, participants who reported taking an antidepressant drug had a statistically significant increase in the risk of stroke and of death compared with participants not taking antidepressants. This study was recently featured in a Science Daily post.
“Depression is a serious illness with its own health risks, and we know that antidepressants can be life-saving for some patients. No one should stop taking their prescribed medication based on this one study, but women who have concerns should discuss them with their physicians,” says Jordan W. Smoller, MD, ScD, of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry, the study’s lead author.
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Few Americans with Major Depression Receive Treatment
Many adults in the U.S. with major depression do not receive treatment or therapy based on treatment guidelines, and some racial and ethnic groups have even lower rates of adequate depression care, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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