Archives for April 2009

Now, researchers at Rush University Medical Center have shown that depression is linked with the accumulation of visceral fat, the kind of fat packed between internal organs at the waistline, which has long been known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The study is posted online and will be published in the May issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

"Our results suggest that central adiposity – which is commonly called belly fat – is an important pathway by which depression contributes to the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes," said Lynda Powell, PhD, chairperson of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Rush and the study's principal investigator. "In our study, depressive symptoms were clearly related to deposits of visceral fat, which is the type of fat involved in disease."

The study included 409 middle-aged women, about half African-American and half Caucasian, who were participating in the Women in the South Side Health Project (WISH) in Chicago, a longitudinal study of the menopausal transition. Depressive symptoms were assessed using a common screening test, and visceral fat measured with a CT scan.

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Reducing on-the-job stress and strain may lower the risk of depression, new research shows.Over a 10-year period, workers who initially reported having high-strain jobs.

But then later reported perceiving their jobs as being less stressful were at the same risk of major depression as their peers who worked at low-strain jobs for the entire time, Dr. JianLi Wang of the University of Calgary in Alberta and colleagues found.

"These results indicated that interventions targeted to reducing job strain may significantly reduce the risk of depression," they noted in a report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

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The next time you take your teen to a doctor for a physical, sports checkup or a minor illness, don't be surprised if the visit includes a little something extra: a screening for major depression. Such screenings  in which teens answer a few questions about possible depression warning signs  are sure to become more common, thanks to a recent recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The influential, independent panel, which is not connected with drug companies, doctors' groups or insurers, says routine depression screening should do more good than harm for kids ages 12 to 18. Major depression affects more than 5% of teens and is linked with suicide, substance abuse and other serious problems.

Yet it often goes undiagnosed and untreated, the panel says (read full report at  "If you don't ask, they won't tell," says Leslie McGuire, deputy director of the TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University, New York. She supports the guidelines.

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For those who love animals, it's virtually impossible to stay in a bad mood when a pair of loving puppy eyes meets yours, or when a super-soft cat rubs up against your hand. Research supports the mood-enhancing benefits of pets. A recent study found that men with AIDS were less likely to suffer from depression if they owned a pet.

Control blood pressure better than drugs Yes, it's true. While ACE inhibiting drugs can generally reduce blood pressure, they aren't as effective on controlling spikes in blood pressure due to stress and tension. When they heard of the results, most of those in the non-pet group went out and got pets!

Pets encourage you to get out and exercise Whether we walk our dogs because they need it, or are more likely to enjoy a walk when we have companionship, dog owners do than non-pet owners, at least if we live in an urban setting. Because exercise is good for stress management and overall health, owning a dog can be credited with increasing these benefits.

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NSW residents with severe depression are being sought to take part in a global study. The Westmead Millennium Institute's Brain Dynamics Centre in Sydney is recruiting 200 adult volunteers who are about to begin treatment for depression or those who are changing their medication. The study aims to predict responses to a range of medications by identifying a person's unique physical and mental characteristics.

About another 200 volunteers are being recruited to take part in the study in Adelaide. NSW Minister Assisting the Minister for Health Barbara Perry said the international study would involve more than 2,000 people across 20 research centres.

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People with severe and recurrent depression could benefit from a new form of therapy that combines ancient forms of meditation with modern cognitive behaviour therapy, early-stage research by Oxford University psychologists suggests.

The results of a small-scale randomised trial of the approach, called mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), in currently depressed patients are published in the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy.
In an experiment, 28 people currently suffering from depression, having also had previous episodes of depression and thoughts of suicide, were randomly assigned into two groups.

One group received MBCT in addition to treatment as usual, while the other just received treatment as usual. The result indicated that the number of patients with major depression reduced in the group which received treatment with MBCT while it remained the same in the other group.

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This program explains what teenage depression looks like and how to tell if it’s a serious issue. There is a story which chronicles one teen’s downward spiral into depression, culminating in a suicide attempt. Psychiatrist, Stephen Preas, M.D. gives parents a very clear outline about the warning signs for teens at risk for suicide.

You’re also given specific examples of how to talk to your teen if you hear them actively or passively discussing suicide and when to hospitalize your teen. Additionally, Dr. Preas shares his belief of self-image and how suicide is the ultimate attempt to define one’s boundaries. This is a very thought-provoking and direct look at the reality of impulsivity and teen suicide.

People suffering from depression are increasing at an alarming rate. Despite of being aware of such an awful disease we are unable to do anything for our precaution. Very often you may think, “Is there any way to avoid this awful disease?” What we all know that depression can only be treated by medication and therapies.

Undoubtedly both of the ways are quite essential for a patient suffering from depression but these are the treatments and not the precautions. There are some ways by which we can keep is away from the clutch of depression.

Depression is a mental disorder that is caused due to certain chemical imbalance in the brain. It is a mind disease that completely ruins the confidence of a person and makes him feel like hell. Unlike rest of the diseases it can’t be treated by few pills, it has to be treated in slightly different way.

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Most people think of physical illness when asked about the most common causes of death. But suicide, which is almost always the result of mental illness, is the 11th-leading cause of death in the United States. Among young people between the ages 10 and 24, suicide is the second-leading cause of death.

In actual numbers, 32,637 Americans died by suicide in 2005, and 866 of these deaths occurred in Virginia. It is estimated that for every person who dies by suicide, another 25 people attempt suicide.  That’s more than 800,000 attempts each year.

These numbers are rarely discussed and painful to read.  Fortunately, prevention efforts have led to moderate decreases in the rate of suicide in youth (ages 10-24) and the elderly (ages 65-plus) over the past 10 years.

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Mothers of twins or triplets have almost twice the average risk of postnatal depression, a survey by the Twins and Multiple Births Association showed today. It found that 17% of mothers who had a multiple birth experienced PND, compared with an average of 10% among all mothers. Another 18% of mothers of multiples were not sure if the feelings they had amounted to postnatal depression.

The association said a few of the women walked out on their babies but returned. Others felt alone and cried regularly. Some harmed themselves and others contemplated suicide. The survey found that mothers who suffered PND reported less sleep and less help from family and friends than non-sufferers.

They were more likely to have received poor quality antenatal care or to have developed pregnancy complications. Some of the mothers said health visitors promised to drop off leaflets about depression, but did not do so. Others said doctors advised that they could not be treated for depression while breastfeeding.

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