Depression News and Research

Latest Depression News and Research

Severe trauma affects kids' brain function

The first study to examine brain activity patterns in severely traumatized children showed their brains function differently than those of healthy children, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

27 Jul 2007

Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes

Further evidence that using cannabis could increase the risk of developing a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia, later in life, is revealed today in a study published in The Lancet.

27 Jul 2007

Smoking may not help relieve real anxiety

Many smokers excuse their habit by claiming that smoking relieves their feelings of stress.

26 Jul 2007

Brain chip could predict and stop epilepsy seizures

An implanted stimulator being studied at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital may be able to predict and prevent seizures before they start in people with uncontrolled epilepsy.

26 Jul 2007

Home based support for disadvantaged adult mothers

The idea makes sense: Partner indigent mothers with a mentor who offers parenting and health advice and helps find resources in the community.

25 Jul 2007

Faster-acting antidepressant medications

A new study has revealed more about how the medication ketamine, when used experimentally for depression, relieves symptoms of the disorder in hours instead of the weeks or months it takes for current antidepressants to work.

25 Jul 2007

Incarcerated girls fare worse than boys

A new study reveals that girls in juvenile detention centers face surprisingly different psychological issues than average teen girls and, in some ways, more severe than problems incarcerated boys.

25 Jul 2007

Low literacy can shorten life

Not being able to read doesn't just make it harder to navigate each day. Low literacy impairs people's ability to obtain critical information about their health and can dramatically shorten their lives.

24 Jul 2007

Double depression

There's depression, and then there's double depression.

24 Jul 2007

Nicotine rush hinges on sugar in neurons

As with other questions involving good sensations, the answer appears to be sugar.

23 Jul 2007

Urgent needs of HIV-positive women discussed

Women Living Positive, a roundtable discussion at the IAS congress in Sydney, featured the perspectives of an international panel, including experts in HIV research and medicine, an HIV-positive woman and a member of Australia's National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA), on the progress that has been made, and what remains to be done to address the needs of HIV-positive women.

23 Jul 2007

Health-care providers could help avert depression in fathers of children with fatal cancer

Adequately preparing parents, intellectually and emotionally, for the death of their child is associated with parents’ future health, according to an Article published Online this week and in The Lancet Oncology special edition on paediatric oncology.

23 Jul 2007

European watchdog warns about dangers of Acomplia

The European Medicines Agency has warned consumers that the weight loss drug Acomplia heightens the risk of suicide among those taking anti-depressants.

21 Jul 2007

Bipolar disorder shrinks the brain

British researchers have found that people who suffer from manic depression or bipolar disorder as it is more often called, also experience a loss of brain tissue and an accelerated shrinking of their brain.

21 Jul 2007

Young children's defiance toward mothers may be part of health development

At very young ages, children's defiant behavior toward their mothers may not be a bad thing.

20 Jul 2007

Bipolar disorder linked to reduction in brain tissue

People with bipolar disorder or manic depression suffer from an accelerated shrinking of their brain, researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found.

20 Jul 2007

New genetic risk factors for restless leg syndrome

In Germany alone 8 million patients are affected by RLS, which makes it one of the most common neurological diseases.

20 Jul 2007

New study on breast feeding and post natal depression

The commonly held belief that mothers suffering from post natal depression will not be able to breastfeed has been challenged by research from the University of Leicester, which also suggests that the manner in which current breastfeeding promotion strategies are communicated may contribute to feelings of guilt and fears of inadequacy by mothers suffering from depression.

20 Jul 2007

Study challenges NICE guidelines that recommend SSRIs be prescribed only in conjunction with psychological therapies

Should adolescents with depression be prescribed antidepressants, and if so, should they be given only with a psychological therapy, as advocated by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)"

20 Jul 2007