Depression
Laser dissection of depression
|
|
Chinese investigators from Hefei and Dutch researchers in Amsterdam have collaborated using for the first time a combination of new elegant methodology in Depression research. They used postmortem human brain tissue that was donated to the Netherlands Brain Bank for research purposes and investigated a region in the basal part of the brain, the hypothalamus, that is known to be of crucial importance for the development of symptoms of depression. This region is 6 mm3 large and is called the Paraventricular Nucleus (PVN) since it is situated along the third ventricle of the brain. This brain area is central in the regulations of our normal stress response, while a too high activity of the PVN is a pivotal characteristic of depression. The hypothalamus consists of a large number of very small specialized cell groups that all have different functions and should thus be studied separately, hence the necessity of the application of the methodology used.
Women More Likely to Comply with Stroke Prevention Despite Being More Depressed
|
|
After a stroke, women are more likely to become depressed than men, but despite being depressed, women are more likely than men to take stroke medications, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 12–19, 2008.
The study involved 491 stroke survivors who were all prescribed drugs prior to hospital discharge aimed at preventing a second stroke by lowering cholesterol, reducing high blood pressure and preventing blood clots. Three months later, researchers evaluated the participants’ level of depression, quality of life, and whether they were still taking the stroke prevention drugs. A total of 385 people, or 78 percent, were still taking their medications after three months.
Nineteen percent of women reported feelings of depression, compared to 10 percent of men. Thirty percent of women reported sleep problems, compared to 22 percent of men. But the men who kept taking their drugs reported a better overall quality of life than women who stuck with their medications.
JOEM Presents Special Report on Depression in the Workplace
|
|
Depression affects more than six percent of the working population. When people with bipolar disorder and other forms of depression are included, the true rate is even higher. But only half of workers suffering from depression receive any form of treatment, and less than half of these receive care consistent with current treatment guidelines according to new studies released by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) in its April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. This special issue of JOEM, the official publication of ACOEM, presents an update on workplace depression, highlighting the need for an integrated, evidence-based approach to managing this common, chronic, and often recurrent disorder.
The 15 papers in the issue, prepared by experts in their fields, are presented as part of the ACOEM Depression in the Workplace Project, a joint venture of the ACOEM Occupational Mental Health Committee and the ACOEM Health and Productivity Section. Project co-directors Drs. Garson M. Caruso and T. Larry Myette will host a special session Wednesday, April 16, 2008, on Depression in the Workplace during the American Occupational Health Conference, to be held at the Marquis Marriott Hotel in New York City, April 13-16.
Having defined the scope of the problem, the new papers discuss some promising approaches to improving the management of workplace depression. For example, programs to improve coping and stress management skills, identify employees at risk, and promote early treatment may help to prevent or lessen the severity of depression.
Insomnia may boost future depression risk
|
|
Insomniacs are at increased risk of developing major depression, results of a 20-year study demonstrate.
The findings also suggest that while insomnia frequently accompanies depression, it may not be just a symptom of depression as is commonly thought, but a separate condition, Dr. Dr. Daniel J. Buysse of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and colleagues say.
Depression is a well known risk factor for insomnia, and people with depression often report difficulty sleeping, Buysse and his team point out in the journal Sleep. And while some investigators have suggested that insomnia could, conversely, increase depression risk, few studies have looked at this issue over time.
Treating Depression: What You Should Know
|
|
What is depression?
Depression is a serious illness that affects your mood. Most people with depression feel sad or empty. It is probably caused by changes in the chemicals the brain uses to send messages from one nerve cell to another.
Who gets it?
Depression is common. Anyone of any age, sex, or race can get it. As many as 10 to 14 percent of patients who go to see their doctor have depression. Some people get it when stressful life events happen or because of a medical illness. Sometimes depression happens even when things seem to be “going right.” Many people get genes from their parents that make them more likely to become depressed.
Variations of Stress Response Gene Appear To Be Predictive of Risk of PTSD
|
|
Adults who experienced child abuse and have variations of a gene related to stress response appear to be at greater risk of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms as adults, according to a study in the March 19 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on Genetics and Genomics.
Rebekah G. Bradley, Ph.D., of the Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, presented the findings of the study at a JAMA media briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
“Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating stress-related psychiatric disorder, with prevalence rates of at least 7 percent to 8 percent in the U.S. population, and with much higher rates among combat veterans and those living in high-violence areas. Initially viewed as a potentially normative response to traumatic exposure, it became clear that not everyone experiencing trauma develops PTSD. Thus, a central question in research on PTSD is why some individuals are more likely than others to develop the disorder in the face of similar levels of trauma exposure,” the authors write. They add that it is becoming clear that there are critical roles for pre-disposing genetic and environmental influences in determining the psychological risk to the traumatized individual, with child abuse appearing to provide significant risk for the development of PTSD.
Metabolic syndrome: a risk factor for depression?
|
|
A cluster of heart disease and diabetes risk factors known as the metabolic syndrome may be a “predisposing factor for the development of depression,” Finnish researchers report.
