Depression News and Research

Latest Depression News and Research

Breastfeeding babies past 12 months

Breastfeeding toddlers: it's considered a social no-no, which means very few mothers end up breastfeeding their babies past 12 months of age.

2 Aug 2005

Cognitive therapy programs help prevent repeat suicides attempts

Adults who had attempted suicide reduced their risk of a repeat attempt by participating in a cognitive therapy program, compared to adults who received the usual care, according to a study in the August 3 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on violence and human rights.

2 Aug 2005

More than one fourth of individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) were victims of violent crime in the past year

...eleven times the rate in the general population, according to a study in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

1 Aug 2005

Knee pain more often part of a package of aches and pains

A new study suggests that knee pain experienced by older people is usually not an isolated problem, but is more often part of a constellation of chronic aches.

29 Jul 2005

Anti-inflammatory function of Alzheimer's disease drugs revealed

The mechanism in anti-Alzheimer's disease drugs that inhibits the production of a destructive, inflammation-causing protein in the brain has been revealed by researchers at the Hebrew university of Jerusalem.

28 Jul 2005

Most people with knee pain also have pain elsewhere

Joint pain, especially in the knees, is a common complaint in older patients and can impact quality of life. A team of researchers recently set out to examine how often knee pain is accompanied by pain elsewhere in the body and whether the presence of multiple joint pain affects older patients' general health and psychological status.

28 Jul 2005

Pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer to evolve holistically

Restrictions against using brand names have rendered pharmaceutical Direct-to-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) in Europe an informative rather than promotional exercise. DTCA is now broadening its scope, evolving from its narrow publicity orientation to a more comprehensive approach focused on improved patient outcomes and value addition.

27 Jul 2005

Multiple rare mutations within a single gene may increase risk for autism

While debate still rages over the 'cause' of autism, mounting evidence suggests that genetic factors play a major role in the disease.

25 Jul 2005

Nonsmokers report better health and fewer symptoms of depression than smokers

People who have successfully quit smoking cigarettes are more likely to have visited a trusted health care provider and to report good mental health than current smokers, according to a recent study.

25 Jul 2005

Less than 1 percent of health plan members are actually diagnosed with alcoholism or related disorders

Less than 1 percent of health plan members are actually diagnosed with alcoholism or related disorders, according to data from a national performance measurement project released today in New York City at the American Medical Association Media Briefing, Alcohol Dependence: From Science to Solutions.

24 Jul 2005

Cocaine induces abnormal enhancement of neuronal connections

Researchers working with rats have zeroed in on the brain circuitry mechanism whose disruption contributes to the impulsive behavior seen in users of cocaine as well as other psychostimulant drugs. The same circuitry has been implicated in such disorders as schizophrenia, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, wrote the researchers.

21 Jul 2005

FDA approval for VNS Therapy will help people with epilepsy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent approval of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy for treatment of chronic depression provides a novel single-treatment option for two major symptoms suffered by people with epilepsy.

21 Jul 2005

Potential use of NH neurotransmitters as novel source for psychiatric drugs

Physiologists and medical researchers have long recognized the important endocrine roles played by the pituitary hormones oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) on peripheral systems in lactation, uterine contraction and urine concentration.

19 Jul 2005

Spontaneous contractions suppressed in late-term rat pregnancy

A long-time aim of obstetrical research has been to find agents that could delay or diminish pre-term labor because even today pre-term birth is a leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity.

19 Jul 2005

Vagal nerve stimulation, an innovative therapy for depression

The Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center medical team involved in the research and development of an innovative therapy for depression - vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) - is starting a new clinic for patients who have treatment-resistant depression.

19 Jul 2005

Researchers have identified a protein that is crucially involved in how our memories are stored and processed

University of Queensland researchers have identified a protein that is crucially involved in how our memories are stored and processed, paving the way for new strategies to treat conditions certain mental disorders.

18 Jul 2005

Oral midazolam more effective than rectal diazepam for the emergency treatment of seizures in children

Administering a drug called midazolam via the mouth cavity is more effective than rectal diazepam for the emergency treatment of seizures in children, concludes a study published in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

14 Jul 2005

Current recommendations for prescribing antidepressants should be reconsidered

Most people with depression are initially treated with antidepressants, and prescribing has risen by 253% in 10 years. Yet recent studies show that SSRIs have no clinically meaningful advantage over placebo, write Joanna Moncrieff and Irving Kirsch.

14 Jul 2005

Five basic steps to help doctors identify and treat insomnia in elderly patients

Researchers outline five basic steps to help doctors identify and treat insomnia in elderly patients. This article is published in a special insomnia themed supplement of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

14 Jul 2005

Biologists determine structure of a common-cold virus

Biologists at Purdue University have determined the combined structure of a common-cold virus attached to a molecule that enables the virus to infect its host, information that ultimately may help researchers develop methods for treating certain viral infections.

13 Jul 2005