When Personality Makes Drugs Ineffective In Depression

A study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics addresses the role of personality factors in moderating treatment response in depression. The temperament harm avoidance (HA) has consistently demonstrated an association with major depressive disorder (MDD), serotonin functioning and reduction in depression symptoms in response to antidepressant medications targeting the serotonin system. In this study, the investigators examined HA as a potential mediator of treatment response to a serotonergic tricyclic antidepressant…

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Online Dating And The Link Between Depression And Relational Uncertainty

There’s no doubt that meeting partners on the Internet is a growing trend. But can we trust the information that people provide about themselves via online dating services? And why is depression so dissatisfying in relationships? These two questions are explored in articles appearing in the latest issue of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, published by SAGE. The authors also discuss their findings in a new podcast series: Relationship Matters…

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Major depression more than doubles risk of dementia among adults with diabetes

Adults who have both diabetes and major depression are more than twice as likely to develop dementia, compared to adults with diabetes only, according to a study published in the recent Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Dementia is the progressive decline of thinking and reasoning abilities. These can include memory loss, difficulty with basic math, wandering, living in the past, personality changes, and not recognizing familiar people.

“Diabetes alone has shown to be a risk factor for dementia, as has major depression by itself,” noted the lead author of the study, Dr. Wayne Katon, University of Washington (UW) professor of psychiatry and… Continue reading

Critical Brain Chemical Shown To Play 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 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)…

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Obesity Associated With 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.

“Both depression and obesity are widely spread problems with major public health implications,” the authors write as background information in the article. “Because of the high prevalence of both depression and obesity, and the fact that they both carry an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, a potential association between depression and obesity has been presumed and… Continue reading

Video Games May Help Combat Depression In Older Adults

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” entertaining video games that combine game play with exercise. In a pilot study, the researchers found that use of exergames significantly improved mood and mental health-related quality of life in older adults with SSD. The study, led by Dilip V…

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NYU Study Finds Psychiatry’s Main Method To Prevent Mistaken Diagnoses Of Depression Doesn’t Work

A study in the March edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry senior-authored by Jerome C. Wakefield, a professor at the Silver School of Social Work at New York University with Mark Schmitz of Temple University and Judith Baer of Rutgers University, empirically challenges the effectiveness of psychiatrists’ official diagnostic manual in preventing mistaken, false-positive diagnoses of depression…

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Acupuncture May Reduce Depression During Pregnancy

A new US study suggests that acupuncture specifically designed for depression may reduce symptoms during pregnancy: although the study was small, the researchers say it is the first of its kind and hope that it raises awareness about depression in pregnancy and helps patients and doctors consider an alternative to antidepressants. You can read about the study online in the March issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. The lead author is Dr Rachel Manber, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, California…

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Obesity In Girls Triggered By Stress Hormone, Depression

Depression raises stress hormone levels in adolescent boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls, according to researchers. Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity – a major health issue. “This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls,” said Elizabeth J. Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State…

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Stress hormone, depression trigger obesity in girls

Depression raises stress hormone levels in teenaged boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls, says a new study .

Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity- a major health issue.

“This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls,” said Elizabeth J Susman, professor of bio-behavioural health at Penn State University (PSU). Go to Source… Continue reading