Dr. Hannu Koponen of Kuopio University in Kuopio, Finland, and colleagues followed a large group of middle-aged men and women living in central Finland for 7 years. At the start of the study in 1998, they checked for symptoms of depression using a standard instrument called the Beck Depression Inventory. They also assessed the presence of metabolic syndrome in the subjects, using established criteria.
Components of metabolic syndrome include high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, low levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and excess belly fat.
Depression, inactivity up teen girls’ fatigue risk
|
|
Anxiety and depression and an inactive lifestyle can herald the development of persistent and severe fatigue in teen girls, according to the first study to look at fatigue in adolescent girls over time.
Dr. Cobi J. Heijnen of University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands and colleagues found that one in four girls who reported being fatigued at the study’s outset were still fatigued one year later. “It’s a very constant phenomenon,” Heijnen told Reuters Health.
Depression, anxiety tied to unhealthy habits
|
|
Depression and anxiety are associated with obesity and poor health behaviors like smoking, drinking, and inactivity, new research indicates.
“Depression and anxiety are serious mental health conditions and without treatment may assume a chronic course,” Dr. Tara W. Strine who led the study told Reuters Health. “Given this, it is important to take depression and anxiety seriously and to seek medical care when needed.”
Strine, from the division of adult and community health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta and colleagues analyzed data from 217,379 U.S. adults who took part in the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System—a large telephone survey that monitors the prevalence of key health behaviors.
Depression, Anxiety Are Linked to Obesity, Unhealthy Habits
|
|
People who suffer from depression or anxiety are much more likely to be obese and to smoke — both major risk factors for chronic disease — according to a large nationwide study.
“The relationship between obesity and depression is plausible for several reasons,” said lead author Tara Strine, of the Division of Adult and Community Health in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “First, some patients who are overweight may be prone to depression because of societal attitudes towards obesity. Also, while depression can lead to decreased appetite and weight loss in some individuals, others eat more and gain weight.”
The study, in the March/April issue of the journal General Hospital Psychiatry, compiled data from more than 200,000 adults in 38 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All participated in the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a large telephone survey that monitors the prevalence of key health behaviors.
Mental distress may up stroke risk
|
|
Increased psychological distress, as measured on a standardized scale, is linked to an elevated risk of having a stroke, according to a large study. By contrast, major depression, either recent or lifetime, does not increase the risk.
The results “showed that those people who reported the most psychological distress at baseline had a 40 percent increased risk of ... stroke compared to those who were least psychologically distressed,” Dr. Paul G. Surtees told Reuters Health.
Persistence key to treat depressed teens
|
|
Teenagers whose initial drug treatment fails to combat depression, which happens in 4 out of 10 cases, can be helped by switching medicine and adding psychotherapy, a U.S. study published on Tuesday said.
“The findings should be encouraging for families with a teen who has been struggling with depression for some time,” said Dr. David Brent of the University of Pittsburgh who headed the research.
“Even if a first attempt at treatment is unsuccessful, persistence will pay off. Being open to trying new evidence-based medications or treatment combinations is likely to result in improvement,” he added.
Doctors Should Watch for Depression in Arthritis Patients
|
|
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are twice as likely to experience depression but are unlikely to talk to a doctor about it, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) – the most common form of chronic inflammatory arthritis – is a debilitating disease characterized by inflammation of joint tissues, persistent pain, functional disability, stiffness and fatigue.
Betsy Sleath, PhD, a professor at the UNC School of Pharmacy, said that although depression in primary care settings has been well examined, no previous studies have looked at whether rheumatologists and RA patients discuss depression during medical visits.
Depression plus hostility poses heart risk
|
|
Older adults who are simultaneously hostile and depressed may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
Depressive symptoms and hostility appear to act together in a complex way to influence levels of two inflammatory proteins that predict future heart disease, Dr. Jesse C. Stewart told Reuters Health.
Stewart, of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and colleagues examined the relationships between depressive symptoms, hostility, and the blood levels of two inflammatory markers for cardiovascular disease—interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein—in 316 healthy men and women.
Older Women More Likely to Become, Remain Depressed Than Older Men
|
|
Older women appear more susceptible to depression and more likely to stay depressed but less likely to die while depressed than older men, factors that contribute to the higher burden of depression among older women, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Major depression affects approximately 1 percent to 2 percent of older adults living in the community, but as many as 20 percent experience symptoms of depression, according to background information in the article. These symptoms are more likely to affect older women than older men for reasons that are unclear.
Lisa C. Barry, Ph.D., M.P.H., of Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn., and colleagues evaluated a group of 754 individuals age 70 and older (average age 78.4) beginning in 1998. At the beginning of the study and at follow-up assessments conducted every 18 months, participants were asked to provide demographic information, take cognitive tests and report any medical conditions. They also were screened for symptoms of depression—such as lack of appetite, feeling sad or sleep problems—during the previous week.
