Depression News and Research

Latest Depression News and Research

Two important brain systems can influence an individual's behavior and emotional expression in times of need

The willingness to call out in distress to get help from others appears to be regulated by two brain systems with very different responsibilities, according to a study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

7 Mar 2005

Association between cigarette smoking and suicidal thoughts and attempts

Suicidal thoughts or attempts are associated with daily smoking in current smokers, but not former smokers, according to an article in Archives of General Psychiatry.

7 Mar 2005

Unemployment, poverty and housing unaffordability correlated with a risk of mental illness

Does having a low socioeconomic status (SES) lead to depression or does depression lead a person into poverty? According to a study that examined a database of 34,000 patients with two or more psychiatric hospitalizations in Massachusetts during 1994-2000, unemployment, poverty and housing unaffordability were correlated with a risk of mental illness.

7 Mar 2005

New method of organising care for adults in the UK who suffer from clinical depression

Researchers at the University of York are investigating a new method of organising care for some of the three million adults in the UK who suffer from clinical depression.

6 Mar 2005

A man's index finger length relative to ring finger length can predict how physically aggressive that man might be

Dr. Peter Hurd a psychologist at the University of Alberta, and his graduate student Allison Bailey, have found that a man's index finger length relative to ring finger length can predict how physically aggressive that man might be.

3 Mar 2005

Deep brain stimulation alleviates severe depression

Canadian researchers have found that severe depression, which is often unresponsive to standard treatments, may be alleviated with an experimental treatment called deep brain stimulation.

3 Mar 2005

Antidepressants prescribed to children will have Black Box labels warnings

Antidepressants prescribed to children should have "Black box" labels warnings, which are reserved for the most dangerous drugs, of the increased risk of suicide that they pose. This will happen mid-March, five months after the Food and Drug Administration ordered it.

3 Mar 2005

Possible errors in treatment of depression

A new study documenting the treatment of late-life depression by Canadian health professionals will be presented today at the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

3 Mar 2005

Gene variant that may increase the risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease

Researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders (MIND) have identified a gene variant that may increase the risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

2 Mar 2005

Suicides outnumber homicides in the U.S

Charles Curie, head of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said suicides in the United States run at about 80 a day or more than 29,000 a year, three for each two homicides.

2 Mar 2005

Growing evidence base supports focus on mind-body connection in heart disease

Cardiologists should recognize and help manage depression, stress and other common psychosocial risk factors that play a powerful role in the wellbeing and health outcomes of heart disease patients, according to an article(PDF) in the March 1, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

1 Mar 2005

Unique study of the use of deep brain stimulation

Canadian researchers have seen promising results from a unique study of the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS), in severely depressed patients resistant to standard treatments.

28 Feb 2005

Electrical deep brain stimulation can dramatically alleviate depression

Electrical deep brain stimulation can dramatically alleviate depression that is resistant to other treatments, researchers have found in an initial study on six patients.

28 Feb 2005

Is caesarean section linked to postnatal depression?

According to a recent study elective Caesarean section does not protect women from postnatal depression. Emergency caesarean section or assisted vaginal delivery (use of forceps or vacuum extraction) do not indicate a possible increased risk of postnatal depression.

27 Feb 2005

Second-generation Antidepressants

A recent article in the prestigious British Medical Journal seems to confirm an increased risk for suicidal behavior among adults taking popular antidepressants. This follows evidence that certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may have a similar effect among children and adolescents.

27 Feb 2005

Dramatic evidence of how psychiatric disorders are underdiagnosed in hospital emergency departments

New research offers dramatic evidence of how psychiatric disorders are underdiagnosed in hospital emergency departments, affecting an increasing number of Americans who rely on such facilities for much of their primary health care needs.

23 Feb 2005

$20 million advance in Canadian mental health research

University of B.C. President Martha Piper and Premier Gordon Campbell have announced a $20 million advance in mental health research, training and policy, generated by a $10 million gift, the largest ever to mental health in Canada, from a close friend of the university who wishes to remain anonymous.

23 Feb 2005

People drink less alcohol as they age

A new UCLA study shows that people drink less alcohol as they age--but drinking among those who were born in earlier years showed a faster decline than among people born more recently.

22 Feb 2005

Early diagnosis and treatment is important for children and adolescents with bipolar disorder

"These new guidelines were formulated by a group of leading experts in child psychiatry and are the most up-to-date and comprehensive set of guidelines for the treatment of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder," said Dr. Kowatch. "They represent a major step towards practicing evidence-based medicine in this difficult to treat group of patients.

22 Feb 2005

Bipolar disorder a common feature in urban primary care practice

According to a study in the February 23 issue of JAMA. Nearly 10 percent of patients screened at a general medicine clinic in an urban area were found to have a history of bipolar disorder.

21 Feb 2005